In Kenya by chance

Watamu

11/11/05 …Malpensa airport and we, almost by chance, are leaving for Kenya!! It seems strange to us, also because, until less than three weeks ago we were thinking of a completely different trip in another part of the globe….. Just like that..… Hurricane Wilma has decided that, for this year too, my thirst for Mexico will have to remain unquenched….. oh well, I've always said I'd like to go on a safari, right? Disappointment and excitement are my states of mind: disappointment because I'd been dreaming of Mexico for years, excitement because this time the discovery of the country will be total: I've never been to Africa.

I'm very sorry not to have time to research as I'd like … I spent the last months creating my Guide to Mexico along the Maya trail ……… Will I come down with Africa sickness or will my love for Latin America win once again over this land so battered, poor, sick, but so loved by many? The questions are many…. I research as much as I can with the help of the many TpC members who are always available and I let myself be invaded by vaccination anxiety. Malarone? Lariam? Yellow Fever vaccine? The more I read, the more confused I get…. In the end we opt for Malarone. We don't get the Yellow Fever vaccination. It's not required in Kenya and anyway we'd be too late….. did I do the right thing? The doubt torments me for a long time….

My boyfriend, Stefano, on the other hand, doesn't think about it…… thank goodness he's not like me, the catalog specifies that yellow fever isn't required so he doesn't worry about it. We land in Mombasa after about 11 hours of flight (we had a stopover in Rome) and a stunning Kenyan sunrise welcomes us! The first sensation I'll always remember about Kenya is the warm, humid and heavy air that envelops you as soon as you set foot outside the plane! I'd heard about it… but I wasn't ready for such an intense sensation of …. Almost apnea … going from the plane's air conditioning to the humidity was like diving into a pool of warm water. We fill out the visa form and already we realize we're no longer in Brianza….. the queue is quite long…. But the Kenyans….

seraphic, do everything calmly… we'll have to get used to it!!! Once the visa forms are done, a good couple of hours in a minibus on a dirt road awaits us… We leave behind the outskirts of Mombasa and the poverty I see leaves me puzzled…. It's my first time in Africa and I don't know if and how much I'll like it…….. The Agave plantations are immense and, here and there, we also start to see the first baobabs. The village we've chosen doesn't enthuse me either, but probably, as often happens to me, it's the tiredness, we traveled at night and I'm a bit out of it. After the shower, indeed, the world becomes my friend again…….. I start to realize I'm in Africa (about time)….

We set off to explore… outside the village this land awaits us, absolutely new to us!!! Unfortunately the first impact isn't the best!!! As at the airport we were overwhelmed by the humid air… here we're overwhelmed by the famous Beach Boys (so that's what it means to be mobbed!!!). They offer us excursions and various trinkets and we struggle to reach the beach… naturally under their attentive escort…….. The beach dazzles me!! The whiteness of the sand and also its consistency are like talcum powder….. the sea shimmering from green to blue, and the tide starting to make its effects felt….. Impossible to take a walk…… the Beach boys are at our heels and soon I can't stand them anymore.

They all speak perfect Italian and try in every way to reel you in for the following days!!! We weren't prepared for this welcome, so we prefer to retreat into the magic circle of the village… by now the sun is setting and after a dip in the pool we go to dinner and then, finally, to sleep… But will it always be like this with the Beach Boys? …… I recognize the names of those mentioned on the TpC website… but I don't get to know them better. There are too many and too insistent. The next day, after breakfast we head to the beach….. here comes yet another assault….. unfortunately (and I'm a bit sorry) we've already booked all the excursions….. we don't know Africa and we haven't had much time to research so no do-it-yourself….. we relied on an agency…… Arriving at the beach …… we discover it's low tide…. And the sea has retreated really far….

It's the first time I witness such an impressive phenomenon…. At least 200 meters!! We head towards the sea barefoot and shortly after we realize it wasn't a good idea…. But our guardian angels (oh yes, the beach boys follow us like shadows), lend us their flip-flops…. Just to use one of their terms "they have Timberlands instead of feet"!! This morning, I finally manage to establish a connection with these guys….. they accompany us along the reef and take us to see the starfish of a friend of theirs who collects them to show tourists, all the way to Lovers' Beach …… guys what a walk…. The sun starts to cook us …… In short, this morning they were really useful. They know the area perfectly and…. they're also very likable!!! And then how strange….. I've completely forgotten my initial anxiety about diseases and mosquitoes…… The next day passes quietly between dips and sun and walks.

