The Sunday News
Rumbidzai Mbewe
IT had been sometime since I went out with friends to enjoy some braai or tshisa nyama and ice-cold drinks while chatting the day away.
Last Saturday with some friends we decided to go out to a place that was far from the hustles and bustles of the city and the perfect place that could come to our minds was Umguza Nature Reserve.
At Umguza Nature Reserve you are guaranteed that you will not bump into some of the people that you see all the time and are beginning to annoy you and there will be no gatecrashers. We had planned for this trip the whole week and as usual everyone had something that she had to prepare.
We bought meat on Friday and the Marinator as we call her went with the meat to her place so that it could be marinated in the morning. As we do other errands the spices will be blending with the meat which will give it the rich texture and the juicy delicious taste. My saliva was already oozing because I knew how delicious the meat would taste.
On Saturday morning we just did a few touch-ups as most of the things were done the previous day. Excitement was already creeping up on us. One of the girls was already in the mood and was dancing to the music from the car. As always she is the one who keeps the party going, without her we would feel so out of place because she is more like salt in every meal.
On our way to Umguza Nature Park, as girls, talking about anything and everything was the order of the day. Funny enough when I look back I wonder how we even got to understand each other because everyone was saying something at the same time at the top of our voices because of the loud music in the car.
When we got there we were asked to pay $3 each at the gate because we had come with our own food and drinks. We did as they asked and proceeded to find a nice spot for us to view the water even if it is not that much compared to the time when the river is full. For those who have never been to the place, it is more like a nature park. The place is surrounded by tall trees and there are some weeds too at the river bank.
It is an ideal place that you can do family gatherings such as picnics or just braaing while enjoying the view of the water. It is also ideal for those who are in love because the place is not crowded and if you love doing public displays of affection you can go ahead and do those because half the time there will be a few people. For those who want to come with their children there are swings and lots of things that they can do.
Back to the girls, usually we braai our own meat but this time we decided to give the braai master a rest and gave the people working at Umguza our meat. The guys there are very friendly and easy to relate with. While we waited for the meat, we chilled by the lawn seated on the available garden chairs. One thing that I personally think that they should work on was the sound system that they were using. The music could be heard but not like at other places that we have been to and the music selection as well was not that good. Let’s hope whoever was in charge will work on changing that because people need to listen to good music while they wait for their food. If you are a lover of nature you can relax at one of the gazebos and listen to the sound of the water and birds.
Our food was served nicely on a tray, meat, some salads and sadza. The sadza was well cooked and at that time the cooler box was taken from the car as we wanted to wash down the meat and the sadza. Bringing your own drinks is an option, if you do not mind you can buy from the place as there is a bar with everything that you can think of. After eating we moved from the lawn and went back to the car because we wanted to play our music.
After downing a few glasses we decided against horse riding which we had initially agreed that we would do. Next time this will be the first things we do while we wait for our food to be ready. Available at Umguza besides horse riding is canoeing and this can be done when there is enough water. Fishing is also done there; imagine leaving the place with some fish. But all of this is done after paying a fee.
As it was getting dark, we started packing our stuff getting ready to leave the place. We had enjoyed ourselves at the nature reserves. The atmosphere at the place is very refreshing as you get to enjoy yourself while you admire the nature around you. We would definitely go back for another day out with the girls. Who knows? Maybe next time we will invite our partners. The more the merrier!!
@rumbie_mbewe
