solo female travel – Page 6 – Wangechi Gitahi Travels

Asia

Go wild in Shimla

By Wangechi Gitahi

It is the capital of the Himachal Pradesh State. It was known as the summer home for the Europeans during colonization, who retreated here whenever the temperatures rose in other states. It is in the mountains and thus quite cool and the scenery of the Himalaya Ranges from afar is breathtaking. The buildings have been done to have a somewhat Victorian look and the historic central area is a place of peace as traffic is prohibited. This was and is truly a retreat area. I totally went “wild” in Shimla and recommend you follow suit in the following activities. 1) Head to Kufri This is a hill station about 20km from Shimla and a place I highly recommend. It is more relaxed, there are more people to interact with and learn more about their culture. This is also the place we did crazy stunts as shared below: a)Ride a Yak…

Asia

India 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

India is officially known as the Republic of India and is located in South Asia It is bordered by Pakistan to the West, Myanmar and Bangladesh to the East, Bhutan, Nepal and China to the Northeast, and Pakistan to the West. It is the second most populous country in the world with a population of over 1.2billion people and seventh largest by mass. Mahatma Gandhi led India to independence from Britain via non-violent civil disobedience The dominant religion is Hinduism It has more than a million millionaires It has the worlds largest movie industry, Bollywood It is the worlds largest producer of tea, which is also its most popular beverage It is famous for being home to the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Kenyans require a visa prior to travel to India Check the below links for in depth information on my exploration of India: Taj Mahal: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/expression-of-love-at-taj-mahal-agra/ Hoshiapur: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/10-things-to-do-in-hoshiapur-my-home-away-from-home/ Amritsar:…

Asia

Hoshiapur-My home away from home

By Wangechi Gitahi

Hoshiapur is a little town located in the North Eastern region of India. The area is generally referred to as Punjab due to having a dominant Punjab community. The closest large city to it is Chandigarh and I was living in a little village called Boothgarh in Hoshiapur. I had traveled over 5500km, moving from a city life in Kenya to rural lifestyle in India, to volunteer teaching children in this region.This was the first time I was away from family and friends, away from my norm and truly, this area changed my life in more ways than one. I met a community that had never seen an African, and a black African at that, yet they took me in as their daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend. I made some of my greatest friendships here, I started breaking stereotypes here and I started discovering another version of me here. Below…

Africa

Kenya 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1. Kenya is officially known as the Republic of Kenya, its capital city is Nairobi and it is located in East Africa. 2. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the North, Tanzania to the South and South West, Uganda to the West, South Sudan to the North West and Somalia to the North East. 3.English and Kiswahili are the formal languages. Some Kenyans speak exceptional English as a result of it being colonized by the British, thus English being a formal language. 4 . It is dominantly Christian but is open to all other religions. 5.Kenya has a population of over 45 million ,comprised of 43 distinct tribes. 6.It is generally refered to as an agricultural country and most of the best tea and coffe is produced in Kenya 7. The second highest Mountain in Africa-Mount Kenya which is 5199 metres high is found here. 8.The First African Nobel Peace…

Asia

Homely Pingtung

By Wangechi Gitahi

After enjoying Taipei for sometime, I chose to venture southwards to Pingtung, that is also referred to as Pingdong. I really liked this place as the people were super warm, the landscape really serene and there was lots to learn about their culture, especially due to the high older generation population. The below is what I got up to, feel free to follow suit. a)Engage with the people I was privileged to have a home stay experience courtesy of my friends Katys grand parents. These two opened their hearts and home to me and I will forever be grateful that I eventually started calling them grand ma and grand pa. It was interesting watching people observe grandma and I conversing with each other, her in Chinese, me in English, yet we completely understood each other.They became my tour guides and showed me all around the town and its outskirts. May…

Asia

Mouth watering Miaoli

By Wangechi Gitahi

Miaoli is located to the West of Taiwan. It is generally a hilly area and thus the weather is conducive for farming and hiking. I got the privilege to visit courtesy of being invited to the Eva Airlines Family funday. I was staying at my friends Katys home and that day I accompanied Mr. Chen, her father. This family truly integrated me as part of the family that I went as part of family and I truly had a sumptuous great day. The following were the highlights: Delicacies: I managed to eat and enjoy all the below delicacies presented to me. Sometimes not knowing what is presented as a delicacy is indeed a plus, as thus one becomes more adventurous on sampling. a) Clam soup: I thought it was vegetable soup, or sea weed soup only to reach the bottom of the bowl to find clam shells. Oh well, you…

Asia

Welcoming Taipei

By Wangechi Gitahi

My first time to ever hear about Taiwan or even interact with Taiwanese was in 2009, when I had travelled to India to volunteer on a Rural Project. While at the project, I was met with ladies who had the brightest and warmest smiles who were also part of the project. I was the only African on location and the first African and Black at that, that the citizens and the international volunteers had ever seen or interacted with. The Taiwanese ladies went out of their way to make me blend in, feel at home and feel welcome. As the project ended and we all returned back to our countries, we hugged and assured each other we would one day visit each other in our respective homes. First forward to 2011, and one of them told me about the Taiwan Youth Trekkers competition that was run by the Taiwan Youth…

Asia

Taiwan 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.It is officially called the Republic of China (ROC) but most people refer to it simply as Taiwan. It was previously known as Formosa and its capital city is called Taipei. 2. It is an Island located in East Asia and is bordered by China in the West, Japan to the North East and Philippines to the South. 3. They dominantly speak Chinese and still use traditional Chinese characters in writing. 4. It has 14 recognized aboriginal tribes and a a population of about 23million people . 5.Their dominant religions are Buddhism and Taoism 6. The ladies are afraid of the sun and the rain. When the sun is high, they will have their umbrellas up to reduce exposure to the suns rays and when it rains, even a little, they have to be well covered in ponchos and umbrellas to avoid the effects of (acid) rain. 7.Their trash collection…

Asia

Thailand 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.It is officially known as the Kingdom of Thailand and its capital city is Bangkok. 2.Their official language is Thai but most of them also speak English especially in the major towns. 3.The head of state is a King while the Prime Minister is the head of Parliamentary government. 4.It has the second largest economy in South East Asia and is made up of 1430 islands. 5.The dominant religion is Buddhism and they are open to all religions. 6. It is the only country in South East Asia that was not colonized by a European country 7.It is densely populated, especially in Bangkok. 8. It is bordered by Myanmar /Burma to the North and West, Laos to the North and East, Cambodia to the South East and Malaysia to the South. 9. The head is revered by the Thai people, thus never touch someones head, even children. The feet on…

Asia

Dubai 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.Dubai is an Emirate in the United Arab Emirates(UAE), they are seven in total-Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras-al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. 2. It is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. 3. Each of the United Arab Emirates is ruled by an absolute monarch, a prince. 4. Arabic is the official language but English is spoken in most areas. 5. It is located in South West Asia and its region is commonly referred to as the Middle East. 6. The dominant religion is Islam and thus they are generally conservative. They are however a very open country and thus it is very cosmopolitan. 7. Its culture is dominantly Arab culture and is considered one of the strongest super powers in the Arab World. 8.Much of Dubai is desert. It has thus reclaimed some land from the Persian Gulf and developed areas like Palm Jumeira and…