Kenya and Dubai (11 Aug 2010 to 24 Aug 2010)

We are a group of 5.
BB, Sylvian, Annie, Steve and I went to Kenya and Dubai.
It's a great trip.
In Kenya, I watched many wild animals.
In Dubai, I visited some luxury hotels.

Animals watched : Ox / cow, Camel, Giraffe, Birds (all different beautiful color and sizes !), Goat, Deer, Elephant, Monkey (黑白長毛monkey, blue 旦旦monkey etc), Crane, Buffalo, Zebra, Ostrich, Hippopotamus, Antelope, Dik Dik, Butterfly, Fish, Wart hog - 野豬, Lizard, Chicken, Rabbit, Donkey, Dog, Grasshopper, Gnu - 角馬 or Wildebeest, Gazelle, Cat (genet cat), Mongoose, Lion, Eagle, Sheep, Rhino, Waterbuck非洲大羚羊, Hyaena, Flamingo, Peacock, Hyrax 蹄兔, like a big rat, Pelican, Coot (some kind of duck), Seagull, Horse, Squirrel, Dragonfly, Beetle, Vulture 禿鷹, Cheetah, Crocodile, Baboon 狒狒, Leopard, Shark, Piranha, Pigeon ...

Exchange rate
USD 200 = 14960 Shillings
USD 1000 = 3610 AED
HKD 1 = 9.59 Shillings
HKD 2.16 = 1 AED

Expenses before trip	Foreign	HK Dollar
Kenya trip 30% deposit	N/A	4153.0
Atlantis The Palm Hotel	N/A	1001.0
Air ticket	N/A	10969.0
Medical injection	N/A	850.0
Kenya VISA	N/A	200.0
SeaShell Inn three nights + Desert Safari	N/A	1088.0
Travel Insurance	N/A	197.5
Kenya trip 70% deposit	N/A	11822.0
Total	N/A	30280.5

10 Aug 2010
Hong Kong
Stay in plane

• Steve, Annie and I got some souvenirs at the Citibank counter in the airport.
• When the Citibank staff knew that Annie is not my wife, the staff was very surprise.
• Steve, BB and I had noodle and dessert in the Travellers' Lounge.
• The fish ball noodle was delicious. Each of us had two bowls.

11 Aug 2010
Dubai, Kenya
Stay in Kilanguni Serena Safari Lodge of Tsavo West National Park

• Quite bad service in the Emirates flight. Annie felt cold, but the flight attendant insisted to take away Annie's blanket.
• Transited at the Dubai airport. BB enjoyed food in the first class lounge with his Diners credit card.
• The rest of us enjoyed free Ramadan lunch at a restaurant in the Dubai airport.
• At the Nairobi airport of Kenya, we did money exchange and we met Dickson and Sammy.
• It was a long long 3-hour drive from the airport to the Tsavo West National Park.
• Most of the hawkers along the road sold sugar cane.
• During this night drive, we enjoyed the bright stary sky.
• After the drive on the spiral road, we finally arrived the hotel and had great dinner at the hotel restaurant.
• Some wild elephants drank water near the restaurant.
• The staffs were kind and one of them requested BB to give him a digital camera.

Expenses on 11 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Two bottles of water during dinner time (250 Shillings each, total 500 Shillings)	100 Shillings	10.4
Tsavo West porters tips (one room USD 1 and one room USD 2, total USD 3)	USD 0.667	5.2
Total	N/A	15.6

12 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in Amboseli Sopa Lodge of Amboseli National Park

