I think we should be too afraid to be afraid. Cause if we are afraid to lose a moment we are even more afraid of not trying and not knowing what the outcome would have been. Whether it’s going to work out or not I love to be at peace with having taken a shot at my chance rather than have regrets of what might have been.
So instead of going back to the city that night, I decide to find a place to continue living my fantasy. I realize how Naivasha has a lot of hotels and resorts. Some luxurious, some barely tended to. What I need at this moment is quite, simple and green but mostly affordable just for the night.
I finally find it. Oh at first I am shocked because I am not so sure whether there is actually any resort at this place. The entrance is a rough road, there are trees planted all over and some sign posts directing you to various places in the resort. The name is Camp Carnelley.
The place I make the first stop at, in the camp to make up my mind as to whether to stay or not is the restaurant. After spending my day in the car, boat and the Island, I am totally starving and can’t think straight. Watch it guys this is how I make up my mind. With lots of food and still I somehow manage to stay skinny. I order roasted chicken. The accompanying dish is salad and chips. There is Liverpool Vs Leicester game showing. Being a football freak I am glad I can at least catch that one game to end the day as I wait for my food over a glass of water and fresh juice.
Finally the food arrives, this is the moment of truth guys. This is where I make the big day decision. As good as it looks, it tastes even much more better. As if the chef knew that he had to woe me with that meal. So that’s it. My mind is made up. I am staying the night at Camp Carnelley.
After eating to my fill. I walk around to view the camp. Unexpectedly it turns out to be quite a beauty. It is situated next to lake naivasha and at night you can see the hippopotamus feeding. The camp has both camping site and Banda’s. I go for the Banda since I am not prepared for camping. Let’s start with I can’t even mount a tent neither do I have all the equipment needed for camping. So going for an already prepared bed seems like a pretty good idea which it is. I am shown to my room. I take my bag in and start to unpack. I grab a quick warm shower.
I head back to the restaurant for a drink to unwind my day. I meet a group of young, vibrant individuals all from different nationalities. They are still watching an ongoing football game. The restaurant is somehow fully occupied at this moment with couples and families making small talks and I am stuck trying to find a place to seat. One of them asks me to join them since they have an extra seating space. We start off with the usual, saying hi and getting to know each others name.
I have always enjoyed making friends with complete strangers from different countries. I find it intriguing learning new cultures and exchanging ideas. The fact that we are all into football creates a friendly base for a good conversation. We move from sports, to politics, to travel, to careers, to music, to education, to nature, to food. I mean there is so much you can always talk about when you find the right group to share ideas with and add on topics. So we decide to order a pizza to go with our drinks. Soft music is playing in the background. We stay up till late just enjoying being young and energetic.
We later decide we have had enough to drink and it’s time to retire to our beds. We all say goodnight and part ways. Oh my bed feels like feathers. So smooth, I drift into a peaceful sleep within minutes of listening to UB40.
Before you think I am exaggerating my morning let me paint a picture of waking up in Nairobi. Mornings in the city are the toughest for me. let’s start with the unfriendly alarm tones I have set that I have to keep snoozing so I can sleep for 5 more minutes. Followed by angry drivers hooting because they are blocked at the parking lot and they have to start driving to work before there is too much traffic. Neighbors shouting at their children to hurry so they are not left by their school buses. Rush hour is total madness I have witnessed in urban centres. Now compare and contrast. This is my morning at the camp. I wake up after an eight hour sleep. It’s so quite and I can actually hear birds chirping. No alarms, no people shouting, no cars hooting just birds chirping. It’s magical. I stay in bed for a bit to stretch and fully wake up. Did I get kidnapped and taken to a different planet?? NO! This is the kind of morning you get when you live far from civilization. At this point I am ready to be a cave woman haha.
I take a long hot shower. I am not rushing to work and there is no one waiting for me to run some errands. I am free as a bird. I dress up casually and head back to the restaurant for my breakfast. I order healthy breakfast and some pancakes with fresh juice. This a meal fit for an African Queen. There is fresh air. The restaurant is surrounded by trees. It actually is built with a woody touch to blend into the nature. The service is so good and within a short time I am already feasting on my breakfast.
I then head to the lake. The only sounds I can hear are from birds and a family of hippopotamus. There is a artificial harbour. Not so big just a small one for the boats. I walk on it. It’s creaking and shaking. I keep thinking what if it breaks and I fall into the water. But me being me, that doesn’t stop me. I stand at the end of it. It’s quite. It’s beautiful. It’s a pure form of escape. I stare blankly at the lake. What is it with being silly enough to fall in love with the water but be afraid of its depth. I can’t quite comprehend it but I have always found peace staring at the sea, ocean and lake. As if it’s made to sooth me. It almost is a tangible feeling but I can’t touch, I can only go through it with every motion.
I am happy I decided to stay cause I found my fantasy in reality. This is where I want to spend my whole day. Of course I will have to drag my feet later to the car and drive back to Nairobi. But the hardest part of it all will be dragging my heart from this lake and camp that has totally bewitched me and calls me in a charming voice to stay. This is the only monster I have to fight today. The monster of leaving this peaceful destination without breaking my heart into million pieces.
Travel With Tess 
Wow. This is nice
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Thanks so much swts
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