The new picture in the masthead of this blog shows the scenic view of the endless green tea fields rolling over gentle hill slopes in Kericho, Kenya. I took it this past December. It is actually made up of four photos taken in sequence and then merged together. You can see the four photos separately in all their glory in my “Beautiful Kenya” Flickr photo set. I’ll be adding more pictures to the set as I sort through them.
Kenya is very beautiful and its beauty is very diverse. My father once told me that when he was in secondary school a popular and frequent question in geography exams asked the pupils to describe what they would see on a journey from Mombasa to Kakamega focusing on the change in terrain, climate, industry etc. You could write a whole thesis on that!
I know I am showing bias here because it is a journey I take many many times but if you really want to appreciate the beauty of Kenya and the different terrains you should head west from Nairobi. The dry plains around Longonot, the dip into the rift valley, the climb up towards the rolling tea fields of Kericho, the humidity and lake community of Kisumu, the sugar plantations of Kakamega/Mumias, the rolling maize of Kitale etc etc (simply too many places to point out!!). I know many people automatically think east and head towards the coast as Bankelele points out, I always feel sad when I meet other Kenyans who have only been as far west as Nakuru or some only up to Naivasha. Come west, explore Kenya!
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The pictures are lovely.
I am especially pleased because I was born in Kericho :)
When I close my eyes I see the land I love
The land where I was born
My land is Kenya
So warm wild and free
She’ll always stay with me here in my heart
My land is Kenya
Right from her highlands to the sea
She’ll always stay with me here in my heart
You have a great point. I pass all those landscapes on the way to shaggz. I think the profoundness of it all is multiplied when you have been away for so long. Things that you took for granted as a child seem more important. I love the everchanging landscape. I love how for one minute you can be cool in Kericho and the next minute you are baking from the heat around Sony (?) onwards to Kisumu and Maseno. Our is diversity is endless. Thanks for a good post.
Nice! :-D
By the way, most people only see Kericho as they drive by, but everyone should make a point of planning a stopover. Kericho is so beautiful and so serene, a few hours there and you feel so relaxed. There are beautiful hotels and some hidden getaways that just take your breathe away. The easiest one for travellers to stop at is Kericho Tea Hotel which is just beautiful.
Then there’s a family atmosphere, like everyone knows everyone which just makes one feel so at home. And then there’s the tea that’s drunk at the slightest excuse!! YUMMY!!
I must say, during my extended stay in Western, I travelled quite a bit (trust me I have been around!), but I didn’t pay enough attention to the beauty of the land. And sadly never visited any of the touristy places. Maybe the next time you go, I can tag along *wink wink*!!
yes kenyans always go to the coast for hols…i so so want to change that about me!! I found this great website with really yummy yummy places to stay…
http://www.kenyasafarihomes.com
Its simply lush!! mental i am definately going more west from now on!!
When I close my eyes I see the land I love
The land where I was born
My land is Kenya
So warm wild and free
She’ll always stay with me here in my heart
My land is Kenya
Right from her highlands to the sea
She’ll always stay with me here in my heart
Kenyan Gal don’t i love that song. Roger Whittaker is a magical man…He loves
You know what is the shame with most of us Kenyans, we think we know but if you met the actual mzungu tourists it dawns on you that you don’t know this place at all.
And yes i love the serenity of Kericho.
Mental can you provide any agencies that deal with tours to the west?
For those of you who may wish to go to Malindi you can check out http://www.kenya-travel.com
Thanks Kipepeo for that one. I especially like
http://www.kenyasafarihomes.com/A55A74/safarihomes.nsf/allProperties/Albizia_Cottage_LLIK-5ZBBNY?opendocument
though i’m not one of those who rush to the coast, i must admit that i’ve never considered going anywhere else other than our shagz…
CHECK THIS OUT!!!
http://www.shompole.com/
Then empty your bank account and come away with me.
Nice pics …. Like Mshairi, I’m especially pleased coz I can identify …. my shaggz is in Kericho …. beautiful place, beautiful climate, beautiful people, …..
Thanks Ms K ….. that place is toooo fine ….
Check out http://www.web-fundi.com/portfolio.php for other links to interesting places to visit.
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