A beautifully smooth rock outcrop bowl and spring water were the deciding factors…Piers and Hilary Bastard knew that this was the perfect spot for them to build the 12-bedded tented camp, Sarara. The water is deliciously cool but not cold, and the infinity lip overlooks a series of waterholes below which draw warthogs, kudu and elephant.
I have just returned from two nights at Sarara at what is considered to be the most precarious moment of this ecosystem’s recent history; a drought of extreme length has all but brought the Samburu inhabitants, their livestock and the wildlife of the NFD (Northern Frontier District) to its knees. But there is always a silver lining and I have had the most extraordinary elephant experience of my life. Each evening, as the sun set, a group of multi-aged bulls came in to drink and chill in the security and the pleasure of these waterholes. Beautifully lit by some strategically placed floods, I watched them for hours as they drank and dozed and drank again. I am moved beyond words.
Sarara tented camp is the most successful community-owned camp located in the Mathews Range of Northern Kenya. Belonging to the Samburu of Namunyak, a vast wilderness which only recently became the Namunyak Wilderness Conservation Trust, it offers pristine cultural experiences with the local Samburu, marvelous walks and excursions in to the forests of the Mathews mountains. This area is only one of the local communities that forms part of the broader Northern Rangeland Trust, an umbrella conservation organization that intends to incorporate the local lands of tribal peoples from here to the northern Kenyan border. These areas comprise Kenya’s last intact ecosystem and, for that reason alone, they deserve our serious attention.
John Derian is a treasure. It's not that there aren't many with talent and vision because there are, the world over. But Derian has other attributes that make him so beloved. His eye is unerring, his sense of scale is perfect, he layers cultures and eras seamlessly in a room. And he is accessible in brick and mortar. His two shops on East Second Street have been haunts for years. One carries the decoupage he designs and constructs locally (and that make the best gifts ever) along with the coveted ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The second Dry Goods store next door showcases quirky antiques, an assortment of vintage furniture, stacks of heavy french linen, Moroccan rugs and soft cotton Indian clothing. Both are small, but intriguing and interesting enough to seduce you on a journey of the senses.
And now, Derian has opened on Christopher Street in a double-windowed storefront of a two-story 18th century house. It's like walking in to another world. Traditional Astier, and the later Derian/Astier collaborative pieces, line the walls from roof to floor of the front room. The back room, wallpapered in his new cabbage rose design and lit by beautiful Balthus-designed standing lamps with parchment shades, offers a living room in which to settle in, thumb through books and albums, and rest the soul.
So, go to shop, or simply go to travel in spirit to another place and time.
https://www.johnderian.com/pages/our-locations"
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