FeyaAdventures

descriptions/photos of my experiences during FeyaAdventures

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Some of my favorite shots from my three week trip in India (Mumbai, Dharamsala, Amritsar, Agra, and Delhi).

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Late upload of some of the highlights of my three week trip in India (Mumbai, Dharamsala, Amritsar, Agra, and Delhi).

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Photos from Deerfield Beach, Florida

In the last few days of being home in Florida I spent a few hours at the beach with my cousins. Here are some shots from Deerfield Beach in South Florida. 

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Photos from Nairobi National Park

I went to Nairobi National Park with two friends on a Saturday morning two weeks ago. Having already been to the Maasai Mara I wasn’t sure how many new animals I would be able to see. Turns out I got to see white rhinos and ostriches which I did not see at the Mara. And the best sight was seeing a giraffe stroll by with the city in the background. 

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Photos from the Maasai Market

A few days ago I spent about a hour at the Maasai Market. The Market moves to a different location everyday and on Fridays it’s at Village Market, which is the perfect location for me. Over 50 vendors are set up in part of the parking lot and they sell a wide variety of souvenirs that primarily tourists and expats purchase. I had no intention of buying anything on this particular day but because I wanted to take some photos I ended up bartering and purchasing a few small items. 

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Photos from Limuru Tea Farm

I took a quick trip about an hour outside of Nairobi to the Limuru Tea Farm with some friends. We got there just before sundown so I got to snap a few photos of the endless tea planation. 

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Photos from Sugar Cane stand outside Village Market

On my way out of Village Market after spending half of the morning at the Maasai Market, I happened upon a sugar cane stand. After realizing it was only 20 ksh ($0.20) for one cane I decided I needed a cane to go! 

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Photos from the Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

I finally spend half of a day visiting the most touristy Nairobi locations: the Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. The elephant orphanage brought out about 12 baby elephants for their midday feeding and mud baths with visitors crowded around the barriers to see them. They gave a brief explanation of the type of the work they do at the orphanage and some background on the different elephants they rescued. The giraffe center was less structured. They had two giraffes who came up the feeding area to be fed by visitors. The coolest part was how close to giraffes were and how eager they were to just eat the pellets from my hand. 

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Photos in Upper Hill, Nairobi

Took some night shots from a rooftop in Upper Hill. I experimented with using long exposure for the first time and took two photos I was especially proud of. 

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Photos from Ngong Hills Windfarm

After a picnic lunch on the Ngong Hills surrounded by wind turbines, a group of new friends and I started our photo shoot. Our two ‘models’ had their faces painted and put on their traditional garb. This being my first photo shoot, I learned a lot from my fellow photographers and ultimately ended up getting some solid shots. 

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Photos from Nairobi Railway Museum Art Studios.

The walls leading to the Railway Museum are covered in graffiti art. I met Sammy who was working on a new piece. He explained that the completed version would have the words “stop crime” written on the sign that the girl is holding. The spray paint can in her other hand represents her passion. The message is that instead of engaging in crime, young people should follow their passions.

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Photos from Nairobi Railway Museum Art Studios.

This is Peter. I met him at the art studios at the Nairobi Railway Museum. He was extremely friendly and excited to show me his art work. The piece that he’s currently working on is a commentary on priests using their position for money. He has also begun working on painting t-shirts like the one he wears in the photos. 

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Photos from Nairobi Railway Museum Art Studios.

The Dust Depo Art Studio at the Nairobi Railway Museum is home to hundreds of paintings and is a hot spot for local artists. I met Kerosh, Ian, and Joan who come to the studio nearly daily to work on their projects. Kerosh’s most recent piece focuses on African women’s head attire. Ian, who is just 12 years old, enjoys painting simple landscapes. Joan focuses on African women fashion and frequently uses recycled material in her artwork. 

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Photos from the Maasai Mara.

I spent three days and two nights at the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. I did a total of four game drives—two in the morning and two before sundown. The morning drives were best for seeing lions while the afternoon rides where good for seeing elephants and giraffes. The highlights of the trip included seeing the wildebeest migration, lions feasting on their prey, a live kill, and giraffes munching on leaves.

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Photos from the Maasai Mara.

I booked my trip to the Maasai Mara through the Phoenix Safaris travel company at Village Market. I flew in and out of Maasai Mara which was a quick 40 minute flight from Nairobi on a 24-person airplane. I stayed at the Mara Serena Hotel. The hotel was beautiful with each room in a clay, adobe-like pod. The room was spacious and had a great view out into the Mara. I was even able to see some zebras drinking water from outside my window. The hotel had a pool that was perfect for when it got hot in the early afternoon and a fireplace for when it got chilly at night. The safari guide was pretty knowledgable and had a good sense for where the animals could be found. And the safari vehicle was ideal for taking photos with opened windows and a pop-up roof top. The food at the hotel was buffet-style and very excellent. They had a wide variety of vegetarian options (mostly Indian food) and a nice assortment of appetizers, entrees and desserts for each meal. After the first morning’s game ride, we were led to the hippo pond where tables and a full buffet were set out for breakfast. Overall I had a really positive experience at the Mara Serena and I highly recommend it.

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Photos from a detour in Dubai.

On my way to Nairobi, I took a quick detour in Dubai for 3 days to see the city and spend some time with two friends. I found Dubai to be an excessive city but also a very efficient one. Of course my trip to Dubai included seeing both the Burj Al-Arab and the Burj Khalifa. The Burj Khalifa’s dancing fountain, which ‘dances’ every hour, was as cool as I expected. We watched it from the Dubai Mall during the afternoon and again at night from inside the Burj Khalifa during dinner. The food in Dubai was delicious—the most notable being a brunch at The Observatory and a dinner of Indian food at Armani/Amal which is inside the Burj Khalifa. I also enjoyed taking an Abra to Old Dubai to check out the Souks where I purchased a Keffiyeh, the Arab headdress. Unfortunately, due to the insanely hot weather we didn’t check out Dubai’s waterparks or a desert safari—but then again, that’s just another reason to return to Dubai. Overall, my trip to Dubai was filled with great hospitality, tasty food, and stunning views.