Articles On Information

Mahali Mzuri

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pDVGLZxkccg?rel=0" width="853"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=564009107862031725" target="blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Forbes</span></b></a><br />Ann Abel<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span><b>y first impression of <a href="http://www.mahalimzuri.virgin.com/en/mahali_mzuri" target="blank">Mahali Mzuri</a>, Richard Branson’s new place on the edge of the Maasai Mara National Reservewas, that I’d somehow bumped across the savannah and into a Spielberg set. The terra-cotta-color rooms are ringed by arcing steel girders, and their pointed charcoal-gray roofs poke up like little spacecraft. The sci-fi look ends with the exteriors, though, and inside, they’re a glammed-up take on safari style, as seen through the gimlet eye of a sophisticated and slightly cheeky British designer. The rubber ducky by the claw-foot bathtub, for instance, appears to be wearing Maasai cloth and beaded necklaces. And the “do not disturb” sign is a Maasai spear topped with wildebeest hair.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFkwUyUkuU3XJWLQK6V-ECBvRU34-wqBDa48wU6k1PAfRLNPxO1-FMJQXypC_EQe4AIpGNR3GGMe-QU6XHEc9QQTCfWlzlgeEoylTPFfqiwb9jcHXRcaup1J5lEc3BTmgfZQqRWjNW8k/s1000/2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">The rooms are fantastically stylish—with rich wood floors and vividly patterned African fabrics above and behind the bed—and practical, with mini refrigerators, reusable glass bottles of filtered water, adequate light, outlets galore, and better plumbing and Wi-Fi than I have at home in New York. Virtually everything is made in Kenya, down to the very comfy mattresses. (And bless them for simply placing pillows of different thicknesses on each bed, instead of presenting a silly pillow menu.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0ZprNTaTQXHd2lyIDoCpAiKDjHFcb1N6r5_f6cbm7W0NYbbgEd1XttsDRV3twsMWnesFgdnM00Z7Fh1KI_H3nbTVhWEMtKxDYFvpR65cKCELXteMouYtOB5NJJKw-h_FUf7sMGoS2hI/s1000/1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0ZprNTaTQXHd2lyIDoCpAiKDjHFcb1N6r5_f6cbm7W0NYbbgEd1XttsDRV3twsMWnesFgdnM00Z7Fh1KI_H3nbTVhWEMtKxDYFvpR65cKCELXteMouYtOB5NJJKw-h_FUf7sMGoS2hI/s1600/1.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Wood-frame doors lead into each room and onto its big shaded deck, and that bathtub is smack by two large screened “windows” that offer terrific views over the Motorogi Conservancy (but privacy too). The sleeping area also has more and better “windows” than many conventional tents, and it’s a joy to sleep with the shade flaps open, feeling the night breezes and waking up with the sun.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssLYaYh55QvcTJ3hNb-ecTB17NlV6GnzeuADCu8mhCne_UeoDRir3wZT4QVh-wyX0wcx9gNxjnk4b5a1qINo3Lo3Mb0Sp2wYnIMsukLdQrIPwTJGb6Az9BDgrm_q81-RCh7-v1O9DvnQ/s583/3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhssLYaYh55QvcTJ3hNb-ecTB17NlV6GnzeuADCu8mhCne_UeoDRir3wZT4QVh-wyX0wcx9gNxjnk4b5a1qINo3Lo3Mb0Sp2wYnIMsukLdQrIPwTJGb6Az9BDgrm_q81-RCh7-v1O9DvnQ/s1600/3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Breedveld, who is originally from Australia, has a deep background in conservation in East Africa, and that—along with the philanthropic impulses and deep pockets of Richard Branson, who was made an honorary Maasai Elder for his efforts—helps explain why Mahali Mzuri has been a powerful force in creating and supporting the conservancy (a model for other Maasai communities to protect their land and profit from tourism, which Breedveld says may eventually double the size of the Mara). They’re developing a program for guests to visit a nearby village without it becoming a hokey, borderline exploitative “tourist boma” like some others in the region. In the meantime, the gift shop sells beautiful jewelry and home items made by local women’s collectives.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW58Y5o7YUSwFGh6838-Tarf0mecYJc7dEOYYqRhRER2rdKfN5rB0MeqLY7K2NlWifIIM2jH-vvI_Oowz9RSrlIZCXIZQTuWqDxY8uUeusJBFSXiHra4i4f46nBy7kxXguWqD4-iU8i2E/s1000/6.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW58Y5o7YUSwFGh6838-Tarf0mecYJc7dEOYYqRhRER2rdKfN5rB0MeqLY7K2NlWifIIM2jH-vvI_Oowz9RSrlIZCXIZQTuWqDxY8uUeusJBFSXiHra4i4f46nBy7kxXguWqD4-iU8i2E/s1600/6.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Not only did all this foster excellent community relations, but it also allowed them to hire the best Maasai driver-guides. Game drives are often off-road, and the drivers navigate the rough terrain quite nimbly, while answering questions and telling stories about growing up here. The Land Cruisers are top of the line, uncommonly smooth, quiet, and open (no front windshields) for better views and photo ops. Between drives, there are bush walks into the river valley below, and a good-size swimming pool and a sweet one-room spa for massages and facials using products from the cult South African line Africology.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoEGTrWzPkL7CXD5XbDlZIfhC6EkN-eWvxyTFgTPqcrAStHFVN4pHc_qvieLWqy7VRX1RdX6REQMptNvzK7lQdI0FgaAClVjGMS8h1cqV7kt0RchyphenhyphennOjj6UnGNtIcanip-DoCK9S194I/s1000/4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoEGTrWzPkL7CXD5XbDlZIfhC6EkN-eWvxyTFgTPqcrAStHFVN4pHc_qvieLWqy7VRX1RdX6REQMptNvzK7lQdI0FgaAClVjGMS8h1cqV7kt0RchyphenhyphennOjj6UnGNtIcanip-DoCK9S194I/s1600/4.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">The pool and spa are nice, but when it comes down to it, “safari” might as well be Swahili for “eating and drinking.” Those pursuits are sublime here. My group was welcomed with 2004 Veuve Cliquot, which flowed freely throughout my preview visit, even turning up once in a granita. On-site gardens supply much of the produce, and the kitchen is run by Tarn’s talented brother Liam, who was previously Branson’s chef at Necker Island in the BVI.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG1smH5s-GfJ-BESSlp0TWLMheEYt-3N2zuMORn_lIiMP49kIwVnVy3ScRb5CUhHy1Bz9ifaUeD6J_lNW032QCqNS_ZiGjq5IpuAbqjgZCIHvKJE0pqiK0AQiajue2EJJA0SHMmcR7A4/s1000/5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUG1smH5s-GfJ-BESSlp0TWLMheEYt-3N2zuMORn_lIiMP49kIwVnVy3ScRb5CUhHy1Bz9ifaUeD6J_lNW032QCqNS_ZiGjq5IpuAbqjgZCIHvKJE0pqiK0AQiajue2EJJA0SHMmcR7A4/s1600/5.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">The dining “tent” here is pure glamour, with contemporary lights hanging above, and votive candles flickering on, a long stretch of glass that rests atop a magnificent length of untreated cedar trunk. It’s a fitting setting for big-city-caliber mushroom risotto, homemade tagliatelle with chorizo sauce, chocolate fondant, and New York cheesecake.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrbHjUNGNvdCtP5gj3_1C80l4A8bEhNKv4zzP_UGi4nWwcMRfrhGO8AoceOHsUv1eTzRdvXecEEOrw6z4UicydmMAuLkO9k8oNwbHzEYL5VByrKUVONK45aeGziu6ca1rWfcO88-qoLQ/s1000/7.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrbHjUNGNvdCtP5gj3_1C80l4A8bEhNKv4zzP_UGi4nWwcMRfrhGO8AoceOHsUv1eTzRdvXecEEOrw6z4UicydmMAuLkO9k8oNwbHzEYL5VByrKUVONK45aeGziu6ca1rWfcO88-qoLQ/s1000/7.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">But even a bush dinner—which they knew better than to call a “picnic”—was an elaborate affair, with plated French onion soup, a feast of fresh salads and all sorts of grilled meats, and fig sticky pudding for dessert. Dozens of lanterns dotted the ground and dangled from the trees. A group of Maasai sang, danced, and jumped around the fire. It was, like Mahali Mzuri in general, a night of pure joy conjured seemingly out of nothing.<br /></div>