• When we woke up, we were shocked by the beautiful scene around the hotel.
• We found that the hotel restaurant is a famous tourist spot.
• We had our first game drive in Tsavo West National Part after breakfast.
• Then Dickson drove us to the Amboseli Sopa Lodge.
• We had lunch at the restaurant, free drinks at the bar and rest in our rooms.
• We started another game drive at 16:00.
• A smelly engineer went to the Amboseli National Park from the hotel with us.
• The engineer wanted to repair another vehicle.
• Goggle and mask are recommended in the park because it was very windy and dusty.
• We saw real "zebra crossing" during the game drive.
• The hotel restaurant was very full at dinner time.
• After dinner at the hotel, Annie and Steve went back room very early (doing ...).
• Sylvian, BB and I have free drinks at the bar.
• That night, hotel arranged free entertainment for guests. Some hotel staffs, guests, BB and I hid ourselves quietly in a cave. A hotel staff put some meat on a rock for some fierce animals. Through the cave holes, we only saw some mongooes, we did not see hyaena. The cave was very cold and my feet were bited by many mosquitoes.
• As the supply of hot water and electricity would be stopped before midnight, we all had early bath.
• We burnt our own mosquito incense and hotel candles at night.

Expenses on 12 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Amboseli porters tips (one room USD 1 and one room USD 3, total USD 4)	USD 1	7.8
Total	N/A	7.8

13 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in Fairmont Ark Lodge of Aberdare National Park

• The Amboseli hotel restaurant was full of Chinese at breakfast time.
• As the hotel wi-fi charge was very high, we tried to use other guest's network for Skype at the lobby.
• I think Dickson was very happy this morning because we set out on time. In addition to no-more-lateness, Annie gave him a pack of Japanese green tea cake.
• It was a long drive to Nairobi. Due to traffic accident, we did not travel on the main road, we travelled on a small road. Driving on such rugged road, the vehicle was very poor.
• Since Sammy was very busy, we could not have lunch with him, but we met many famous singers and movie stars (photos only) in the Chinese restaurant. The restaurant owner always watches video and gambles in Nairobi, she also told us that corruption in Nairobi is quite common.
• We left Nairobi at 13:00, arrived Fairmont Aberdare Country Club at 17:15. We left our big luggages there and we waited at the beautiful club until 18:00, then went to the Fairmont Ark Lodge with small luggages.
• It was a grand hotel, many many Chinese gambled and spoken loudly in the hotel even though the staff told us to keep quiet as wild animals did not like noisy environment.
• The hotel belling system runs like this : when some wild animals come near the hotel, the hotel bell rings, 1 ding - elephant, 2 ding - rhino, 3 ding - leopard, 4 ding - others. The bell only rang once that night.
• After having dinner, I came back hotel room and found that USD 120 was missing.

Expenses on 13 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Amboseli porters tips (one room USD 1 and one room USD 3, total USD 4)	USD 1	7.8
Total	N/A	7.8

14 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in Lake Nakuru Lodge of Lake Nakuru Natioal Park

• I reported loss after quick breakfast.
• Then we went back Fairmont Aberdare Country Club at 09:00.
• We met Dickson and we had another 3-hour drive.
• On the way to the Lake Nakuru National Park, we enjoyed equator demonstration and got a certificate.
• We had lunch at the restaurant of Lake Nakuru Lodge.
• Before we had game drive on 16:00, we had shower with smoothy Lake Nakuru water.
• We saw many many flamingoes in the game drive.
• After dinner at the hotel restaurant, we enjoyed dancing shows.
• Sylvian bought many souvenirs.

Expenses on 14 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Equator certificate (300 Shillings)	60 Shillings	6.3
Equator demonstration (200 Shillings)	40 Shillings	5.2
Lake Nakuru porters tips (one room USD 2 and one room USD 1, total USD 3)	USD 0.667	5.2
Total	N/A	16.7

15 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort of Hell's National Park

• After breakfast, we left to Lake Naivasha for boat ride.
• We saw many many birds, hippos during the boat ride.
• Our guide shew us how to throw a fish and feed wild eagles.
• We saw gnus and zebras during nature walk. The boat ride and the nature walk were great.
  
• I got sun burnt that morning.
• We had lunch in Lake Naivasha Lodge.
• It is a grand hotel with big big rooms, free wi-fi at hotel lobby.
• Wild animals walking around our hotel rooms, eg bagoons, monkeys (having sex) and horses.
• The hotel staffs warned us that it was dangerous to walk from our hotel rooms to the hotel restaurant, we should be escorted by the armed hotel guards.It is not rare that hotel guests are scared by the hippos. However, we did not believe them, we just walked around by ourselves.
  
