Holidays in Kenya

Myself, top photo, front row, centre

It’s amazing to think now that it was over 30 years ago when I went to Kenya for a couple of weeks along with a few mates. Well, there were a few hundred of us to be exact. I was a member of 11 platoon, 2 Company, 1^st battalion Irish Guards and we were attached to the 2^nd battalion Scots Guards for an exercise in Kenya.

It was a memorable time for me, I along with Andy 'Acko' my mate from Belfast had just been promoted to L/cpl after finishing a grueling Cadre Course in the heat of the Kenyan sun not just that, I lost 4 stone in weight after getting dysentery from bad water at a place in the Rift valley called Mpala Farm, I also got impaled on some sort of bush with massive spines on but that aside I had a great time.

One of the highlights of the trip was our week R&R at Lake Naivasha, Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, lying north west of Nairobi, during the week I and a couple of other lads caught the bus from Naivasha to Nairobi to visit the other lads who had opted for a week there. Niarobi in 1981 was a strange and wonderful place and the site of watching naked limbo dancers in the Sunflower Disco will live with me forever! As will my visit to the public loo in the market place, cor! Wot a pong!

They say travel broadens the mind and my visit to Kenya did that, the Maasai Mara nature reserve was like paradise with all sorts of creatures wandering about and us wandering about with them although holding a SLR 7.62 Rifle does tend to offer some comfort. I thought then as I do now, I have never seen such beautiful, open wilderness.

What has brought all this misty eyed nostalgia on? Face Book, that’s what. My friend put up some photographs of us in a rough camp we made whilst erecting boundary posts on the nature reserve. All say Ah!

If you don't fancy sleeping with the Lions in Kenya then take a look at Saint Martin Villas.

Blog By robbie@myluxuryvillas.com
http://www.myluxuryvillas.com