As the year comes to an end, I want to look back at what I have achieved throughout the year and give myself a pat on the back. I am the type of people who believe in self-praise and self-gratitude. As Chinua Achebe writes, when the lizard fell from the high iroko to the ground and found that there was no one to praise him, he decided to praise himself. I also believe in self recognition and as 2018 comes to an end, I am brainstorming on Christmas vacation ideas that I could tour as I reflect on the long year and revamp myself for 2019.
Lake Naivasha
I once went to Enashipai Hotel in Kenya where we were doing some personal stories on women and girls. We were being trained by the Moth. Since Enashipai Hotel is a stone throw from Lake Naivasha, we briefly toured the lake and I was exhilarated by the experience. Rowing on a boat, we met other tourists as well as fishermen as they cast their nets into the deep ends of the lake. We also ate some roasted fish straight from the lake and they were so delicious.
I want to go back to the lake again and relive the experience. It felt so blissful. So peaceful and serene.
Kalahari Desert Tour
You can call that lame but after watching the films ‘The gods must be crazy’ for the umpteenth time, I want to visit the place and see the beauty of the area. I have heard and read that the Kalahari desert is the one good place to watch the black-maned lion, the African wild dog and the cheetah. I also want to a catch a glimpse of the bushmen, if they are still there and listen to their lyrical click sounds as they converse with each other.
Saigon, Vietnam
After reading history in high school, Vietnam has always been a country of wonder for me. I wish to go there and see the people, connect with them, eat their food and relish their culture which I know for sure to be rich.
After the memorable Obama Bourdain food tour of Saigon and that famous snapshot that was taken as they took the local noodles and drank Vietnamese drinks, the country has started attracting tourists even from America, yet there had been an enmity created by the war. I want to visit The Jade Emperor Pagoda and sight-see this famous Taoist temple.
But reality is that I can only visit one place. So, I have to choose right and choose the best place to travel to because I also believe that I deserve the best. So, as of now, I am still pondering over the pros and cons of these three places and the best place to go to.