ED’S NOTE
WHERE WILL THEY BE? Our intrepid team of travel writers and photographers let us in on where they plan to go this year.
TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF
M
any years ago, I took a meditation class in northern India. I had been staying in a town in the Himalayan foothills, surrounded by Western hippies who had long overstayed their passports, but were too high to care. Meditation, I hoped, would induce a similar state of contentment. As I knelt down on the mat, the instructor led us in breathing exercises. My legs began to ache. I looked around, noticing glumly that nobody else seemed to be suffering. Surely we couldn’t keep up this position for the next hour? And, oh God, my feet.. I had been wearing these filthy sandals around India for several weeks now, leaving the upturned soles of my feet entirely black. What if the man behind me couldn’t stop looking at my feet? How would I look him in the eye at the end of the class? As these unsettling thoughts raced through my mind, I realised I was thinking of anything but the meditation in hand. I’m haven’t had much more success when it comes to yoga. Flabby and unyielding muscles make for a painful workout. But then I should probably bear in mind the words of one leading yogi, who said, “I would like for people to realise that yoga is not about touching your toes.” I wish that someone had done me a favour, and told me that long ago. I suppose many people treat exercise as their meditation - the time when the body is engaged, but my mind runs free. But even squeezing in a lunchtime walk can be tricky, and I realise that I’m reaching a point in life where my daily routine is so cluttered and busy that I no longer have time to just be. Living in Kenya, there’s no excuse. Yoga - along with wellness in its many other forms - has exploded in this country. The Africa Yoga Project has transformed the yoga scene, and we now have acrobatic yoga, aqua yoga, to name just a few. I like the sound of Stand Up Paddleboard yoga, where an ungainly collapse is guaranteed a soft landing. As I write this, I wonder if next year is the year I’ll finally make it to Lamu’s annual celebration of yoga, now a major event on the international yoga calendar. Even the most resistant of yogis must surely find ‘down dog’ more enjoyable on the gorgeous beaches of this island archipelago. Wendy Watta, a reluctant participant last year, quickly realised in Lamu that there was more to yoga than just the physical benefits. If for some reason you can’t make it to Lamu, there are plenty more opportunities close to home to find some inner peace. We bring you in this issue our compilation of retreats around the region, whether it’s a WildFitness retreat on Zanzibar, yoga at the Treehouse in Watamu, or running fartleks with the pros in Iten. And if you really want to be inspired to change your life, read our interview with Mario Rigby (Page 19), who just completed a 12,000 km walk / paddle from Cape Town to Cairo in two years. Finally, we’re thrilled to introduce a fabulous new photography competition showcasing the beauty of the Maasai Mara, Kenya’s most famous wildlife reserve, in partnership with the Angama Foundation. The winner of a grand final will take home $10,000 in cash, win a five-day all-inclusive stay at Angama Mara, and be crowned the Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year. Monthly winners will be published in Nomad. Turn to the back page for details on how to enter. Here’s to a healthier, fitter 2018.
Catrina Stewart
Morris Kiruga Sleeping on the job, Page 14 I think Dubai is calling this 2018, and Gaborone, for some odd reason. My desires this year are to collect experiences mainly out of Kenya. I want to spend the next 10 months chasing thrills so everything from paragliding to zip lining to a full desert experience is on the table. It’s the year of the adrenaline rush. Wendy Watta A Lamu Cure, Page 22 I specifically went freelance so I could have more time to travel. My first stop is going to be Bali which everyone and their Grandma on Instagram has been to. It’s visa free to go there as a Kenyan, which is great! I also hope to finally do a Eurotrip in the summer and particularly explore the South. In Africa, Cape Town, Morocco and Ethiopia have always been on my list. Having extensively explored Kenya, it makes no sense that I’ve never been to the Mara so hopefully this is the year I finally do it, and a hot air balloon over the plains would be great! Brian Siambi Photographer A lot of places to visit this year for me, I don’t know where to start! But the first thing I will be doing is taking my deep-sea diving certificate in Diani that allows me to dive anywhere in the world. I’d like to dive to watch the whale shark migration in Mozambique in October. Possible trips I’ll be doing this year include Turkey with a friend and I’m also hoping to visit Namibia, Senegal and Ghana as I really want to explore more of Africa and shoot my fashion project series.
catstewartuk NOMAD ISSUE 10 · JAN/FEB 2018 · PUBLISHED BY WEBSIMBA LIMITED, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. MANAGING DIRECTOR MIKUL SHAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CATRINA STEWART
DESIGN BRIAN SIAMBI, DIGITAL FRED MWITHIGA, SALES, MARKETING & OPERATIONS LEROY BULIRO, GILBERT CHEGE, NJERI GATHARA, DANIEL MUTHIANI, SEINA NAIMASIAH, JANE NAITORE, MICHELLE SLATER, DEVNA VADGAMA, JOY WAIRIMU, WINNIE WANGUI, VANESSA WANJIKU CONTRIBUTORS TAMARA BRITTEN, TRACY BROOKS, MORRIS KIRUGA, IVY NYAYIEKA, SARAH SAMUEL, AMANDA SPERBER, SAMANTHA DU TOIT, TRAVELDOTE, FRANCES WOODHAMS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS TANVIR ALI, PETER NDUNG’U, PAREET SHAH, BRIAN SIAMBI SALES ENQUIRIES CALL NOMAD 0711 22 22 22, EMAIL EDITOR@NOMADMAGAZINE.CO
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