Meet Samantha Kendi, Thika’s First Female Travel and Food Blogger.
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| Samantha Kendi Travel and Food Blogger. |
For Samantha Kendi food and travelling have always been close to
her heart, she established her blog www.audaciousenses2.WordPress.com in
a bid to share with the world a few tips on how to enjoy tantalizing meals,
while unwinding at a favourite destination without majorly denting your bank
account.The blogger looks up to the likes of Lyra Aoko, Susan Lucky Wong,
Tatiana Karanja, Miss Mandii, Andrew Mageto, Joy Kendi who have made distinct
marks in the world of photography and blogging in general.
1. Did you
grow up in Thika? I was born in Meru, however due to my mom's career we have
moved a lot and stayed in different towns across Kenya, we came to Thika almost
ten years ago.
2. What do
you love about Thika Town? We have a lot of hidden gems in Thika, that I would like to feature
on my blog from the numerous attractions such as the 14 Falls, Ol Donyo Sapuk
National Park, to the various eateries around Thika as a Food & Travel
blogger I would say this town melts my heart, because there is loads to explore
and I am looking forward to showcase more of what Thika has.
3.Take us through your blogging journey: It’s a funny
story, so when I started blogging close to three years ago, on January 3rd 2014
to be precise the foodie in me was limited to just eating (Chuckles), I must
confess I didn’t even know how to prepare any meal, but when I joined
campus I decided it was time to learn and before I knew it, I was experimenting
with different recipes and writing about it on FB on groups such as Let's Cook Kenyan
Meals I then challenged myself and channeled this into a blog where I write
about my travel escapades and review various eateries.
4. What
are the main challenges you have faced as travel and food blogger? I would confidently say
monetizing has been one of the biggest challenges, the need to convert what I
do into profit is tasking. Kenya is yet to fully embrace Bloggers as
influencers & mode of advertising so the task to convince clients is
daunting. I've been in the 'game' a while but my numbers are still modest as
compared to others in the industry so the struggle is double. The blog market
is currently over saturated with loads of people coming into the space making it
even more of a challenge to maintain an audience. Generating content for travel
is also another key challenge due to the logistics involved in planning for a
trip, some trips take time to plan and require financial investment.
5. What is
the least/highest amount of money you have spent travelling? Hmmh Minimal, on my
trip to Kilifi where they fully catered for my trip so all I had to spend on
was drinks there was this one time we went to Naivasha with a group of friends for two nights, we spent approximately 10,000 each to cater for our expenses. On the high end, would have to be our family trips that we have to save up for all through
the year so we can have a fantastic Christmas holiday
6. Which
is your worst/best food? Omena! I don’t know why but the tiny fish just gives me the
creeps, they are so tiny and have an overwhelming odour.Pasta would have to be
my favorite dish, I could have it any time, any day!
7. What
three things would you say to sell Thika as a place worth visiting?
We have arguably one of the best Pork Eateries in Kenya, Ol
Donyo Sapuk National Park which also plays host to Mt. Kilimambogo and finally
the magnificent Fourteen Falls.
8.What
sort of advice would you give to someone who wants to venture into travel and
food blogging? Let it be your passion, I always tell people that “Don’t Do It
If You Don’t Love It” there are times I have felt like quitting even after
investing so much of my time and
resources and still don’t get not getting monetary returns from blogging. But I
keep soldering on because of my passion for it, It is also important for
them to be consistent and keep your readers glued to your blog.
9.
Something people don’t know about you? I am also a photographer, recently ventured into event planning
business and I also hire out a convertible vehicle for weddings so in case
anyone needs a rental for their wedding feel free to holla!
Connect with Samantha on Facebook: Samantha Kendi
Instagram: @SamanthaKendi
Twitter: @SamanthaKendi
E mail samanthakendi@gmail.com
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