At sunset we head again towards Lovers' Beach, this time from the beach, accompanied by Alì, a beach boy, silent and calm, who accompanies you like a shadow without ever being intrusive. It's low tide and the landscape around us is tinged with the warm tones of orange while the sun reflects in the small pools of water left among the sand. Around there is silence, or rather the calm that sunsets and sunrises at the sea provide, interrupted only by the laugh of some child playing carefree on the beach. I remain enchanted by this play of lights and sounds and, to this day, it's one of the images of Kenya that I hold in my heart. The sun sets early and we fully enjoy the big sofa on the veranda of our room. The village is definitely very nice, though divided into two sections, and in the evening very evocative with the colored light of every veranda.

The humid heat exhausts us and, after dinner, we struggle to keep our eyes open …… counting the many geckos that in the evening populate the walls of the village …. we make it to our room …. Maybe we also have a good deal of stress to work off? Tomorrow we go to Sardegna 2.

Sardinia 2

We reach Malindi and board this little boat with a conspicuous "Barilla" logo (yes, the pasta one)….., I'm a bit surprised to find all this Italy in the middle of Africa, but, as I'll discover later, there's also a branch of the "Rinascente" department store from Milan (a stall on the beach), not to mention the 3x2 offers. After a little dive that allows us to see an now dead and grayish coral reef, together with some fish attracted by the habit of throwing bread from the boats…… we head to Sardegna 2. Sardegna 2 is: the sea. Beautiful, turquoise, the warm and inviting water induces you to take a swim. Here and there we spot starfish (this time free)…. And I discover that when they move they aren't slow as I thought. It's low tide and around us small white atolls emerge while in the distance we see the beach in front of our village.

The sensation is very strange … we're in the middle of the sea …. Behind us the beach and in front of us the immensity of the sea …. And the water reaches our ankles!! A Kenyan takes a puffer fish, which puffs up, to show it to us curious tourists, another instead shows us a turtle that he assures us will be his evening meal, even though its capture is prohibited. Anna and I, a bubbling girl from Veneto, decide to buy the turtle to return it to the sea, we only have euro coins with us because we hadn't expected expenses…. We manage to gather about €12. But he wants paper money And we resign ourselves to seeing that poor beast in the pan. But then, after a while, he releases it and comes back to ask us for the money. We get the doubt that his was nothing but a little trick to swindle some tender-hearted tourist…..

so he gets nothing at all! We wander around, swim, the sun beats down relentlessly.. meanwhile our companions start cooking our lunch on an old barbecue that magically appeared from the roof of the boat. The menu includes barracuda, shrimp, lobster and coconut rice with octopus soup …. With some relief… finally some shade ……. we return to our little boat which has been equipped with a table and we taste everything that was prepared … especially the Barracuda ….. Meanwhile the tide rises and starts to lap at the legs of our barbecue…. It's time to go… We cross various fishermen with their little sailboats… some loaded with baskets…. And we stop at one of their villages. We're literally invaded by a swarm of children with fawn eyes and open smiles. Many of us will return to the boat lighter… someone leaves their cap, someone their flip-flops, a t-shirt…..

I don't love this kind of charity… it bothers me, the lightness with which we can afford to leave a pair of flip-flops, a t-shirt…. cleaning our conscience a bit, but on the other hand I can't exempt myself from making my donation…. my misgivings are swept away by the children's insistence and so…. The thing embarrasses me a little less …… in the end if they can be useful to them…. so be it…..

Watamu and relax

The next day we relax on the beach and wander around Watamu escorted by our ever-present guides…. They end up leading us into the so-called "ghetto" of Watamu…. Where their friends have set up a souvenir market for tourists …… A mix of strong smells invades us as we cross the alleys of the "center" of Watamu….. smell of decomposing waste accentuated by the humid heat, fried food from the women cooking outdoors, urine and sweat …… I hold my breath, annoyed because my European nostrils aren't used to such intense smells amplified by the humid heat …. But I'm not a freediver …. so in the end I give in….. Everyone wants to sell us something….. it's hard not to buy anything….. when we come out of this little maze of alleys (which we could have spared ourselves since these little stalls can be easily reached by taking a small road that branches off the paved road….

but we didn't know) I can breathe deeply …… I won't set foot there again, I tell myself …… In the evening we go to Malindi, to the Fermento discopub …… it's a typically European discopub with air conditioning blasting ……. Spry old men in the company of Kenyan sweethearts and Latin music and….. it has nothing to do with Kenya (were it not for the dark beauties passing through)… but the evening passes pleasantly. The next day Anna and the others will leave for the safari, we have two weeks and want to spread out the excursions a bit (if only we hadn't…. they saw lionesses hunting, cheetahs!! