Travelingking

Imagine . Create . Experience

I could have danced all night!

Be grateful for small things, as in you can't hear me sing! Actually, I couldn't have danced all night; however, I enjoyed watching the native African dancers at the Chairman's Safari dinner at Lavington, home of Felix and Jane Pinto, founders of Micato Safaris. What a memorable evening!

To avoid being stuck in a traffic jam, we were escorted by Nairobi police to Lavington. On arrival we were greeted by a host of people dressed in various traditional African costumes. As Michael and I entered the Pinto's home, we reflected on our previous visits there: the family photos of Dennis and Anna as children; photos of Jane winning the ping pong championship in Kenya; the gorgeous statues; the urns everywhere one looked filled with dozens and dozens of roses; and the meals we've shared with the Pinto family on previous safaris to Kenya.

I'm at a loss for words (don't be shocked!) to describe this treasured evening. After cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres we paraded through a hallway lined with the famous African Children's Choir singing a song of welcome and we stepped into a tent filled with crisp white linen covered tables, chairs covered in various animal prints, and centerpieces of intertwined animal horns filled with birds of paradise and other flowers. Food was plentiful and oh so delicious. Some of the many offerings were: Roasted Kenya vegetables, Medallions of beef tenderloin, Grilled Rock Lobster, and Giant Prawns. If that wasn't enough we each received a dessert of assorted sweets such as flourless chocolate cake, vanilla bean creme brulee, and meringue with fruit coulis.  During the meal we enjoyed a multimedia event of traditional African dancers, modeling of African fashion, and music. The finale of the evening was an incredible performance by the African Children's Choir, who also performed at Virtuoso's Travel Mart in Vegas last August. They will be returning to the US to do a series of concerts to raise money to help the children of East Africa. If I find a schedule of their venues, I'll post it here. Trust me, attending one of their performances will envelop your soul with delight and hope.

Tomorrow we're off very early for the Fairmont Mara Safari Club for 3 days. We look forward to returning there and enjoying sitting on the deck overlooking the Mara River and its perennial crowd of hippos!

As soon as I can, I will upload photos from this evening's extravaganza. Now the angels of Africa are inviting me to go to sleep! May angels visit you in your dreams!

1-4-1: Take a Safari, Educate a Child

This morning I realized I hadn't shared a huge, as in life-changing, initiative begun by our friends, Micato Safaris. They call it 1-4-1, which means when we help you plan a Micato Safari, Micato will send a child of the slums to school. Let me say it in the WIIFM mindset (what's in it for me): You take a safari, experience the animals, the vistas, the people of Africa, perhaps experience a "defining moment" in your life AND a child, often orphaned at a young age and without hope, is given the opportunity to attend school, his or her own "defining moment." Bottom line, cut to the chase, the end product, yada, yada, yada: you take the safari you've always dreamed of and this action becomes a gift to a child in need, to you, and to our world. Mother Teresa said, "If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one." If I can't educate 100 children, I CAN educate just one.

The African Children's Choir sang to us today, their sweet voices filling our hearts. Seeing them reminded me how important it is for us to invest in the most precious resource in our world, our children. Now you have a way to give AND get. How cool is that?

In 2012, as part of our celebration of 20 years of creating life-changing experiences, Michael and Barbara King are planning to take a few people on a safari to East Africa. Options will include additional experiences such as Gorilla Tracking, relaxing in the Seychelles, or visiting Victoria Falls. If you want to join the Kings of Travel, the Kings of African Travel, email michael@greatgetaway.com or call us 800 546 TRIP (8747). For each traveler, Micato Safaris will send a child to school-now that's what we call a true Win-Win!

Below is a video we made from a trip to South Africa in September, 2009. The voices you hear are the same ones we heard today, the African Children's Choir: