MARALAL CAMEL DERBY 2013 - 30th August to 1st September

The Annual Maralal Camel Derby is back this 30th August through to September 1st 2013.

         Camel Ride      Photo Source; Nat Afric

The International Camel Derby is a fusion of colors, cultures and marvelous animals: all competing in the desert for the honors of having the top camel in the world. A serious sport and a wonderful spectacle with entrants from Australia, America, New Zealand, Canada, England, France, Spain, Japan, South Africa and around the world. It is hosted at the Yare Camel Club and Camp, 3 kilometers south of the township of Maralal. The Derby tests the speed and strength of the camels, and the handling abilities of their owners or jockeys. In addition, cycling races, donkey rides, local dancing displays and stalls where curios and handicrafts, among other things, are available.

"Maralal, about 348 kms North of Nairobi, is the gateway to Kenya’s wild and arid North, and is a Mecca for adventurers, nomads and camels," Magical Kenya. A Camel is a single-humped animal that originated in East Africa and later spread to Arabia. It is able to survive long periods without water, and able to withstand changes in body temperature.  It is said to have been domesticated 3,500 years ago and used since as an important pack animal. The Maralal International Camel Derby brings hundreds of these beasts and their owners together in a desert near Maralal.

UMUHIMU WA UTALII NCHINI

After all I just discovered my written Swahili isn’t that bad like the one I speak (characterized by –di and –ndis, -chi and –shis bombarding each other unceremoniously).I chose a simple topic to start with and the following is the importance of tourism to Kenya according to me in Swahili.

  Utalii ni hali ya kusafiri huku na huko kuyafurahia mandhari. Pia kule kushughulikia watalii au kuwahudumia ni Utalii. Hapa nchini, utalii huchukuliwa kama kitendo cha kusafiri mbali na mahali unakoishi, mfano kutoka Kenya kwenda Uganda ama pia kutoka Nairobi kwenda kujivijari Nakuru. Kwa ufupi kuna viwango viwili vya utalii; kuna kule kutembea kutoka mahali pamoja hadi pengine katika nchi yako, almaarufu kama Domestic Tourism kwa lugha ya kimombo na kuna kutoka nchi moja hadi nyengine.

Hapa Kenya Utalii umedhaminiwa sana kwani huchangia pakubwa kuinua uchumi wa nchi. Mwanzo, vinavyovutia watalii hapa nchini ni wanyama wa porini, pwani ya Kenya, vitu vya kihistoria, mila na utamaduni na hata mazingira.

Watalii wanaotoka nchi za kigeni huleta fedha za kigeni na hivyo kuimarisha uchumi wa nchi kwani hutumiwa kununulia vitu vingine na kukuza maendeleo nchini. Utalii pia unasaidia kuimarisha idadi ya nafasi za kazi za adinasi farafara nchini. Watu wanavyozidi kupata kazi ndivyo uchumi unazidi kuimarika na umasikini kupungua.

Kupitia utalii, kuna utunzaji wa mazingira. Mjinga pekee ndiye atakayekwambia mvua hutoka ‘mbinguni’. Miti huleta mvua. Kwa hivyo utunzaji wa mazingira unasaidia pakubwa kuongeza idadi ya mvua katika sehemu mbalambali nchini. Zaidi ya hayo, miti huwa chakula na mahali pakuishi pa wanyama wengi.

Watalii wawekezaji ambao wengi wao huwa wakwasi wenye mbango si haba, huwekeza katika sekta mbalimbali nchini. Wao hulipa ushuru mwingi na hivyo basi kuimarisha uchumi wa nchi.

Watalii wengi huchukua ‘picha’ za wanakotembelea na wanayoona na kisha kuwaonyesha wenzao wanaporudi nyumbani. Hii huwapa wengine hamu ya kutembea Afrika na hapa nchini na hivyo kuongeza idadi ya watalii nchini. Idadi ya watalii inavyoongezeka, ndivyo mapato kutokana na utalii yanavyozidi kuongezeka.

Hata wewe unapozuru sehemu mbalimbali hapa nchini, unajiwezesha kufahamu nchi yako vizuri. Tembelea #TEMBEA KENYA  kwenye tovuti ya Magical Kenya ujionee mengi.

To translate from Swahili to English click here

VALENTINE OFFERS

Alabaa! Domestic and Resident Travel Offers for Kenyans!!! Its February again! The month of love. If valentines ring a bell in your cabeza head, you’ll mind checking this out. There are many ways you can show love in a special way to them that you love. It’s in this spirit that Magical Kenya is offering you a variety of options to show your love – valentine offers ranging from accommodation, food, road to flying valentine packages at or to some of the most magnificent places in Kenya. visit Magical Kenya.com/TembeaKenya for more info.