In November of every year, the Kenya Horticultural Society (Lower Eastern Chapter) has their end of year event.  As usual, all our events are held at the home of a fellow member.  We believe in learning from one another, and the best way to do so is to visit each other’s homes.  This time, the venue was the home of a lovely couple, deep in eastern Kenya, boarding the Tsavo East National Park.

My neighbor had mentioned to me that she hated driving, and I told her we would take the trip in my car.  I would do the driving and she would do the snack management.  The event was on a Saturday, but we set off the day before.  I had a driving companion, so I could have driven across Africa if needed.  I love road trips, especially in my car which is old, rugged, has a manual gear shift and is always up for a rugged terrain challenge! We were ready!

We set off and took the scenic route, through the home of two other members before we got to Kitui town.  If you are in Kenya, I urge you to take a moment, get yourself to Kitui town, and get onto the Kitui-Kibwezi road.  It is one of the most scenic and beautiful drives I have ever done.  The hills roll by, covered in boulders and trees, and where it has not rained much, the red soil is exposed, giving the terrain an almost Martian red color. We passed a smattering of donkeys, and at some point, had to slow down for a newt ambling along at a slow pace as it crossed the road.  I guess the tarmac was hot and the guy had no reason to rush!

I knew we were getting close to the venue as we entered Boabab tree country.  Allegedly, during the times of trade with the Omani Arabs at the cost, my tribesmen were used as porters.  They would walk the roughly five hundred kilometers from the coast to Eastern Kenya, and along the way, they would snack on Baobab seeds.  We call them “mabuyu”.  The seed is coated in a sandy brown powdery coating, with almost the texture of candy floss, and it is pure sugar.  Add water to this and you get excellent juice.  Suck the seeds as they are and it is instant energy.  So, as the story goes, the traders would drop the seeds along the way and this accounts for the Baobab trees scattered along this road all the way to the coast.  I guess as the porters walked from the coast into the hinterland, at some point, either the seeds ran out or the weather did not favor the Baobab tree, because at some point, as you get into the hinterland, the Baobab trees run out.

Anyway, we were now in Baobab country! Huge beautiful trees with diameters of up to three meters, standing over this land for centuries, watching as the white man built the railway line and got terrorized by the man-eater lions of Tsavo National Park.  They are a testament to history – if only they could speak!

We spent the night at an Airbnb in Kibwezi, and the following day we were off to the event venue – a short thirty-minute drive.  We initially got lost, but that’s the fun of road trips!  We found our way.

The couple had set out a part of their over two-hundred-acre land for us to have the event, and later, for those wishing to do so, set up camp and spend the night.  Now, this is where I part company with nature.  I am all for bonding with nature, but sleep for me has to be in a bed with sheets and if possible, a mosquito net.  I was not part of the campsite crew.

However, I stayed long enough to watch as the tents came up that evening.  The hosts had set up two massive bonfires at opposite corners of the camp, and they had outdoor showers and composting toilets.  This was the most brilliant idea ever which I shall copy without reservation! Composting toilets manage smells exceptionally well, and as the name suggests, you are creating instant manure as the toilets are utilized.  It’s brilliant in its simplicity and effectiveness.

Back to the tents!  There were little tents and big tents.  Tents with two “bedrooms” and a living room and tents with entryway awnings.  There was a tent shaped like an Igloo and there were little tents, cozy even for two people!  I was in awe.  These are serious campers who take their gear seriously.  I was completely out of my depth here, so all I could do was gawk and take photos.  I remember this one member whose car is a complete camping marvel.  There is a bedroom on the roof, kitchen out the back and a covered awning that serves as a shower.

It will take time for me to get to this point, and I might never get there.  But to see the different interpretations of camping was for me worth every second spent watching the tents come up.

The following day, as we got ready to depart, my friend called me requesting that we pass by her place for some chicken soup.  “Pass by” is a strong word as this would be a further ninety minutes’ drive, but hey! What are friends for?  So off we went.  We dropped in on her neighbor who has an amazing set up with beautiful gardens full of palm trees, a budding dairy farm set up and up to two thousand avocado trees. After a quick tour of this farm, we went for our chicken soup.  Soup aside, my friend has an impressive poultry set up and she has over fifty bee hives that she painted pink! Those were the first pink hives I had ever seen! I was blown away!

After two days of driving around eastern Kenya, we were back home.  I have a new snack mate for long drives.  She was amazing company.  We talked about our children, relationships, construction and plants.  That was a weekend well spent!