These Kenya safaris destinations though priced above the average tourist lodges, have hit the top most level in terms of value, service and purpose. Wildlife and conservation is now a viable alternative land use that compliments the traditional pastoralist for most indigenous local people, mainly the maasai and samburu tribesmen thus creating employment within the local communities and providing a structure for future ecological positive developments and growth of the tourism industry in Kenya.

 

So finally, you don’t have to ponder on how you can assist the locals native people living in the remote grasslands of Kenya, these tribesmen can now sustain themselves and get the kids going to school for the fist time instead of looking after the family cattle,  they will also now have access to clean water.

 

All you need to do to make this a reality is to enjoy their hospitality in a world class lodge and sure enough you will have indirectly funded a homestead somewhere within your lodge location.

 

The profits that come out of these comfortable luxurious and rustic ventures will be divided amongst the locals and will help support the local schools, water supplies and other group ranch operations.

 

Illi ngwesi lodge in Laikipia, northern frontier district is built with local materials, organic in character with only six attractive bandas raised from the ground, large double beds that may be rolled out for a night under the stars. Breath taking views makes the lodge a classic and a must visit.

 

Crowned by British airways as a winning initiative, the lodge has been seen as the role model in community based tourism in Kenya. The trained maasai host look after the lodge and their visitors with great care and attention, the revenue from the lodges is divided amongst the locals and help support nearly five hundred house holds.

 

Tassia lodge protrudes from the Mokogodo escarpment and over looks the valleys and beyond. Yet another model in community eco friendly project, a place you want to stay and live, three nights is never enough. Its not a surprise these units are ever fully booked and sometimes it’s a challenge getting a chance to stay there due to over bookings, my advice, plan and book three months ahead.

 

Shompole lodge some where along Kenya’s lake Magadi is supposed to be the best of all. With the numbers continuously rising in eco lodges in Kenya, it’s a real challenge to stipulate which one of them is better that the other, though the goals and objective are clear and well worth every effort.

 

If you are well traveled and have seen the best of lodges and camps in the world, well this is supposed to be a challenge you should consider, Sabuk lodge is another favorite, remote and beautiful. Set up on a cliff overlooking the lush river 50 meters below where elephants and other wildlife come each morning for a drink.

 

Koija star beds in Laikipia are something out of this world, the raised rustic cottages, complete with ensuite bath rooms, hot showers have no windows but welcoming openness that come with awesome views of the landscapes far and beyond, the bathrooms are open and as you shower you enjoy the sun shine and the views. The name star beds comes from the two wheeled beds that roll out on the platform and as you sleep under a white net under the stars, you enjoy the very last of available natural experience not found anywhere else.

 

They even provide you with the stars identification handy book, so as you gaze up clear twinkling African skies, you will locate and finally identify Leo the lion low in the west is still as bright as ‘The regulus’ and ‘The southern cross’. Or is it?

 

The ever smiling and knowledgeable masai host takes good care of you and keep you company all through. Proud to show off their country side and cultures, you are sure to enjoy every bit of it. Activities in most of these locations include game viewing, bush dinners, bush breakfast, cultural village visits to witness the tradition and cultural practices including livestock keeping, traditional hunting skills, rites, rituals and dances.

 

The food is fresh from the fertile Kenya highlands and the private airstrips each lodge enjoys serves well for the daily supplies.

At the renowned Masai Mara game reserve, the Base camp is an award winning eco project. A key goal and mission for the camp is to develop a model project for tourists where concerns for conservation issues and local cultures are fully integrated. With the aim to make a difference and make a positive impact in the Masai Mara and to inspire others to follow.

Contribution to a clean environment through eco-based technology in favour of wildlife conservation through projects that support the local people and their cultures is finally coming from very interesting quotas. This eventually means building awareness and increasing the knowledge about natural resource management to the local community.

A success story for Kenya, and it’s countrymen.

 

We looked on Internet for tips on travelling to Prague and came prepared, but there are a few details we wanted to share with other travelers, as you cannot find them in any guide book.

To begin with, we followed our friends’ advice and rented an apartment for our stay. This was definitely a better choice than a hotel room. I think all apartments have kettles and cooking plates but not all of them have washing machines. As our son is 16 months old and an explorer, he has the talent of getting himself dirty from head to toes by the end of the day. We didn’t get an apartment with washing machine as we didn’t think it would be so important at that time, but once we got to Prague we started looking for laundry service. Laundry service is not expensive; that is, once you found one.. there aren’t many in the centre, and as the clothes were washed we were told that the dryer didn’t work so we got back a bag of wet clothes which we hung all over the apartment to get them dry.

However Prague is a great place for children. The air is fresh, unlike in many other capitals, and there are so many parks. We used to hang out in Kampa, where you can sit on the grass and enjoy a quiet afternoon. We found the most beautiful terraces in Kampa, on old historical buildings with gardens, by the creek that gives to the river and separates Kampa from the rest of the city.

A small garden right in the centre is Francizskana Zahrada, behind Wenceslas Square. The entrance is small and a bit hidden from the main road so you can easily miss it. But there are others, like Petrin (close to Prague Castle) or the gardens of Vysehrad, where there is plenty of space for kids to explore.

Another detail to mention about Prague is how you can get around with strollers. The historical centre has cobblestone streets, which is very romantic but difficult when you are on wheels. We had a strong stroller with big wheels which we could use everywhere, but still we had to avoid the steps that lead to Prague castle or the steps at Vysehrad fortress (and there were many of them). There is also a little island in the middle of the river, (easily!!) accessed from Most Legii bridge, but only by a huge flight of steps, so we couldn’t get down there.

So don’t bring with you one of these light strollers with small wheels which are so handy in other cities, because here it can break easily.

