Kenya is the latest country to join the no-smoking bandwagon, with an stringent anti-tobacco law that went into effect this week. The government's ban on butts is so strict, residents can't even puff in parks, private cars or their own homes.

The new rules require smokers to stick to sealed and ventilated rooms, so unless a house is equipped, it's technically out of bounds. For those hangers-on, the government has established a few outdoor "smoking zones" that draw clusters of smokers, eager to avoid fines of up to $46,000. (That's not for the first offense!)

Also included in the new tobacco control legislation is a ban on sales of single cigarettes, designed to keep lower-income Kenyans from lighting up. One vendor in Narobi told the BBC that his sales of loosies had indeed dropped off--but that people were just buying packs instead.

Related Stories:
· Stringent Law for Kenyan Smokers [BBC]
· Smoking coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: prondis_in_kenya]]]> pbb 2008-07-11T15:30:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/14/104031/908

We're all about supporting the underdog. In tourism terms these days, that'd be Kenya. But last week European travel agencies publicly endorsed the recently troubled country as a recommended and safe summer safari destination. Sweet!

This summer we're backing an awesome Kenyan adventure from UK-based Exodus Holidays called the Classic Kenya Safari and Kili Climb. A word to the weary: It's not your grandmother's safari.

The 14-day excursion takes you from Nairobi to stunning Lake Nakuru National Park, then on to the Masai Mara Reserve where big time animal migrations start in July. After sleeping in a bush camp and comparing battle stories with local Masai warriors, it's off to Tanzania where it's man versus mountain. You'll spend the next six days climbing Kilimanjaro's Rongai Route until reaching the summit where you'll do that tribal victory dance your Masai friends taught you.

The safari departs from Nairobi on Aug 10 and costs £1,399 ($2,717), not including flight.

Related Stories:
· Exodus Holidays [Official Site]
· Summer Vacations with An Edge [Jaunted]
· Africa Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Steve Taylor]]]> CourtScott 2008-05-14T15:15:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/11/27/63844/248

A word of warning: don't think about a middle-aged or elderly woman you know while you read this story. It'll put you off your lunch.

A bunch of middle-aged women have started a dubious new trend in Africa travel: Ladies in their 50s and 60s are heading to Kenya for a holiday and picking up handsome men in their 20s to have a good time in exchange for expensive gifts.

Locals don't like it, and try to discourage it--for example, if a woman wants to change her hotel room from a single to a double, some places will say no--but they estimate that as many as one in five single women visiting from richer countries are there for sex. In exchange they buy their companions new clothes, expensive sunglasses and a few nights in a hotel. This is sex tourism as we've never imagined it before--and it's disgusting.

Related Stories:
· Sex Tourists in Kenya [Reuters]
· Kenya Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Naddsy]]]> amandak 2007-11-27T09:00:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/5/18/01858/3928
Hard-partier Lindsay Lohan is looking to spruce up her troubled image and be the bigger person in the Lohan/Hilton feud. Rehab? Nope, she's hopping on the Africa train--shades of Brangelina--and wants to head to Kenya to be a do-gooder.

Lindsay plans to team up with charity organization One Campaign to help fight AIDS and poverty in Africa. An insider reports, "She wants to be taken seriously as a person, and she's well aware of her image as a fluffy party girl. She sees working in Africa as a means to shed her 'naughty girl' reputation."

We sincerely hope Brangelina gets to those suffering Africans first. Given the choice between a complete set of rugs and accessories as presented by Brangelina's new line of products or some nose candy from La Lohan, we know which one they'd rather choose. Unless Lindsay comes out with officially branded sacks of millet, of course.

Related Stories:
·   Lindsay Lohan is heading to Africa [TheBosh.com]
·   Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: Trinketmasters [Jaunted]]]> sedona 2006-05-18T00:18:58-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/4/4/161130/0509 We like animals, and we also like running pictures of animals, as you, gentle reader, may have noticed. So we started an animal feature, which, for lack of editorial imagination we called Animal Planet. We also considered calling it Commander Snuggles Cuddly Fuzzy Happy Time Hour. Then our sister at HotelChatter said we might get sued, so it's now called Stupid Pet Trips.




Where's my Elephant? Thus asked Bart, and frankly, we have the same question. They're big, smart, and never forget--just like Sir Ian McKellen in the Lord of the Rings--and they are easiest to spot in Kenya.

The best place, or rather the most popular, to see elephants--and the rest of the "big five" of Kenyan wildlife, which includes rhinos and lions--is on the Masai Mara reserve. While luxury safaris are in abundance in Kenya these days, almost as much as zebra and wildebeest, some feel that the best way to see the countryside is on the back of a truck. These so-called Guerba tours are considerably cheaper, though--close to half the price. However, amenities are not close at hand, nor are they going to be anytime soon.

If the sole reason for your trip is to see a enormous pachyderm, not get a spa treatment on yet another continent, then the Guerba tours are a safe bet. Otherwise, might we suggest the San Diego Zoo?

[Image via Michael Poliza/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Keep on Truckin' [The Guardian]
·   Stupid Pet Trips [Jaunted]]]> AVB 2006-04-04T16:11:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/2/21/14424/5854

We're suckers for photographs of animals. Especially giraffes! They have blue-black tongues, something we're ashamed to admit we learned from an episode of Salute Your Shorts. Nickelodeon is a far better filter for facts than CNN, we find.

Anyway, for our cool animal and nature photo fix, we recommend Kalabrid's photos of Kenya over on Flickr. She's staying there for a few months and already has shots of zebras, giraffes, and local flora. What, no lions yet?

[Image via kalabird/Flickr]]]> AVB 2006-02-21T15:00:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/