I don’t know about you but the last place I want to be right now is the library. If I hear the words ‘exam’ and ‘revision’ one more time I am not responsible for my critical anthology ‘slipping’ out of my hands. Summer is almost here, and for me the thought of escaping this duck-ridden revision-hole to a sunnier climate is what is getting me through these next few weeks.
Now, when you think about where you want to go this summer why not try somewhere completely different? Visit somewhere that has some of the most beautiful beaches in the whole world, fabulous markets, lovely people and beer that costs less than seventy-pence? Think of Kenya. Kenya’s golden coastline is inundated with amazing hotels if you’re wondering where to stay. My time in Kenya was spent popping between Mombasa and its local villages down to the beautiful town of Kilifi. The White Sands Hotel and Bamburi beach in the outskirts of Mombasa are particularly fabulous, with excellent facilities and gorgeous views of the Indian Ocean. If you’re planning on staying nearer Mombasa, Nyali beach is worth a visit.
If you’re up for a bit more adventure whilst in Kenya you should make sure you get on safari. Tsavo National Park is viewed as a park of excellence and is the perfect place for spotting the ‘Big Five’. Opting for overnight safaris, you will stay in luxury tents within the park’s boundaries and be able to fall asleep to the sounds of bull frogs and other wildlife singing at your window. If you’re not too keen on a full on safari session, there’s always Haller Park, Mombasa’s largest animal sanctuary. The park boasts a variety of mammals, reptiles and insects and beautiful botanical gardens and, if it is timed correctly, you can help rangers with the feeding an array of animals.
If you did want to make your trip that little bit more memorable and give a little something back there are a vast amount of places you could visit and I would recommend a day trip to The Good Life Orphanage in Mtwapa, about half an hour outside of Mombasa. This family-run orphanage is perhaps one of the best-run orphanages in the area. Split into five houses, the orphanage caterers for orphaned and abandoned children aged from birth to 18. Each house has a house mother and an auntie and up to 10 children per house, creating a stable family unit in a safe and loving environment. The children love visitors and seeing new faces as they enjoy having new people to push them on the swings, play new games with or take on at football. And for you broody bunch, there’s the smallest babies who often need feeding and playing with and are so cute that you will be tempted to take them home with you.
If the Orphanage l
eaves you feeling like you want to do more in the community, every Sunday, just outside of Mtwapa, the Coca-Cola plant holds a feeding station run by a local Indian family that feeds up to 1,500 starving children, many of whom will have walked hours that day to be fed. This is not necessarily easy for those upset by scenes of poverty but it is truly an amazing experience.
So now you’ve read this, you have two choices; either you can go back to revision or whatever work you are expertly procrastinating to avoid, or you can decide that you want to get away this summer. If it’s the second option, I promise you that a flight into the southern hemisphere and some time spent in Kenya will not disappoint.