Places to visit in Kenya, East Africa

 Mambo!!! Habari yako 

It's been a while since I last wrote something here. 

So, on this blog, I just wanted to share some places where I enjoyed and of course, experienced while I was an ex-pat in Kenya. 

I lived in Lavington, Nairobi but it did not stop me to discover some places outside the city. 

So without much ado, here are the places you can visit if you're into traveling:

1. Karura, Forest

This is the first place I visited here in Nairobi, after a week of staying here, I took an uber to reach there via Boda Boda. 

I paid only KES 100 to enter and walked the forest for nearly 3 hours. It is very quiet so you can have your ''Me Time''. You can either stroll or visit the waterfalls and the caves. Walking surrounded by trees is just one thing that a lot of people fail to appreciate. I loved and enjoyed walking there even at most times, I walked alone.

2. Ngong Hills, Kajiado 

This beautiful, scenic view is one of a kind, and if you are reading right now. Please come and try this exhilarating hike experience. Better bring water and food if you go for a hike in this place, there are a number of mountains that you will need to conquer and for sure you will not regret visiting this place. I hiked here two times and I will surely do it again if I get the chance. 

If you are a resident you will only have to pay KES 232. 

3. Olooloa Trail, Karen

My new friend took me here for a walk on a Sunday afternoon and I couldn't be happier to spend my weekend outside the house and of course, breathe fresh air and see another discovery.

4. Diani, Mombasa

The sunny beach is giving me a refreshing vibe.

It is always relaxing to be walking barefoot on the shore while being sun-kissed.

Spend your weekend right and have a sip of beer while listening to the splashing waves. 

5. The Sands, Chale Island, Mombasa

This island is one of my favorites in Kenya. I flew from Nairobi to Ukunda Airport from the cold Nairobi to the humid Mombasa. Definitely, I consider this as a getaway place. The food here is delicious and will cater to all your cravings. The meals they served were all fresh and very tasty. Your stay is worth paying for.

If you are a diver, you may be sure to contact them earlier and book in advance to reserve a diver to guide you. While my friends are enjoying their dive, I and Saisai went for a boat ride this time we got the opportunity to see the dolphins and it was indeed a wonderful day.

Shoutout to my Malabad Hinduro and Catherine Galve for sponsoring the accommodation. I am very pleased.

6. Bomas of Kenya (Homestead), Langata Kenya

The costume, the performance, the discipline is indeed worth a day spent.

I am not a fan of the cultural shows but this experience gagged me. 

The dancers are very entertaining, they showed skills, passion, and love for their work.

The story that they portrayed is well executed. 

We paid KES 500.00 to enter and enjoy the exhibition. 

7. Carnelly's Camp Naivasha, Nakuru

My first camping experience!

Wash up your blankets and prepare yourself for the cold weather. This time I will take you to Nakuru county. The cold weather is such a good experience while you spend talking to your lovely friends.In the evening, we did a flaming bonfire that warms you up before you go to your respective tents. 

Make sure to prepare yourself from drizzles as it just rains all of a sudden. Had spent 3 days at the camp and we enjoyed it a lot. 

You can go biking, fishing, and boating at the lake called Naivasha.

8. Hell'S Gate National Park & Geothermal Spa (Sulfur Swimming pool), Olkaria

9. Safari Park Hotel

10. Rainbow Resort, Ruiru

11. Kedong, Mai Mahiu

12. The Alchemist bar

13. The Giraffe Center, Karen

14. Nairobi Safari Walk

15. Safari Park Hotel

16. Two Rivers Mall

17. Sarit Center

18. Westgate Mall

19. Aga khan sports club

20. Sikh Union Club

I lived in Nairobi, Kenya for 6 months and I really enjoyed those adventures i did.

Thank you and I hope you find any of these places interesting.

BADMINTON TOURNAMENT RULES!

Bonjour Everyone!

First of all, I would like to thank you all for participating in this Badminton tournament for a Cause.

And I am indeed overwhelmed and grateful to all our generous sponsors for their financial support to make this event come to a reality.

Kindly bear in mind the below rules and guidelines during the tournament:

RULES:

Game type: Double Elimination

Double Elimination means one loss and the team moves to the loser bracket- another loss and they are out of the tournament.

Scoring System

• A serve must be hit underarm and below the server’s waist. No overarm serves are allowed.
• A match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.
• Every time there is a serve – there is a point scored.
• The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.
• At 20 all, the side which gains a 2-point lead first wins that game.
• At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point wins that game.
• The side winning a game serves first in the next game.
• Line (White)  must be always considered regardless of the shape of the court.

Interval and Change of Ends

• A 5-10 minutes’ interval between each game is allowed.
• On the third game, players change ends when the leading score reaches 11 points.
• If a player touches the net with any part of their body or racket, then it is deemed a fault and their opponent receives the point.
• Feather shuttlecocks to be used only
• Please be reminded that only an allowable 30 minutes’ maximum waiting time- The pairs must be in the designated court. In case the pair hasn’t arrived yet, they lose on that round only.
• Any other rules not mentioned in this article are subject to the committee's discretion and approval.

* NO pay, NO play

We also welcome everyone who wanted to help us for the manpower support as scorer OR lineman. 

It will be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, I would like to ask everybody to show great sportsmanship and camaraderie.

And most of all to play fair with honesty and integrity.

Let's work together and enjoy this wonderful event. 

Adios!

BADMINTON CUP 2020: PLAY FOR A CAUSE!

 Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my blog!

Livingmarks25, in partnership with the Filipino Community of Tanzania, will be holding its first “Badminton Cup 2020: Play for a Cause” in Redsun Badminton Club, Msasani, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on November 15, 22 & 29, 2020 at  4pm-8pm or onwards. (Sundays only)

We will be having a double Elimination tournament for

Men's Double for Pro and non-Pro, 

Women's Double Pro and Non-Pro, 

Mixed Doubles Open & 

Mixed Double Xclusiv (For Filipinos only)

The registration fee will be 35,000 Tanzanian shillings per person and you can also join two different categories.

Note: The coordinators will identify as to which category you will be qualified i.e, Pro or Non-pro.

RULES:

Game type: Double Elimination

Scoring System

• A serve must be hit underarm and below the server’s waist. No overarm serves are allowed.
• A match consists of the best of 3 games of 21 points.
• Every time there is a serve – there is a point scored.
• The side winning a rally adds a point to its score.
• At 20 all, the side which gains a 2-point lead first wins that game.
• At 29 all, the side scoring the 30th point wins that game.
• The side winning a game serves first in the next game.

Interval and Change of Ends

• A 5-10 minutes’ interval between each game is allowed.
• In the third game, players change ends when the leading score reaches 11 points.
• If a player touches the net with any part of their body or racket, then it is deemed a fault and their opponent receives the point.
• Feather shuttlecocks only
• Please be reminded that only an allowable 30 minutes’ maximum waiting time- The pairs must be in the designated court. In case the pair hasn’t arrived yet, they lose on that round only.

Matching

Players will be drawn accordingly. The first picked will play against the second picked, and so on.

The primary goal of this event is to raise funds aiming to help selected public schools in the Philippines affected by the global pandemic and part of the net profit will also add funding for the Filipino Community of Tanzania to help financial assistance to our dear Albino children.

In this regard, we would like to ask for participation and your monetary support.

Target beneficiaries are the following:

1. Sampiano Elementary School in Bukidnon, Philippines

2. Malitbog Agricultural High School in Bukidnon, Philippines

3. Filipino Community in Tanzania (FCT)

Education of 4 Albino Children

This will be a friendly game so just have fun and enjoy!

If you want to join, you can simply Whatsapp me on this number +255 684-602-931

And that's it for now!

For any questions, you may send an email at Livingmarks25@gmail.com

Thank you and see you guys soon!

ZANZIBAR ISLAND, TANZANIA AFRICA TRAVEL GUIDE 2020

ZANZIBAR ISLAND, TANZANIA AFRICA ADVENTURE 2020 3 DAYS/2NIGHTS

Time to go out and see nature!

Mnarani Beach,Nungwi Zanzibar

For this blog, I will take you to one of the amazing beaches in the world and of course the best in East Africa.

Let me take you for a ride and of course, share you our overall expenses for our 3 days /2 nights trip.

We had a last-minute plan and so it is not good. I advise you to always plan ahead so you can get what you really want.

This time we bought our ferry tickets at ZAN ferries because Azam ferry was already full.
We left by Friday during Eid Mubarak which means its a holiday and expected crowd is coming since  travelling to Zanzibar is just 1 hr and 30 minutes away from DAR es salaam.

DAY1

Arriving at Sandbank

The ferry departed at 8a.m from Dar and reached at 9:30am.
Once you arrived, please prepare your residents permit and passport.
You will need to write your name in the immigration area but there is no need to fill-up the form if you have a resident permit. But if you're travelling as a tourist then you have to fill-up the form.
We purchased our ticket at Tzs 50,000 per person or USD 21.00 ONLY both for kids and adults.

We booked our hotel at Stonetown view inn, it's 2 minutes away from the seaport so we just walk.
And a local guy has led us to this hotel for free, he didn't even charge us so I was surprised by the kindness of the people living here in the Island.
When I booked it online I saw USD 33 for all of us and we have a voucher for it, however, the next day when we checked out, we paid USD 102. Still not bad for 6 pax but there is no TRANSPARENCY and that's what really bothers me.
My first-time experience at booking.com and it was not good.
After checking in, we headed to the ocean for a real tour.

DAY 1: SANDBANK and PRISON ISLAND Tour

Sandbank, Zanzibar

We rented a boat for Tzs 220,000 for the day including the amazing seafood.
It was indeed an amazing experience and it was my first time to ever try an octopus meal.
And it was so good.

SANDBANK

The waves were quite rough going to sandbank so we had a lot of screaming and laughing. It was hell of a bumpy ride.
It was scary also and I did try to convince them to wear a life jacket. hahaha

After maybe 20-25 minutes we arrived at the sandbank and with very fewer people.
There are only 4 tourists in the sandbar and the view was terrific.
It was ridiculously amazing!!
We had our lunch there and our boat driver prepared us an amazing food, all seafood like lobster, shrimps, octopus, shrimps and chips.

After 2 hours, we visited to another island called PRISON ISLAND.

Here is another once in a lifetime experience.
We paid TZS 5,000 for an entrance fee and I forgot my resident permit so I paid Tzs 10,000.

The place is surrounded by so many old tortoises.
They are so huge and heavy.
One of them is at 130 years old, 133 years old and I was like, really?

PRISON ISLAND

They are the land tortoise and feeding them was a very nice experience especially for the kids.

TORTOISE @ 133 YEARS OLD

After an hour, we went back to the mainland.

This place is so cool and safe.
No wonder tourist from Europe and all over the world love to visit this amazing place.
We went to the BEACH House for our dinner and yes the view was great, the food was delectable and overall, our day 1 went all great.

DINNER AT BEACH HOUSE

DAY 2: STONE TOWN TOUR

PALACE MUSEUM, STONETOWN

For our second day, we decided to have a city tour and get familiarize with the island.

We visited old ruins, Palace museum, house of wonders, Slave market and the story of these places are incredible.

Old British Car

It made you love them more.
The history was sad and very uplifting.

After a tiresome narrative storytelling, we headed to a simple yet full of customers.

Food must be really good here. 
Enjoy Swahili cuisine called Lukman for lunch.
The food was great and we tried the Baobab juice and it was so good.

After our lunch, we travelled to Nungwi, an almost 2 hours drive from the main city.
We booked our accommodation at Mnarani Beach and Cottages.
The hotel upgraded our accommodation in a sea view with no extra payments.
It was so cool of them and generous.
The sea view was magnificent.
The waves were strong hitting the rocks and it was so clean and blue.

After arriving, our driver took us to Baraka aquarium and we had a chance to swim with 30 turtles.
FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN!!!

We paid Tzs 20,000 entrance fee and it is a 3-minute walk from our hotel accommodation.


Day 3: Mnarani Beach Cottages


This time I got to feature their villas, rooms, apartments so watch out for my hotel room tour vlog very soon.
This place is amazing and it's very cheap.


What an amazing experience, indeed!
I must say, this is the time to experience the beauty of Zanzibar.
The prices are all affordable and you cannot get this during the normal season, (It's normally expensive)
So hurry up and book your getaway.




The family that travels together stays together!


Please don't forget to share, leave a comment on this blog.
Visit my youtube channel for more travel videos: Livingmarks25



Contact details:
Abdallah-Car rent driver  +255 777 131 856
Hussein- Stonetown Tour guide +255 772 962 180
Mnarani Beach Cottages: +255 777 479 578
Boat Rental to SandbankPrison Island: ISMAIL +255 718 006 576


Happy travelling!