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books

Posted on June 15, 2011 @ 2:32 pm by massimo | Filed under: africa,blog,books,flights,island,kenya,lamu,news,people,wordpress

Sitting on the terrace of the house in front of mine there is a blonde middle-aged woman who reads. Every night, before leaving my book on the big bench made of gray wooden planks and slowly going  to bed downstairs, I rest a mo men t to look at her… In the clear air of the African night, swept by the breeze, this still figure intrigues me. I find out difficult to give myself a reading as deep as that of the woman, and I wonder about her book content, something which keeps her on that windy tiny terrace night after night: adventure? Philosophy? A romance of the crime? A travel book on Flights to Florida? Soon she too will lay her book on the floor and turn her face around for a while – I fancy, before I go down the steep stairs to my room. Actually she never did it…

Illustration Fridays topic is: swept

safari

Posted on June 10, 2011 @ 10:05 am by massimo | Filed under: africa,animals,another green world,blog,cheap,fun,holidays,kenya,news,wordpress

Kenya wildlife is the main attraction to many visitors. The country offers a wide selection of National Parks were it is easy to watch wild animals. Young travellers really on a shoestring might think to avoid them at first, due to the cost of lodging there. Moreover you need a car since there no public transportation which allows tourist to freely wander within a Park boundery. So car hiring is the only chance, but usually  the main car rentals are not exactly cheap. Yet it is possible hiring private cars from individuals, or retail car shops, so making your cheap holiday a cheaper holiday. That’s what I did with my friend Andrew, a fellow traveller from Perth, who I met one morning at Uhuru Park in Nairobi. An almost brand new Toyota Corolla rented from some Indian car traders at a very reasonable rate at our disposal! What else? We just had a great week in Amboseli National Park hanging around among enormous elephants all day long, and camping at night in confined and secure sites: yes!

migrants

Posted on June 7, 2011 @ 4:14 pm by massimo | Filed under: africa,another green world,blog,fear,holidays,island,mediterranean,news,people,politics,wordpress

A Malta holidays presents an opportunity to discover a country and a different culture only a short distance away from Sicily. The island strategic position, in between Europe and Africa, half way Gibraltar and the Middle East made it a perfect stronghold for the consecutive colonizers. The Phoenicians, the Romans, the Arabs, the Angevins, the Aragonese, the Knights of Saint John and the British were amongst them – all with just one goal: to control the middle of the Mediterranean. Traces of these cultures can still be found throughout the island: Phoenician tombs, The Roman Villa and several Roman and early Christian catacombs; The ancient city of Mdina with its Arab past (as does the place name itself). The capital city of Valletta is an open history book on the era of the Knights of St. John, when Malta was the southest  stronghold of European Christianity. This role seems to work even nowdays: Malta is on the route of the boats carrying migrants from Africa, but the Maltese government, just like the Italian one, does not shine in providing help and hospitality. Recently a leading Italian NGO has filed a report to the International Criminal Court  and the International Court of Justice in The Hague calling on them to investigate Malta’s ‘failures’ to adhere to international maritime rules with regards to search and rescue. While the Italian, Maltese and French governements debate on the grotesque topic, if the migrants status is that of political refugees or clandestines, at least 1000 Africans shipwrecked and drowned since January 2011, in the effort of  reaching our coastlines. Long live Fortress Europe!

Lamu night life

Posted on June 6, 2011 @ 5:51 pm by massimo | Filed under: africa,beach,blog,fun,holidays,island,kenya,lamu,music,people,travel,wordpress

You might ask what on earth there is to do on an Islamic Island at night? The answer could be join a full moon party, a must almost for every tourist!  The party happens at the Shela beach and usually music is played by small  portable music systems. The local boys, …

african carved doors

Posted on June 4, 2011 @ 5:02 pm by massimo | Filed under: africa,blog,cheap,fun,island,kenya,lamu,news,travel,wordpress

Lamu, Kenya’s oldest living town, was one of the original Swahili settlements along coastal East Africa. The town was first attested in writing by Arab travellers during 15th century. Lamu’s years as an Omani protectorate mark the town’s golden age. During this period, Lamu became a center of poetry, …

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