Mahali Mzuri

Forbes Ann Abel M y first impression of Mahali Mzuri , Richard Branson’s new place on the edge of the Maasai Mara National Reservewas, that ...

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Cats Revive Houtong’s Economy

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hcJlPsswh4Q?rel=0" width="853"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/08/30/cats_are_decayed_taiwanese_mining_towns_2nd_life/" target="blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">AP</span></b></a>  <br />Debby Wu<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">H</span><b>outong used to be one of Taiwan’s most important coal extraction sites, up until the 1970s. Then, oil and electricity took the place of coal when Taiwan’s railroads electrified and oil grew as a power source. The town’s younger residents left for better opportunities elsewhere and the population dwindled from around six thousand inhabitants to a couple  of hundred, who struggled to survive. </b><br /><br />But their fortunes changed in 2008, when a cat lover who goes by the name “<a href="http://www.wretch.cc/blog/palin88" target="_blank">Palin88</a>” organized a series of cat photography events in the mountain town to photograph the town’s many stray cats. He and his friends posted the photos online, and got an overwhelming response from fellow feline enthusiasts. <br /><br />As they shared the photos on forums and social media sites, Houtong welcomed more and more tourists eager to photograph the cats themselves, or simply watch them roaming through the town. Nowadays, Houtong is known as the Cat Village, or Taiwan’s Cat Mecca. <br /><br />The hundreds of stray cats who call Houtong their home attract thousands of Taiwanese and international visitors every week, and the locals are cashing out on their popularity. Souvenir shops selling everything from cat-themed mobile dangles to cat-imprinted purses, and food-stalls offering cat-shaped snacks have proven very profitable since Houtong’s feline-induced rebirth. Acknowledging their pivotal role in the miraculous turnaround, villagers have grown very fond of the cats, and are doing everything they can to keep them safe and healthy. <br /><br />A team of volunteers provides free veterinary care and food, and the community has even set up comfortable cat houses for the furry stars to nap in. Building on the town’s reputation as a cat village, locals have placed a set of cat ears at one end of Houtong and a big tail at the other, and the old town bridge now features an elevated catwalk, allowing the cats to come down from the village to the train station and greet visitors as soon as they set foot off the train.</div>

Cats Revive Houtong’s Economy

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AP Debby Wu H outong used to be one of Taiwan’s most important coal extraction sites, up until the 1970s. Then, oil and electricity took t...

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