This is my dear friend Arne Ranjit Sondhi.

Ranjit is a industry hotelier living in Mombasa and London with business in Kenya, Tanzania, Congo and England.

He is one of those people with a razor sharp mind unconstricted by tradition, culture and social environment. With a past as a crocodile catcher and being one of the few people who knows how to deliver ransom to Somali pirates without becoming a hostage yourself, he sure is one interesting character.

I had the pleasure to adventure around Kenya with Ranjit for the last month and this post is my celebration to him. As I said many times before, traveling sure is fantastic, but what makes the trips into something really special is the people you meet.

Fun fact: Have you ever been to Zanzibar? That is probably Ranjit’s fault. 23 years ago he started the tourism boom there. He launched the first tourist hotel in Zanzibar by flying out 100 kgs of live lobsters, renting owls, bush babys and eagles to London Zoo to tickle travel agents into buying the Zanzibar dream. It worked.

Our next adventure involves swimming with Killer Whales (Orcas) outside Norway. And when we have got the funding together, do a story in Congo about African Forest Elephants, Mountain Gorillas and Bonobo Apes. @NatGeo give us a helping hand here please.

Ps. Arne’s mom is from Norway and Ranjit’s father is from India if you wonder about the name =)

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http://reefhotelkenya.com/