Where Am I?
There are places in Kenya which could easily be mistaken for somewhere in the UK (and there are of course many that are so, so different!). A few weeks ago, I went up to Nyeri in the Central Highlands for the weekend, to stay with some orchestral friends there. The drive once away from the sprawl of Nairobi is beautiful, and it was during that time that I determined that my parents’ visit over Christmas should include a detour on our way back from Nakuru, to this beautifully green part of the country, inbetween the Aberdare Range and the slopes of Mount Kenya. The weekend itself was lovely, with music making on the Saturday with Pauline (viola), and Dzenisa (violin), and a tour of the area with Pauline and Peter. We wound up on the Sunday having lunch at the Aberdares Country Club. This is an old colonial house perched on the side of a hill, with views (I was told!) on a clear day to both sets of mountains. We sat out on the lawns just taking in the sweeping view, with splashes of colour from bourgainvillea and Cape Chestnut trees, and listening to the sounds of strutting peacocks, and other more melodious sounding birds. With the ‘old’ building perhaps and the colonial style, it was easy to mistake this for a house in Surrey or Sussex, the bourgainvillea being in place of rhododendrons or azalea. The giraffe wandering in the forest below us were however a bit of a giveaway regarding our true location! It really was very beautiful, and I'm looking forward to taking my parents there soon.
There are places in Kenya which could easily be mistaken for somewhere in the UK (and there are of course many that are so, so different!). A few weeks ago, I went up to Nyeri in the Central Highlands for the weekend, to stay with some orchestral friends there. The drive once away from the sprawl of Nairobi is beautiful, and it was during that time that I determined that my parents’ visit over Christmas should include a detour on our way back from Nakuru, to this beautifully green part of the country, inbetween the Aberdare Range and the slopes of Mount Kenya. The weekend itself was lovely, with music making on the Saturday with Pauline (viola), and Dzenisa (violin), and a tour of the area with Pauline and Peter. We wound up on the Sunday having lunch at the Aberdares Country Club. This is an old colonial house perched on the side of a hill, with views (I was told!) on a clear day to both sets of mountains. We sat out on the lawns just taking in the sweeping view, with splashes of colour from bourgainvillea and Cape Chestnut trees, and listening to the sounds of strutting peacocks, and other more melodious sounding birds. With the ‘old’ building perhaps and the colonial style, it was easy to mistake this for a house in Surrey or Sussex, the bourgainvillea being in place of rhododendrons or azalea. The giraffe wandering in the forest below us were however a bit of a giveaway regarding our true location! It really was very beautiful, and I'm looking forward to taking my parents there soon. 
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