Of Chows and Dhows

What a year!

I’ve had an amazing year, I really can’t complain. I am so grateful to God for each and every experience.  I’ve been fortunate to visit some pretty amazing places this year and I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for me- hopefully, it’s going to be filled with epic adventures!

At the beginning of the year, I created a bucket list of places I wanted to visit this year. I was only able to go to one haha and so I thought it would be fun to review my favourite travel moments of the year.

My year in review

Walking at Oloolua Nature Trail

I loved this simply because it’s a bit more challenging than walking in Karura forest. You get a beautiful and serene nature walk and still break a sweat. The waterfall is also bigger.

Petting a cheetah

I love animals. I feel like I’ve said this a million and one times before here. So you can understand how excited I was to pet Alice, a wild cheetah. I was able to do this at Kisumu Impala Sanctuary (wrote about my experience here) at a fee of course.
Quick fact before you come at me:  The cheetah is not abused in any way for it to allow people to pet it. I would never knowingly book an experience or tour that promotes animal cruelty. You pet the cheetah at your own risk.

Eurotrip

The reason I’ve titled it ‘Eurotrip’ is because I enjoyed each and every city we visited in each country we visited- Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. Each city was different and the same, I fell in love with Europe, to be honest.

I can’t wait to go back, travel slower, and to both the large and smaller rural cities. If I had to pick a favourite city out of the ones we visited, I’d have to say Strasbourg, France- sorry Amsterdam! I just loved the little cobblestone streets, town squares, and buildings with character and best of all the Cathedral de Notre Dame.

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Amsterdam was a ball though! Seeing the famous Red light district, coffee shops and the beautiful canals was such a fun experience.

Bucket list: Amsterdam

Beach bumming at Watamu

I got some much-needed R & R while at Sun Palm Beach Resort, Watamu. I could go on and on about the tastiest samosas I’ve had at Crab Shack Dabaso.

This short trip also made me realize I quite enjoy time at the beach. For the longest time, I preferred bush safaris to anything but the beach really so it’s interesting to see the shift in preference. Anyway, we’ll see whether beach vacations will win me over in 2018.

Zip Lining at The Forest

This had to be my best experience this year. The thrill was incredible! If you haven’t zip-lined yet you have to! I loved it so much I will definitely go back to The Forest this coming year. Ziplining aside, The Forest is in such a beautiful location and they have tons of other activities so it’s always a good time.

What made this activity so special for me was the fact that it was a random trip so moving forward I will listen to my heart (and wallet though) and go on random adventures. They’re the most fun, I promise!

Seeing as I only managed to visit Amsterdam from this review, out of all the other places on my bucket list, I’m carrying forward all the other destinations.

In 2018, my major goal is to travel within Africa- specifically the North and South. Of course, I also plan to tembea Kenya more.

The biggest takeaway from this year which I will strive to do more of in 2018 is to get out of my comfort zone. So I plan to go on more adventures and stop playing it safe- and so should you guys! By seeking discomfort and getting out of your comfort zone you grow.

It doesn’t even have to be taking big steps, getting out of your comfort zone could be as simple as saying hi to a stranger.  That said, the one thing I want to do is bungee jump and go on my first solo trip.

I hope you enjoyed this review and short bucket list. What are your travel plans for 2018? Comment down below and let me know what your favourite travel moments this year were.

Have a happy new year! I hope your 2018 will be full of amazing adventures!

Stay Winning!