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Travelingking
Imagine . Create . Experience
Filed underFairmont Hotels
And for the best shower, the winner is...
If there were a CNT or T+L rating guide, I'm put Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club as #1 for best hotel shower in Kenya. Folks, we're talking from the ceiling and with great water pressure and lots of hot water (Excuse me, did I just say, "Folks?" Folks reminds me of an infomercial, "Folks, if you call in the next 5 minutes...).
If you've been following along on my blog, www.greatgetaways.travel/blog or www.lta.com, click on blogs about the 2010 Virtuoso Chairman's Club Safari (you ARE taking copious notes, aren't you?), you'll know we've been at Fairmont Mara Safari Club for 3 nights. Yesterday was our last full day and I've already chronicled about most of the day. I will add a small footnote and then on to "who, what and where" today:
Yesterday afternoon we were determined to go on the afternoon game drive to hopefully spot the leopard (no pun intended) others saw the other day. During the morning drive, we pressured our guide to find the gorgeous cat who shies away from the bright daylight. Unfortunately, we didn't find him/her so we knew we just had to see him on this drive because it would be the last game drive on the Mara for this safari. Although it rained all afternoon, we veteran safari-goers (help me out with a better word choice, please! Leave your suggestions in the comments) didn't let rain stop us. Two safari vehicles loaded with us die-hards took off for our last drive in the Maasai Mara. With us on this drive were Amy and Stefan Bisciglia, Specialty Cruise & Villas, Kristi Jones, President of Virtuoso, and Albert Herrera, Vice President, Virtuoso Hotels, Destinations, and Tours. By the way, our driver/guide, Sammy, was superb at navigating through the mud---thank you, Sammy! We saw a herd of topi all facing the same way---their rears facing the direction the wind was blowing. Pretty clever way to avoid getting rained at! While those of us in the second row and rear of the vehicle were surrounded by somewhat clear plastic, Albert and Sammy braved the rain with no protection. Is this the same Albert Herrera I know, the impeccably dressed, dapper Virtuoso fashion plate? I think he was taking this dressing down and "roughing it" concept a bit too far! Of course, the designer pashmina wrapped around his neck did add a touch of class to the rain soaked safari shirt he wore. Suddenly lightning flashed brilliantly on the horizon and immediately we heard thunder. I know there's some formula for counting the time between lightning and thunder to determine the proximity of the strike and Kristi quickly computed that we best head back to Fairmont Mara Safari Club. Alas, no leopard on this safari but I have great leopard shots on Picasaweb.google.com/travelingking1 of some of our past safaris.
On to today: after a delicious breakfast, we headed to the landing strip and boarded our flight for the Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club. 45 minutes later found us off the plane near Mt. Kenya and on a coach en route to the iconic hotel and then, "Jambo, welcome Virtuoso to the Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club." African tribal-dressed men drummed an escort as we drove through the gates. Michael and I were eager to see the face lift performed by Fairmont Hotels Int'l. We had stayed here twice before, and on our last visit in 2004 prior to Fairmont taking over, we panned the property. Grounds were not well kept, the decor was "tired" (don't you love it when I talk "Realtor-ese?"), and the staff surly. Only because I was familiar with the footprint of the property did I believe I was actually at the same place I remember from 2004, the one with the toilet seat that fell off: the grounds are immaculate and flowers are plentiful; the chef has a true chef's garden, replete with everything necessary to prepare gourmet cuisine; the staff is gracious, attentive and friendly; and our suite is just that-sweet!
And that brings me to the title of this post, "And for the best shower, the winner is..." What wonderfully improved accommodations! A true class act! No problems with sliding toilet seats because everything is shiny, new, and functioning. Congratulations, Fairmont, on a job superbly done!
A last comment: Leslie (as in Leslie Dodson, Fairmont Hotels) offered me a snack this noon that looked like dried worms. Silly me----they weren't worms, they were tiny dried fish who still had their charming little bug-like eyes. Being polite, I ate a few. "Oh, they taste like sardines somewhat," I commented. Now for the truth, Leslie---was this your version of trick or treat?
Photos from today are at: Mt Kenya Safari Club: Virtuoso Chairman's Safari
You snooze, you lose!
Yesterday afternoon I opted to stay at Fairmont Mara Safari Club rather than take the afternoon game drive. My bad! While dreaming about lions and leopards, the rest of the Virtuoso crowd actually saw them---and a herd of elephants, too! Grrrrr! The rainy season seems to have begun a little early. Some background: there are 2 rainy seasons--the long rains are in March and April and the short rains are in November. Apparently, elephants aren't into rain showers and migrate uphill when it's soggy outside. So, although we saw several elephants in November, 2004, we were told that was unusual. Can you believe the elephants and the leopard had the gall to wander around when I wasn't there???
Last night it rained but that didn't stop the Virtuoso bunch from having a good time. David Hanson, Terrie Hanson and Keith Waldon, of Virtuoso fame, decided to play a trick on Alex Sharpe, Regent Cruises. They planted a rubber snake in his tent. There was one teeny, weeny problem---they put the snake in the tent of Sharon and Michael Fake, Travel Experts! When Terrie shared the prank with David Lowy, Renshaw Travel, he told Terrie she was a polysyllabic word that meant a person who enjoys teasing others (can't remember the word-it's from a German word, I think). That made her pause while Elaine looked up the definition on her phone.
