ELEMENTAITA, Dec 19 – Neatly tucked between a large but airy cluster of acacia trees, sits Pinklakeman’s Eco-lodge. There is nothing pink about it, but if you squint just a little bit from any point at the lodge, you will be able to see a sea of pink on the shores of Lake Elementaita – exquisite flamingos.

Though the water is fast depleting, the flamingos still stalk on the lake looking for a unique type of algae found in these waters.

Francis Macharia is the proprietor of this four cabin outfit – and growing.

“I tried to blend everything in with nature as much as possible,” he says. “I want to put up more cabins and sometime in the near future a tree-house as well.”

The plates our lunch was served on were crafted in Nairobi, out of mud, much in the same way they make those clay pots that stew finger-licking good githeri and kienyeji chicken.

The heavy duty plates have cups to match and are a perfect compliment to the fresh air, chirping of birds and nature surrounding you. If the wooden canopied benches are too open for you, you can have food delivered to your cabin.

The quaint wooden cabins each have large balconies that span the size of the cabins’ faces, with lounge chairs and a table. If you don’t feel like eating your ‘tailor-made’ food on the table, you are free to use the steps leading off the porch.

Each cabin has its own bathroom and loo but since the grounds also welcome campers at a basic cost of Sh500, there are communal outdoor bathrooms and toilets as well.

The cabins range from between Sh3,600 to Sh12,000 per night, and in return you get either a single, a double or a spacious two-roomed cabin complete with a lounge and kitchen.

Soaps and towels are provided and a dip in the hot springs is highly recommended. Since there is no swimming pool, this comes in as a spectacular better option. The springs are surrounded by hills, tiny rocks and patches of grass and is merely a 20-minute walk from the lodge.

“There is no other hot-spring in Kenya like this one,” Macharia says. “Most of them are too hot to lie in. But this is therapeutic. There are some little fish in the warm water that eat your dead skin…”

It is mind-boggling… I honestly cannot describe the feeling after soaking in the hot springs for at least 40 minutes. So do it yourself! After Kikopey take your second left and drive on until you get into a plain field. Follow the white stones to Pinklakeman’s Eco-lodge and have fun! The atmosphere of the place beckons you to let go of any excess baggage you may have. Peace.