• In the afternoon, we visited the Hell's national park.
• We paid the nice young guide much tips because he saved Annie and Sylvian's lives when they went down the valley. As my foot was hurt, I did not go with them, I waited at the peak lonely.
• Then we swam in the hotel pool until 18:00.
• After dinner at the hotel restaurant, we sat by the fire and browing internet web sites at the hotel lobby.
• I found USD 100 was missing and reported loss.

• Compare to my friends' group, they did not swim in the hotel pool, the went out and saw many birds and many hippo shit.
  
• My friend also scared by crazy giraffees outside the hotel room.

Expenses on 15 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Lake Nakuru porters tips (one room 50 Shillings and one room USD 1)	16.67 Shillings	1.7
Lake Naivasha boat ride and nature walk tips (USD 2)	USD 0.4	3.1
Lake Naivasha porters tips (one room USD 3 and one room USD 1, total USD 4)	USD 1	7.8
Hell's Gate national park tips (adult USD 10 and child USD 1)	USD 2.2	17.16
Total	N/A	29.8

16 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in Base camp explorer of Masai Mara

• To avoid money loss again, Steve kept the money for me.
• After breakfast, we went to the police station and then the police headquarter to report loss as the hotel manager did not gave me any statement about the loss.
• It was then a very long long 5-hour drive to Masai Mara on the rough road.
• We had late lunch at the Base Camp.
• Base Camp is a nature camp (with environmental protection system eg solar energy). The chef was as good as 5 star hotel chefs.
• We had great game drive in the afternoon.
• We saw lion eating zebra, we heard lion breathing ...
• Great experiences taking bath in the open nature, having dinner in the forest, lightning, thunder and heavy rain in country side.

Expenses on 16 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Masai Mara Base Camp porters tips (one room 150 Shillings and one room 50 Shillings, total 200 Shillings)	50 Shillings	5.2
Masai Mara Base Camp lunch bottle water (270 Shillings)	54 Shillings	5.6
Total	N/A	10.8

17 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in Mara Fig Tree Lodge of Masai Mara

• In the morning, we visited the Masai village. Before we entered the village, the village people had performed three dances to us. The dances were Cattle dance, Jump Jump dance and Lion dances.
• Inside the village, we watched lady dance (village ladies and Hong Kong ladies).
• The village children did not mind stepping on shits with their foots, the adult did not mind touching the shit with their hands and hair.
• The village people shew us how to use traditional match (soft wood, hard wood and elephant shit)
  
• They tried to sell us their dancing tools and traditional match. They also wanted to exchange our watch with their staffs.
• We had lunch in Mara Fig Tree Lodge. It was not a real camp. It was a modern hotel. The staffs spoke English, Mandarin and Japanese.
• We had game drive in the afternoon.
• Dinner at the hotel restaurant. We enjoyed tribe dance in the restaurant.
• Heavy rain, lightning and thunder after dinner. We walked back hotel room with the big big hotel umbrellas.

Expenses on 17 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Masai Mara Base Camp check out tips (10 Shillings), payment without change	2 Shillings	0.2
Masai Mara Base Camp porters tips (one room USD 1 and one room 100 Shillings)	33.3 Shillings	3.5
Masai Mara Fig Tree Camp porters tips (one room USD 1 and one room 150 Shillings)	50 Shillings	5.2
Total	N/A	8.9

18 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in Mara Fig Tree Lodge of Masai Mara

• We had hot balloon and grassland breakfast.
  
• The hot balloon master ran his business all around the world include Ocean Park of Hong Kong.
• We did not see many animals during the one-hour hot balloon ride.
• We came back hotel and had lunch.
• In the afternoon game drive. We also did not see many animals, but we finally saw a cheetah.

Expenses on 18 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Hot balloon DVD (2500 Shillings)	50 Shillings	5.2
Total	N/A	5.2

19 Aug 2010
Kenya
Stay in plane

• We left hotel at early 07:00.
• Dickson told us to tell lies when we meet some officers. We should say we are leaving from Gasea, not from Masai Mara. Then we can save 300 Shillings.
• After long drive, we had lunch in Nairobi.
• It was a bbq lunch at the Carnivore restaurant. The bbq meat there was great.
• We ordered dessert twice though the waitress was not eager to do so.
• After lunch, we also took photos in the Post Office (forbidden).
• Then we gambled in a small Casino. The Casino was quiet, the staffs were not efficient.
• We had dinner at the Chinese restaurant, we met Sammy and he gave us souvenirs.
• After dinner, Dickson drove us to the airport.

Expenses on 19 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Masai Mara Fig Tree Camp porters tips (200 Shillings)	50 Shillings	5.2
Driver Dickson tips (USD 100)	USD 100	780
Total	N/A	785.2

20 Aug 2010
Dubai
Stay in SeaShell Inn

• We travelled from the airport to the SeaShell Inn by a big taxi.
• After having breakfast in the hotel, we travelled to Dubai Mall by taxi because it was Friday. Public transport is not available in Friday morning.
• It was a small taxi for 4 passengers only. Therefore Annie had to lie on Steve's legs, so that there were apparently only 4 guests in the taxi.
• The Dubai Mall was the biggest shopping mall in the world.
• We watched fish in the Aquarium and we had lunch in the food court though it was Ramadan.
• After lunch, we took taxi to the Khalafa metro station.
• We got on the first class metro cart travelling from Khalafa metro station to the Mall of the Emirates metro station.
• We did not skii in the Mall of the Emirates.
• We travelled from the Mall of the Emirates to the water taxi station by taxi.
• Then we crossed the Dubai Creek (river) by a water taxi.
• Most shops in the Gold Souq and the Spice Souq were closed.
• We crossed back the Dubai Creek by a water bus.
• Water bus and water taxi were very different, water bus was much more comfortable.
• We walked back to the SeaShell Inn, so tired, so hot.
• We had dinner at the SeaShell Inn restaurant, the chef cooked very well.

Expenses on 20 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Taxi from airport to SeaShell Inn (50 AED)	10 AED	21.6
SeaShell Inn porter tips (USD 1)	USD 0.2	1.6
Taxi from SeaShell Inn to the Dubai Mall (22 AED)	4.4 AED	9.5
Dubai Aquarium (25 AED each)	25 AED	54
McDonald lunch at the Dubai Mall (18 AED)	18 AED	38.9
Taxi from the Dubai Mall to Khalifa metro station (11 AED)	2.2 AED	4.8
Metro from Khalifa to the Mall of the Emirates (11 AED each)	11 AED	23.8
Taxi from the Mall of the Emirates to the Water Taxi station (45 AED)	9 AED	19.4
Water Taxi from Bur Dubai to Old Souq (1 AED each)	1 AED	2.2
Water Bus from Old Souq to Bur Dubai (4 AED each)	4 AED	8.6
Dinner at the SeaShell Inn restaurant (218 AED)	43.6 AED	94.2
Total	N/A	278.6

21 Aug 2010
Dubai
Stay in SeaShell Inn

• Early morning, we dressed up formally and then travelled to the Burj Al Arab (7 star hotel).
• The breakfast started at 07:00.
• Most guest there were Chinese and we had big big breakfast till 11:00.
• After breakfast, we visited other restaurants and the spa center of the Burj Al Arab hotel.
• We also enjoyed free golf cart ride from the hotel to the Souk Madinat Jumeirah with two photo stops.
• We failed to take free gondola ride in the Soak Madinat Jumeirah as we were not the hotel guests.
• It was very hot in the Souk, we travelled back to the SeaShell Inn by the expensive Jumeirah hotel car.
• We were so full that we did not have lunch.
• We took showers, rest, changed in casual wear, afternoon sleep ... then it's time for desert safari.
• We had a break in a supermarket, we found that petroliem is cheap. 1.5 AED per litre while water is 2.7 AED for 3 litre.
• Then we had 4-wheel vehicles, sand slide, camel farm, camel ride, eagle photo, henna, shisha (water pipe), bbq diner ...
  