This morning we went for a morning game drive, hoping to see the leopard and elephants we missed yesterday. Alas, it was not to be; however, we saw a mama lion and her cubs, some mongooses (Google claims "mongooses" is more common than "mongeese"), an elephant, lots of antelope (again, Google opts for no "s"), ostrich, giraffes, zebras, dik dik, gazelles, wildebeests, impalas, hyena and a stork. It's amazing how quickly we become jaded because I and several others were heard to whine, "Oh, another zebra" or "Just some more impalas" as if we see them every day of our lives!
This morning's treat was a gourmet buffet breakfast in the bush. Only Fairmont and Micato would know that we Virtuoso members are inveterate shoppers---they invited some Maasai to join us and set up a gift boutique on a traditional red and blue plaid Maasai blanket! We spent time visiting with Sean Walwyn, Fairmont Hotels. He's lived in some amazing places. He was born in Jamaica, moved to Barbados, schooled in the UK, worked in Kuwait, Istanbul, Japan, and Canada (to name just a few of his posts).
This afternoon is another game drive and we have one more chance to spot some wildlife tomorrow before we wing our way to Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club for two nights. Chris Cahill, COO of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International will join us there along with Sean, Serge and Leslie, who have escorted us so far.
Okay, enough jabber! It's time for lunch and, God knows, I haven't eaten in at least 3 hours!
Photos from today are at: Mara Safari Club Day 2-Virtuoso Chairman's Safari. I just checked and I'm having difficulty uploading photos to the Internet. While I'm trying to upload 36 photos, only 6 have uploaded so far and I've been waiting 2 1/2 hours! My laptop's battery is low, so if you don't see all 36, I'll try again tomorrow from Mt. Kenya Safari Club. I can't complain because I'm sitting in the middle of Kenya away from any city and I'm still able to communicate with you. I think I'm beginning to sound like an "Ugly American". Oy!
Jambo, Jambo bwana (Swahili for Hello, hello, sir): Virtuoso Chairman's Safari Day 2
Another glorious day in Nairobi! We began the day with breakfast and a visit from a cheetah, one that Jane Pinto rescued as an orphan! Next came the good luck wooden animal necklace and complementary safari hat followed by a series of welcomes. First, we heard from Jake Grieves-Smith, Chairman of the Kenya Tourism Board, followed by Serge Simard, Fairmont Hotels Regional VP, Africa and Asia. Serge presented a check for $3500 to AmericaShare in honor of Virtuoso's Chairman's Safari to Micato Safari's Dennis Pinto. The Pintos established this charity and 100% of donations reach the recipients! Check out www.americashare.org. Alex Sharpe,of Regent Seven Seas and another of our hosts, commented that he never has looked forward to a business trip as much as this one! Bill Smith, of Crystal Cruises and also our host, crystallized (no pun intended, honest!) my feelings about Kenya, "Kenya is so much more than the magnificent animals. Look into the eyes of the people and they'll touch your soul!"We met all the Micato staff that help create that special magic that is Micato's hallmark and had a briefing for the days ahead in the Masai Mara. After that, Virtuoso members and staff brainstormed about our strengths and opportunites, something I look forward to because I get to interact with the best advisors in the industry!
At noon we boarded coaches, and with a police escort (not for security, but to help navigate through the traffic!) we arrived at the home of Ambassador Michael E. Ranneberger, US Ambassador to Kenya, for a gourmet luncheon in a tranquil garden setting.
Some random thoughts:
- The sense of optimism is palpable in Kenya
- The Swahili word for stranger," mgeni", is also the word for guest
- In 2010 100,000 visitors from the US will visit Kenya and I hope you are one of them
I'm off to change for dinner at Lavington, the home of Jane and Felix Pinto, founders of Micato. I thought you might enjoy listening to Jambo, Jambo bwana and reading the English translation:
Translation of Jambo bwana lyrics
Jambo - Hi
Jambo bwana - Hi sir
Habari gani? - How are you?
Mzuri sana - Very fine
Wageni mwakaribishwa - Visitors are welcome
Kenya yetu - Our (country) Kenya
Hakuna matata - (there are) no worries
Verse
Kenya nchi nzuri - Kenya is a nice country
Nchi ya maajabu - A beautiful country
Nchi yenye amani - A peaceful country
Kenya yetu - Our country
Kenya wote - All Kenyans
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the Traveling Kings!
It's Saturday morning and my mind is racing: Did I pack the fleece top in case it gets cold in the mountains of Rwanda? Have I left an out-of-office message on my work phone? Do I have an extra copy of my passport tucked safely away? Toothpaste? Computer cord, Kindle cord, iPod cord, camera cord, cord cord???? Yikes! We leave in a few hours and I'm blogging?????
Better get back to my to-do list! Just a quick reminder you can follow us at www.greatgetaways.travel/blog and picasaweb.google.com/travelingking1 as we visit Rwanda's mountain gorillas (Thanks, Volcanoes Safaris!), participate in the Virtuoso Chairman's Club Safari in Kenya (Thanks Virtuoso, Micato, Fairmont, Crystal, Regent, and Magical Kenya!), attend the Classic Partners Event in Kauai (Thanks, Classic Vacations), and hug and kiss our daughter, Lauren, Jon, and 6 month old baby, Jacob!
Whew! That was a mouthful! Okay, did I stop the mail, water the plants, pack my Sudoku.....