Prague is built on hillside, most of it. The Old Town is flat, so this is the best place to stay with small kids. We visited Mala Strana quarter which is from Charles Bridge to Prague Castle, and found it very beautiful. We would have loved to stay there but pushing the stroller up the hill on those (beautiful) cobblestone streets is a business that I wouldn’t want to do every day.

The accommodation itself very baby friendly; we booked it at http://www.pragueapartments-k.com. There was no charge for my son and we got baby cot and high chair free. I get this is normal but don’t take it for granted, as there are some places that charge for babies or baby cots. We stayed at ground floor but even so there were a few steps at the entrance of the building. All Czech houses have them but we got used to it pretty fast.

Ek-ii-aek-aekkk…the Thai language call of the roosters aroused me from my warm, comfortable mattress. I can glimpse the sun beams seeping through the walls and under the wooden door. I can sense chilly, white fog of the Thailand winter while walking downstairs to help my host mother prepare vegetables to sell at market.

“You seem sleepy. Why don’t you go back to your bed and sleep longer?”
Mae Ratri asked gently.  Mae in this instance means ‘mother’ and is the way to address ones host mother; for about 2 weeks I was very blessed to have Mae Ratri Kruengngern’s as my surrogate mother.

Mae Ratri and her family are a rural farming family in Mae Tha, an idyllic green village in Northern Thailand. I was part of a group of university students studying sustainable agriculture and as inviting as the offer of extra sleep sounded, I was much more excited to continue with another day of learning.

Mae Tha is a small community of Mae-On sub-district in Chiang Mai, located amidst the mountains on the boundary of Lamphun province. Most of the population speaks the “Yong” dialect or the Thai language.

Mae Tha villagers earn a living by farming rice and cultivating indigenous vegetables using organic and sustainable practices.

Mr. Phat or Por Phat, dressed in his pale blue cotton shirt, traditional style pants and wearing flip-flops, is a leader of the village who firstly introduced organic farming and sustainable way of living to people in Mae Tha.

The transition process to change the farms in Mae Tha from chemical to organic ran effectively since there was a good cooperation from villagers in the community.

“I dare say it is because our families have a long and dear relationship. Our past generations live here. We are all related and that support is the community’s strength” Por Phat said proudly.

Most mornings people will venture out to their own farms but if there is a time of harvesting they will willingly go to help others from farm to farm.

The most impressive thing about farming and living in Mae Tha is learning how to give and receive. You will always get assistance whenever you need and the state of giving perpetuates when you feel that you could help others. That is the beautiful and endless circle of support that people in Mae Tha adopted from their ancestors and pass on through the generations.

Every Wednesday and Sunday Mae Ratri and a group of villagers will wake up around 2-3 am to prepare all the green, fresh, and chemical-free vegetables to sell in the organic food spots in Chiang Mai – JJ market and Nhong Hoi market.

The organic food selling areas are established by Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Communities or ISAC, an organization that aims to build and support sustainable agriculture communities in Chiang Mai.

The sun shines more brightly as it is time for a big truck to come and pick up both the produce and the sellers for the trip to the market.

Mr. Weerapon Thamkhun, one of the ISAC’s committee members said “giving high priority on home consumption is our first concern.”  He added “the goal of Organic Market is to promote the products from natural processes with not using chemical fertilizers or pesticides, including processing and marketing.”

The number of organic food consumers is increasing due to the increasing attention to health concerns and agricultural sustainability.

The smiling faces of the people who come and buy organic vegetables at the market marks the appreciation of receiving healthy, safe foods and reasonable price. The increasing demand and appreciation for quality is the challenge that the organic and sustainable farming community readily accepts.

Mrs. Wannapa Tachai, a fan of organic food said “organic farming is the greatest idea for both consumers and farmers. We both have a clean and safe food for our health.”

Mae Ratri turned her face to Mrs. Wannapa and gave her a nod. “And it seems we, both farmers and consumers, are friends. They will pay a reasonable price for the good quality of fresh vegetables, while we can also provide them healthy food.”

Mae Ratri added that she felt like it is a kind of making merit. Since she and people in the village produce the safe organic food for consumers, not introducing potentially harmful chemicals.

The sunlight gets stronger and moves its position to the top of our head showing that it is time to have lunch and go back home.  We all gathered around and had lunch together. Sharing food is a common thing to Mae Ratri and her friends because it shows the easy and close relationship of people in Mae Tha.

After the meal, the people were ready to go back home and prepare for working in their farms. We planted, plugged, watered, pulled weeds, and hand dug the soil. The work was exhausting but every single drop of sweat will in turn be reward when the vegetables are grown.

Since it is during winter time, broccoli, cauliflowers, and many kinds of winter green vegetables can be grown. So we grab a hoe and started plowing new plots for them.

The sun still shines brightly bringing hotness and humidity but the cool breeze helps ease the heat. So, we keep working the farm.

Time passed by, the sound of birds flying back to their nests was a sign that it was time to finish work.

We went back home and cleaned ourselves. I found that although working in the farm was tiring and made my two palms rough and bruised, it brought freshness and delight to me.

“I feel happy because I know that I have spent my sweat for growing healthy and safe foods for the goodness of my customers”, Mae Ratri’s words have repeated several times in my mind.

Organic farming is not only bringing her family safe food for healthy life, but also widens the view to perceive the rule of nature. The more they protect nature by farm with natural methods, the longer nature stays with them.

“We have only one chance to live our lives. Being healthy and to live happily in sufficiency are much more important than earning a sum of money and being wealthy by trickery and take-advantage doings”, Mae Ratri remarked.

I think these are strong words of wisdom learned from generations of people living close to the land and respecting strong community values.