Yet another list of must-go places...the chase never ends

So many places, so little time...

40 Unforgettable Places

Angkor Wat - Cambodia
St Petersburg - Russia
Havana - Cuba
Wat Phra Kaeo - Thailand
Grand Canyon - USA
Taj Mahal - India
Eilean Donan Castle - Scotland
The Alhambra - Spain
Aitutaki - Cook Islands
Pyramid of Kulkucan - Mexico
Venice - Italy
Dead Vlei - Namibia
Iguassu Falls - Brazil & Argentina
Petra - Jordan
College Fjord - Alaska
Karnak Temple - Egypt
Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
Taman Negara Rainforest - Malaysia
Jaisalmer Fort - India
Galapagos Islands - Ecuador
Manhattan Island - USA
Lake Titicaca - Bolivia & Peru
Monet's Garden - France
Ngorongoro Crater - Tanzania
Santorini - Greece
Drakensberg - South Africa
Zanzibar - Tanzania
Makalu - Nepal
Lalibela - Ethiopia
Machu Picchu - Peru
Uluru - Australia
Varanasi - India
Great Barrier Reef - Australia
Lhasa - Tibet
Yangshou - China
Dubrovnik - Croatia
Ephesus - Turkey
Shanghai - China
Samarkand - Uzbekistan
Killary Harbour - Ireland

40 Unforgettable Islands

The Society Islands - French Polynesia
Si Phan Don - Laos
Newfoundland - Canada
Ile de la Cite - Paris, France
Islands of Lake Tana - Ethiopia
Pico Ruivo - Madeira, Portugal
Sagar - India
Vanuatu
Isle of Skye - Scotland
Cousine & Praslin - The Seychelles
Santa Barbara Islands - California, USA
Hong Kong Island - China
Amorgos - Greece
The Golden Temple - Amritsar, India
The Florida Keys - USA
Bali - Indonesia
Southern Dalmatian Islands - Croatia
Yasawa Islands - Fiji
Madagascar
Stockholm - Sweden
Lord Howe Island - Australia
Sri Lanka
Sark - United Kingdom
Bacuit Archipelago - Palawan, Philippines
Lamu - Kenya
Big Island - Hawaii, USA
St Lucia - Windward Islands
Mont Saint-Michel - France
Tierra del Fuego - Argentina
Sicily, Italy
Mount Desert Island - Maine, USA
Svalbard - Norway
Eleuthera - The Bahamas
Ibiza & Formentera - Spain
Kubu Island - Botswana
Isles of Scilly - England
Phanga Nga Bay Islands - Thailand
Socotra - Yemen
Tokyo's Parks - Japan
Rapa Nui - Chile 

Kenya Nzuri: Lake Baringo & Lake Bogoria

For my lovely friend, Charlene's birthday, a group of us took a trip to Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria.

Lake Baringo has a surface area of about 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi) and an elevation of about 970 metres (3,180 ft). It is one of two freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley in Kenya (Lake Naivasha being the other one, also stunningly beautiful).  It is the home of over 470 species of birds and is a perfect place for bird lovers!

We stayed at a place called Robert's Camp.  It's basic, but charming.  I love the porch area, despite of the mosquitoes.  At night, hippos come to the camp site, and one of the night we were able to spot some of them grazing.  The climate was pretty hot and steamy when we were there, but we were able to just veg out and do absolutely nothing.  I think this is the first time I can understand what it is like to live in the South in the US when the temperature is high and air is humid!  

My favorite part of the weekend was all the birds and wildlife that just comes into our camp.  All sorts of colorful birds were around us, and we've successfully lure some to come near our porch with some delicious chevda.  It's quite interesting to witness the pecking orders of the various species of birds, some are timid, others are mean and ruthless.  I suppose, not that different from humans. :-) 

On the way back to Nairobi, we stopped by Lake Bogoria.  It is a saline, alkaline lake that lies in a volcanic region, and is home to one of the world's largest populations of lesser flamingoes. Lake Bogoria is also famous for geysers and hot springs,  It contains the highest concentration of geysers in Africa (at least 18 is known).  Despite of the extreme heat, the steam coming out of the hot spring by the bank of the lake was actually really refreshing, and there were a few local Kenyans sitting there enjoying their "sauna".  We cooked some eggs in the hot spring, which totally reminded me of my childhood in Taiwan where we would go to a local hot spring and do the same.

 

So another beautiful, fun weekend away from Nairobi has ended.  I feel extremely lucky to be able to make my tour around Kenya and explore its unspoiled beauty, this is something most Kenyan don't get to do, and hopefully through my posts the world can see how great Africa is and eliminate some of the negative, depressing images most Western media portray.