I am a hopeless romantic at heart, no, not the kind you read of in poems that stop to smell the roses and fall in love with the sunset, mine is more of road trips with a strong black king at the wheel, my legs on the dashboard without a care in the world if we have enough fuel, or if the tyres are at their optimal air pressure of 35. That’s my kind of romance, the kind of being taken care of. Because at the end of the day, even as I chase my professional dreams and rehearse my presentation for the next board meeting, I am still a little girl who craves protection, the strong, consistent, broad shouldered manly kind.

You see how some plants refuse to give up and actually grow through concrete pavements, that’s the same analogy I apply to my life these past few months. Through utterly heartbreaking and emotionally draining circumstances, I now find myself with more free weekends on my hands. I could have chosen to sit through these weekends adding another 10kgs over and above what Covid downtime already gifted me, but I choose to follow my heart and live life each day to the fullest, because we only live once but once is enough if you do it right. I am so lucky to do this with my soulmate, a gem of a man who makes all the love clichés come to life for me. But I digress, I would love to share a neat romantic spot I discovered on my journey to grow through the concrete;

Ol donyo Orok camp in Namanga is a hidden camping ground off the Namanga highway. It’s actually situated 23kms just before you get to Namanga. A secluded site that comes with tented accommodation, hot water and a pool that is open 24hours. The staff are few and very friendly, by the time we left, I knew all by name and actually looking forward to seeing them again. Everything about this place speaks of a personal touch. You can tell the owner has put his heart into this and he says so because he takes the time to catch up with each individual guest. He is also one of the chefs and will talk you into trying his amazing deserts each and every time. One of my favoutire features in our room, herein referred to as the love boat, was that our 4 poster bed had been fitted with fairy lights which I found exceptionally sweet. I have been to hotels with amazing lighting and deco, and these fairy lights remain my favorite. Not to downplay the charm in these rooms, with a bathroom that literally brings the outdoors in and makes taking a bath feel like an outdoor experience and floors that make you forget you are actually in a tent. The real show stopper is this old ‘combi’ van that the charming owner has converted into a fully functional bar by the poolside, very quaint and definitely unforgettable.

When we stayed there we were one of the 3 couples on the grounds and we had so much time to ourselves to walk through the camping site, even hire a bike and have the ever patient Mr. K teach clumsy me how to ride to the amusement of the little boys in the neighboring community. The area around the campsite is surrounded by winding roads that hiking and cycling enthusiasts can take advantage of and the camp also organizes for day trips to the mountain ‘ol donyo orok’ which if I remember correctly is loosely translated to mean ‘the black mountain’. If you want a place where you can be still, listen to your soul, get lost in the eyes of the one who makes your heart skip a beat, binge on each other until you can literally hear each other’s thoughts, then jump in the car, put your legs on the dashboard or drive if it’s your turn to do so, and head straight to Namanga. 23kms to the town, take a right turn and follow the rugged little dirt road and you will be well on your way to one of the most romantic escapades ever.

On the way back, I was calm, loved, hopeful, a little stronger and ready for another few months of pushing through the concrete. But don’t listen to me, I am just a hopeless romantic who has refused to give up on her daydreams, go see for yourself! Oh’ the places you will go.

“I will see you when the sky is a little bluer, the day a bit brighter and your soul a little lighter” – N.K.