Kenya’s beauty enchants Welsh couple

Since the Smalls set foot in Kenya in 1988, they have visited every year and have made many friends all over the country.  Lydia Limbe caught up with them during their 25th visit and brings us their interesting experiences

It all started in 1988 when Margaret Smalls planned to organise a special trip for her husband Lewis Smalls as a token of appreciation for supporting her during a difficult time.

“I had suffered a terrible illness and was incapacitated in many ways. Lewis stepped up, took up the role of mother and father, and also never missed a day of work. I was so moved and grateful for his unwavering support, I thought I should do something special for him,’ says Margaret, nostalgically.

Several adventures

I walked into the Kiwoni World-Wide office, a renowned travel agent in Britain. I looked through the brochures and Kenya struck out. That’s how I started planning our trip to Kenya,” she adds.

They did not only pick Kenya because it stood out, but they had also watched some programmes about the country and were intrigued. During their first visit, the couple stayed at one of the Serena lodges in Amboseli.

“We stayed in several other lodges, as Kiwoni was handling our itinerary. But Serena stood out for us. The staff were respectful, always ready to help and very hospitable. We immediately fell in love with the place,” says a smiling Margaret.

Margaret further remembers that after spending about three weeks in Kenya, they went to Seychelles where they stayed for ten days. Back home in Wales, as they reminisced on their trip, Kenya stood out.

“I knew I would come back to Kenya the moment I set foot at the airport. Even as we were back home in Wales, our experience in Kenya stood out,” she adds.

The Smalls have been coming to Kenya every year since then, and this year was their 25th visit.

“Immediately we went back home, we started planning our trip back to Kenya. And then we kept coming back every year,” says Lewis.

Initially, it was the flora and fauna that attracted the Smalls to Kenya, but over the years, they developed such strong relationships with the staff in Kenya, that they kept coming back to see their friends.

“We love going for game drives. Kenya is beautiful, but over the years, we made friends and started coming back to see them,” says Lewis.

The Welsh couple have experienced Kenya outside of their usual itinerary and have had several adventures, which they fondly remember.

“One time, we flew to Kisumu and took a bus to Kericho to attend a friend’s wedding. On our way back, we discovered there was no transportation to take us back to Kisumu in time for our flight to Nairobi,” says Lewis, laughing.

“We took a Peugeot (Wepesi) where we sat in the boot. The driver was driving at a horrific speed. I sat and tightly shut my eyes. We finally got to Nakuru where we were changed into a Mercedes,” adds Margaret, also laughing at the memory of the adventure.

 They have also had their fair share of hair-raising experiences of Nairobi.

“We once took a matatu just to have a feel of Kenya’s public transport. A police officer stopped us and asked the driver to get out. An argument ensued and before we knew it, the matatu driver quickly got back in the van and sped off. The police officer stopped another matatu and gave chase. Our driver took us to the back streets of Nairobi and jumped off, leaving us to fend for ourselves. We got off the matatu and tried to figure our way back to the city centre,” says Lewis, both laughing hysterically.

During their 25-year visits to Kenya, the couple has been around during four elections, including the last General Election. In fact, they arrived the day chaos erupted in the country.

“We thought there was something wrong when the cab driver came to pick us up in an unmarked cab and drove us on a different route. Nobody told us anything till we got to the hotel,” says Lewis.

Cycling challenge

Their room overlooked the Uhuru Gardens where they witnessed the exchange between police and civilians, but they were never once sceptical about Kenya’s safety.

“We could see police officers on horses, armed, people milling around, sometimes running away from the teargas thrown at them. We grieved for the lives lost, but never at any point were we scared or felt any danger. Kenya is our home,” says Margaret.

So deep is their love for Kenya that Margaret, at the age of 70, took part in a cycling initiative last year to raise funds to fight ovarian and breast cancer. She was an inspiration to many of the young women who participated in the 400km challenge. She raised £10,600 (about Sh1.4 million) out of the total £52,000 (about Sh7 million) that her team collected.

50th anniversary

“I saw a poster at my gym about the cycling challenge in Kenya. I went to my doctor to ask his medical advice about my participating in this event. He said I was both fit and mad enough,’ Margaret says, smiling.

With that, Margaret set about  to train for the challenge, while Lewis busied himself raising funds on her behalf. Margaret proudly shows her certificate and medal that she was given, having completed the 400km challenge that started from Meru and ended in Kisumu.

The couple has shared their lovely experiences with their friends and relatives, majority having taken the time to visit Kenya as a result.

Having stayed at one group of hotels for 25 years, they know majority of the staff.

“Today morning, Margaret introduced me to one of the staff members, Mathew. I had seen him, even exchanged information electronically, but had not known him in person until now,” exclaims Victoria Nyamunga, the hotel group’s public relations manager.

2013 also marks the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary and as of writing this piece, they are already planning to come back to Kenya in November.