"Summer" fun

If I were back in Canada I’d probably be noticing (with a touch of sadness) that the summer is nearly over. Here, there is little notable difference between the months - some months have rain and others don’t – and we are nearing the end of a long dry and windy season. I’ve just returned from my second break, which I guess could be considered my summer vacation.

I went to a “luxury tented camp” on a private ranch called Sangare between Mount Kenya and the Aberdares (a mountain range north of Nairobi). It was great to spend some time in an area that looks very different from where I’m living. The hillsides were lush and green covered with banana plants, mango trees and maize stalks. We arrived at the camp just after sunset, were greeted by all the staff, and then shown our spacious tent which had a shower, sink, and even a flush toilet. Each day we were given a delicious breakfast and lunch outside facing the small lake with a view of the passing birds and occasionally some bushbucks. Dinner was inside the main building in front of a stone fireplace, and when we returned to the tent the beds had been warmed for us by a hot water bottle.

Most of the time there was spent relaxing and reading. On our second night there we went on an evening game drive and saw dozens of Thompson’s gazelles, bushbucks, waterbucks, and a few zebras. The third day we went for a walk for a few hours in the morning. We didn’t manage to see much other than the waterbucks and Thompson’s gazelles which are a permanent fixture outside the gates of the ranch, but it was great to just get out and do a bit of outdoor activity. We probably covered about 16km of the ranch and passed through a variety of scenery: lush vegetated gullies, dry grasslands reminiscent of the prairies, a dark and cool river, rocky hillsides…. Unfortunately the view of Mount Kenya was obscured by heavy clouds.

After a few days in Sangare I headed a bit south to another campsite to spend two days whitewater kayaking. I hadn’t been on a river since about this time last year when I first tried whitewater kayaking so my skills were a little rusty to say the least. It was on the same river which goes past the town where I live, but the two ends of the river couldn’t be more different. Near Garissa the river is wide, slow and full of hippos and crocodiles – not exactly conducive to river sports or a leisurely swim.

After the kayaking, and using some muscles I hadn’t used in a very long time, my shoulders were so stiff that I had to go for an hour long massage when I returned to Nairobi. Not a bad way to end the break!