Kenya
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More than any other African country Kenya has formed the opinions of the Westerners about Africa. Long time this land of unique natural beauty was only a source of slaves, gold, and ivory. Some parts of the area were unresearchable because of the lack of roads. It was also a hostile environment; there was a saying, "If you are going to Maasai land, take ten thousand men or make your will."
When the British started to establish farms and build railroads and roads, the international tourists began to arrive in the wake. This land of savannah, mountain highlands, and high plains provided a fantastic range of habitats for the East African wildlife and an equally wide choice of options for great white hunters. 'Safari' was a name for a hunting trip – the word means journey in Swahili. The opinion about this land and Africa, in general, was formed by several fiction movies and novels, which presented Kenya as an unspoiled land where a white man could fulfill his passion for adventure and possession of women. Recently the film Out of Africa has vastly increased the interest and tourism in Kenya. It remains to be seen if there is any spectacular wildlife left after twenty years from now. The only hope is that Kenya protects the nature because it is the backbone of the tourism industry in Kenya.
© Copyright 2016 Seppo Olkinuora. All rights reserved.
When the British started to establish farms and build railroads and roads, the international tourists began to arrive in the wake. This land of savannah, mountain highlands, and high plains provided a fantastic range of habitats for the East African wildlife and an equally wide choice of options for great white hunters. 'Safari' was a name for a hunting trip – the word means journey in Swahili. The opinion about this land and Africa, in general, was formed by several fiction movies and novels, which presented Kenya as an unspoiled land where a white man could fulfill his passion for adventure and possession of women. Recently the film Out of Africa has vastly increased the interest and tourism in Kenya. It remains to be seen if there is any spectacular wildlife left after twenty years from now. The only hope is that Kenya protects the nature because it is the backbone of the tourism industry in Kenya.
© Copyright 2016 Seppo Olkinuora. All rights reserved.
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125 imagesMombasa and Kenya South Coast are known for their history and white sand beaches. Kenya's first contacts with the broader world were along its coastline, and Mombasa had a strategic location on the Indian Ocean. The monsoon winds dominated the Indian Ocean's annual trading calendar: merchant ships arrived from the Persian Gulf and the Arabian peninsula, but they had to wait for the yearly change in the wind to return home. So they had to anchor in Kenya's creeks and ports for months at a time. Such an extended stay caused that some traders decided to settle on the coast. Swahili society was born in the first millennium, and it is a flourishing mix of African roots and imported styles. One can still notice Arabic loan words, especially in an old Bantu language. Creeks and East Africa's biggest port surrounds Mombasa somewhat scruffy and tumbledown but does not lack African mood. The mighty fortress, 16th-century Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese, and the alleys of the Old City are exciting places to visit. However, one cannot expect a Middle-Eastern-style warren of souks. © Copyright 2016 Seppo Olkinuora. All rights reserved.