A shot of tranquillity at Shalom

A Hebrew word generally understood to mean peace, Shalom also stands for a lot of other states of being. Completeness, health, rest, tranquillity and harmony, among others, as Ferdinand Mwongela experienced when he set foot at Shalom Gardens.

Ever debated over where to go for that family outing? A picnic, camping or maybe a quiet weekend at a guesthouse?

Whenever I am faced with the desire to go out with friends for a day of fun, Naivasha always comes to mind.

Undoubtedly, the chaps on the Nairobi–Naivasha–Nakuru Road have us sized up. Quaint nyama choma joints, beautiful camping sites, throw in all the lakes on this stretch and you are good to go.

Thus when a friend hinted at a good camping and picnic site in Ngong, I was eager to check it out. I found myself going towards Ngong, snaking past Karen towards Shalom Hills Picnic Gardens and Guesthouse. If you think life ends at Nakumatt Junction or Karen like I did, you need to get out more.

Set overlooking Ngong hills, Shalom Hills Picnic Gardens stands on a hill towering above the neighbouring homesteads and farms. My first thought was to get atop the viewpoint, built strategically in the middle of the ground luring you to go up for an aerial view of the surrounding lands.

I was a man at peace surveying his fiefdom, well not exactly, but right then I felt on top of the world, and I was. The viewpoint stands tall over the surrounding area, giving the impression and a sense of being some sort of a sentry, ever watchful and unwavering.

As we headed to the guesthouse for lunch, it felt like an entirely different world. While the rolling Ngong Hills were partially visible from the picnic sites, the guesthouse sits overlooking them in all their green glory.

The guesthouse offers beautiful views of the hills, which begin not far from it and after a short climb you become part of the hills, leaving behind the rest of the world. I have always associated Ngong Hills with a certain sense of history. Not far from Nairobi yet far enough to feel removed from the hustle that goes with the high human and vehicular traffic that keeps the city humming day and night.

Even in the unforgiving heat of March, it was cool and green with effects of the scotching sun just starting to show on the ground, turning the grass a pale green.

We sat in the garden for lunch, sitting inside would have been an unforgivable crime. One of those things that everyone just knows.

From the garden, the image of the guesthouse framed by the hills made me wish I had a place like this, a place to call home away from all the noise but, well, everyone is allowed to day dream occasionally.

Back to Shalom’s gardens with a full stomach to boot, I was in no hurry, taking time to admire the carefully manicured lawns. To the credit of the management, this was not what I had expected. A picnic garden, the name does injustice to this place, with an elaborate conference room it, comes across more as a resort.

Still enthralled by the view at the top of the viewpoint, this almost became my most favourite pastime looking over the Upper Matasia area on one side and the hills on the other end.

About halfway up the viewpoint are a couple of garden umbrellas and chairs but farther down the slope were bandas that gave the right relaxation point for sitting and watching life go by.

Ample grounds

The cool breeze was also quite distracting, but remembering the heat in Nairobi early in the year had me milking every bit I could of this light wind before I headed literally down to Nairobi which stands at an altitude of 1,680 metres compared to an altitude of about 2,460 metres at Shalom Gardens.

It is in moments like these that you envy people who own homes in such places and only come to work in the big city before running away at dusk.

Set on an expansive eight acres with the guesthouse occupying seven acres, the management plans to build a swimming pool to cater for the various family and corporate needs.

The guest house is quite intent on staff training cum team building combining the conference facilities and the ample grounds for games and frolicking. On this particular visit, I however, was not looking for a swimming pool. Not that I am afraid of water bodies larger than a bath tub, which sometimes I am, but on this particular visit, it was more of just taking it easy and slow.

Tranquility

Interestingly, surrounding the guest house are people’s homes. Not the teeny-weeny pieces of backyards city dwellers call a plot, but homes in large compounds most complete with a couple of fruit trees. From the number of buildings coming up along the road from Ngong’ shopping centre, it was evident that people were not only moving towards the south of the city but that some were moving up the hills probably in search of tranquillity.

One thing to note though about this land of peace is that it is an alcohol free environment. A measure taken in order to create an enabling environment for families to get away and have some ‘unintoxicated’ fun. Right from the entrance, a notice warns you of this, not that I had a problem with it. Not on this day at least.

And while lying on the grass gazing up the skies and with a water fountain gurgling not far away, I was at peace as I knew Nairobi was beckoning in a couple of hours.

It was almost like a singsong at the back of my head warning me not to get comfortable. And when eventually I chose to heed to that niggling voice reminding me of noisy Nairobi, I almost muttered "I’ll be back."