Author Archives: lgnewkirk

In the last leg of our tour, we fly from Maasai Mara to Nairobi. Our tour company, Micato Safaris, supports a student center in Nairobi’s Mukuru slum and we head straight there from the airport. The 700,000 people in Mukuru are mostly living in corrugated iron shacks, with no electricity or running water. The studentContinue reading “Nairobi, Giraffe Manor and Home”

Maasai Mara, the last park on our itinerary, turns out to be the land of big cats. We know our niece Mara would love “the Mara,” as this beautiful park is called. It is the land of the Lion King and the great migration that meets the Serengeti on the Tanzania border. Coming off ofContinue reading “Maasai Mara”

Our next stop is Loisaba, a conservancy in Laikipia County. Loisaba was an enormous cattle ranch owned by an Italian family until the 1970s. At that time the Nature Conservancy leased the land and transitioned it to a conservancy. The idea is that following a fifty year lease it will be turned over to theContinue reading “Loisaba Conservancy”

We spend one night at the lovely Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi and depart early the next morning. In our jet-lagged haze, Nairobi is a blur, though I recall eating popcorn and cheese late at night, with Jacob in our hotel room. We take a 45-minute plane ride from Nairobi, with a pit stop atContinue reading “Tsavo West National Park”

The travel blog is resurrected for a Lang-Newkirk family Kenyan safari! But first, a 15-hour flight, one night in Dubai, a 5-hour flight, and one night in Nairobi. Then on to the Kenyan parks: Tsavo National Park, Loisaba Conservancy, and Maasai Mara. We are excited. We pack our neutral-colored, synthetic clothing carefully and weigh ourContinue reading “Kenyan Safari: Departure and Dubai”

One last Italy trip! We fly back to Sicily and to the Il San Corrado di Noto Resort that we loved. Lazy pool and beach days followed, with fabulous Italian meals interspersed. I whiz through Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, Milkfed by Melissa Broder and Creative Quest by Questlove. The first threeContinue reading “Sicily Reboot”

By Xander and Jacob On the first day of travel me (Xander), Jacob and mom woke up early to take an EasyJet flight to Gatwick Airport outside of London. We were meeting dad, who had been in London all week for work. The flight was easy as EasyJet usually is. I slept on the longContinue reading “London!”

Yes, Father’s Day. I’m behind! And where are the other bloggers? It turns out getting 14- and 10-year old males to blog is like getting them to clean up after themselves. Painful. Hopeless. Ultimately requires bribes. Bribes are being negotiated and they will soon write about London. Our Basel weekends have been lovely and Father’sContinue reading “Father’s Day Weekend: Alsace and a Rhine Float”

In June, Tai and I took a 24-hour trip into the Graubunden Canton of Switzerland. Our “architectural destination” (a friend who is an architect described it as such) was the 7132 Therme, a hotel/spa built over hot springs in the village of Vals. The 7132 Therme was designed by Peter Zumthor, winner of the PritzkerContinue reading “24 Hours in Vals (7132 Therme)”

There is a lot going on in the United States and I admit to being in a serious post-Dobbs funk. It has felt foolish to do anything other than read, process and plan the future revolution. But I want a complete record of our travels this year; to remember the towns, restaurants and hotels andContinue reading “Sicilian Paradise”