It’s rather nice to start a grey Monday morning on an inspiring and affirming note. Our STA Explorer Novelist in Kenya, Richard, has posted With Hindsight, a review of his thoughts of the STA Explorers scheme, making a pretty good case for why STA travellers should take the leap into social media. Although Richard struggled in the absence of a laptop, he not only found that sharing his experiences and opinions of Africa with other travelers was highly satisfying, but even made him braver:

writing the blog did also make me look at things in a slightly different way, and made me more keen to try different things out even if I wasn’t 100% sure I would enjoy doing them

Read the whole thing here and check out the slideshow of Kenya photos he’s just posted. And if you ain’t an STA Explorer already, as the man says, get involved…

Our novelist in Africa Richard has been exploring the wilds of Kenya on his second trip to the region, accompanied by his trusty old friend and guide Isaac. But in the latest update on his Karibuni Kenya blog, Isaac gets held up conducting a safari, so Richard strikes out alone for Arusha national park. And then gets a puncture. And then discovers both his spare tyres are flat. But this army boy isn’t going to beaten by a little hiccup like this, and rallies various locals to come to his aid… For some people, this would be a complete nightmare. For others, it’s the whole point of travelling: dealing with the unexpected and turning it into a great experience.

Richard has been enjoying the wildlife in Kenya, offering readers of his travel journal a different perspective to the usual big game safaris in the African nation. His account provides a much more personal account of his encounters with the varied wildlife than you normally get from the Masai Mara and similar parks. From being surrounded by olive baboons to encountering rock-chewing hyrax (which I previously assumed was a Pokemon), Richard’s journal reveals an intimate and charming relationship with local nature.

For more including sperm-killing springs, demon barbers, sound advice to avoid hopping on the wrong flight and swimming with whale sharks (the ‘friendly giants’ of the title - this must have been worth the ticket price alone!) read more on Richard’s blog…

STA traveller Richard is in Kenya finding inspiraton for his second novel, so his Karibuni Kenya blog is a great place to go for his recommendations for Kenyan and Kenya inspired music and literature.

Despite struggling to get a decent internet connection in the various safaris and sanctuaries he’s visiting, his dedication to social media sharing has shone through as he’s just published reviews of two more African books - ‘The Leopard’ by Cecil Bodker and ‘Africa, A Biography of the Continent’ - and musicians - Alpha Blondy and Papa Wemba - that global culture vultures should love.

In an update on his own adventures, Richard describes his time watching giraffe, zebra, impala and more at the stunning Fisherman’s camp at Naviasha and reviews the best places to eat, including:

a restaurant at bottom camp where hippos are visible grazing close by at night. It is always my base when I come to kenya, and I would highly recommend it top anyone visiting Naivasha

He’s also visited the wildlife around the geothermal gorges of nearby Hell’s Gates National Park.

Richard’s travelling with a local friend and guide Isaac, so go read and comment on his blog -it’s a great opportunity to ask questions and swap stories with a true Kenyaphile.

Our latest STA Explorer will be seriously interesting to those of us who dream of knocking out that Nobel winning novel one day. 19 year old Richard Milburn is already a published writer, and he’s just embarked on a 3 month journey through Kenya and East Africa:

to get more inspiration and atmosphere to improve the draft I have written for my second novel, and to meet up with a great friend of mine, Isaac Ouma, a tour guide and conservationist… he has an amazing ability to show people the other side of things and the hidden depths of Kenya and its culture in a way few others can. With the recent crisis there was in Kenya I’m also interested in seeing the aftermath and the effect it has had on the landscape and people of Kenya, as well as venturing further into Tanzania

His blog Karibuni Kenya promises to bring us all the higlights from his creative African quest, along with weekly reviews of the best books and music from and about the region, and his opinions about how STA Travel handle the trip. His latest posts include a review of peace campaigner and reggae artist Lucky Dube; a summary of useful African phrases; and his experiences booking the holiday with STA Travel, which seem to have been very positive so far:

Not only are they efficient and cheap, they are also very helpful and genuinly do seem to want you to have a good trip and enjoy yourself. All my friends who have used STA have said the same thing, and so I would always highly recommend using them for any booking you may be making

Richard’s just returned from Amboseli National Park and posted about his incredible tour spotting lions, jackals and a rare kudu. He’s actually a member of his university Officer Training Corps, so if you want a mixture of creative musings, anthropological and political insight, and good old adventuring, Karibuni Kenya will be a blog to watch.