The Sunday News
Rumbidzai Mbewe, Sunday Life Correspondent
SCHOOLS are closed and the noise in the house is just unbearable and you wish you could take kids back to school or make them disappear. Oh well, let us avoid all the noise indoors and spend more time outdoors or even go camping for a week or two.
Lucky are those who are going for church camps or school camps because staying at home can be boring at times.
Today we are going camping at Garden of Eden which is about 20km away from Bulawayo close to the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport. The name already gets you excited and you start imagining the Garden of Eden from the Bible.
In January when we were told that we were going for a church camp there I was excited but got a little depressed when I discovered that the network that side could be a bit tricky so staying in touch with people at home was going to be hectic.
The day for camp finally arrived and we were meeting at the Large City Hall at 8am. The camp was for three days. Mum accompanied me to the meeting place because I was carrying a lot of bags and of course plenty of food that was going to sustain me till I came back. The City Hall car park was a busy place on that day, vendors were all over the place selling fruits, juice cards and some snacks. The camp was for girls only and knowing girls they would buy and even buy unnecessary things.
They were busy rushing to the nearest shop to buy food and drinks; you would swear they were going to a faraway place. It’s in our nature I guess!!
At 10am everyone had arrived and we were ready to leave. As the buses started moving, the excitement escalated and all that could be heard were church songs being chanted in the buses. Some couldn’t even settle down and wanted to stand in the bus and dance to the songs being sang. Upon arrival at the venue, we discovered that the place is secluded and it’s in a bushy area surrounded by trees.
The environment is refreshing because it’s different from the busy and noisy suburbs that some of us come from. The facilities there are ideal for those who want to do camping or just spend the day there. The rooms are quite big and they offer mattresses when it’s for a large group and some of the rooms are thatched.
Everyone settled down and we got ready for sports which we did later in the day. There is a big ground for sporting activities namely soccer, netball as well as athletics. As we went ahead with the sporting activities food was being prepared. There is a big thatched kitchen with fire places; there are no stoves there although they have electricity. The place does not offer any cooking utensils for you so those planning to camp there bring your own pots, cutlery and plates as you will be self-catering.
For those who love pictures there is a nice view at the place which is by the river side. The trees along the river side are very green as well as the grass. You can take chairs just to go and chill there while you watch the water flowing. The swimming pool is not functional at the moment but I think if that could be fixed then the place would look even much better. There is also a fire place outdoors for doing bonfires at night.
The three days went by so fast but we enjoyed our stay there. The place has a lot of open space for you to just relax or do team games during the day. It is ideal for those who just want to go out and braai during the day. Even though it’s in a secluded place, there is electricity. For network you will have to identify a few spots that pick up network and then you can make your calls.
@rumbie_mbewe