• After desert safari, went back SeaShell Inn.

Expenses on 21 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Taxi from SeaShell Inn to Burj Al Arab (41 AED)	8.2 AED	17.7
Breakfast in Burj Al Arab restaurant (1250 AED)	250 AED	540
Souk Madinat Jumeirah hotel car to SeaShell Inn (70 AED)	14 AED	30.2
Two bottles of water two in supermarket (1.5 AED each)	0.6 AED	1.3
Total	N/A	589.2

22 Aug 2010
Dubai
Stay in Atlantis the Palm Hotel

• After having breakfast in the SeaShell Inn, we went shopping in a supermarket.
• BB and Steve bought some ice-cream in the supermarket. When they were enjoying the ice-cream, they were scolded by local people severely because it was Ramadan.
• Then we checked out and leave our big luggages in the SeaShell Inn, we travelled to the Moven Pick Hotel for lunch by taxi.
• After having lunch, we travelled to the Atlantis the Palm Hotel by a small taxi, so Annie had to ... again.
• We enjoyed free Aquaventure (water park) very happily. The water park was very big and many facilities there.
• Sylvian walked back to the hotel room through the lobby, but she was stopped by the staff because she was too sexy.
• The staff advised Sylvian to put on some more clothes, but Sylvian refused to do so and she walked back room through another walkway showing her body.
• We had dinner at the Saffron Restaurant in the hotel, great variety and quality.

Expenses on 22 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Taxi to Moven Pick Hotel (20 AED)	4 AED	8.6
Lunch at Moven Pick Hotel restaurant (306 AED)	61.2 AED	132.2
Taxi from Moven Pick Hotel to Atlantis the Palm Hotel (55 AED)	11 AED	23.8
Dinner at Saffron restaurant of Atlantis the Palm Hotel (830 AED)	166 AED	358.6
Total	N/A	523.2

23 Aug 2010
Dubai
Stay in the SeaShell Inn

• We had big big breakfast in another restaurant, Kaleidoscope, the food was also very good, especially congee, chicken sticky rice, ...
• Then we enjoyed free Aquaventure (water park) again.
• My swimming trunk was torn after enjoying 9-storey-building-tall waterslide "Leap of Faith".
• We watched beautiful fish in Lost Chamber (big aquarium).
  
• We checked out and travelled to the Dubai Mall by free shuttle bus.
• We could not buy post cards in the mall and then we travelled back to the SeaShell Inn by taxi.
• Sylvian met her friend at the SeaShell Inn lobby, her friend commented that the SeaShell Inn was very different from the Atlantis the Palm Hotel. Then Sylvian had city tour with her friend.
• BB enjoyed afternoon sleep.
  
• Annie, Steve and I enjoyed afternoon tea in the SeaShell Inn restaurant.
  
• We watched hostage incident at the SeaShell Inn restaurant and the Philippine staff discussed the incident with us.
• Sylvian went to Souk Madinat Jumeirah again with her friend and had sushi dinner with her friend.
• BB, Annie, Steve and I had Japanese dinner in another hotel.
• After dinner, BB, Annie and Steve went shopping because the shops opened at night (day time is too hot and closed)

Expenses on 23 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Taxi from the Dubai Mall to SeaShell Inn (26 AEd)	5.2 AED	11.2
SeaShell Inn porter tips (USD 1)	USD 0.2	1.6
SeaShell Inn afternoon tea (37 AED for Ric, Annie and Steve)	12.3 AED	26.6
Japanese dinner (415 AED for Ric, Frank, Annie and Steve)	103.8 AED	224.2
Total	N/A	263.6

24 Aug 2010
Hong Kong

• We checked out SeaShell Inn hotel and travelled to the airport by taxi.

Expenses on 24 Aug 2010	Foreign	HK Dollar
Taxi from SeaShell Inn to the airport (25 AED)	5 AED	10.8
Total	N/A	10.8

Total expenses of the trip

HKD 32833.7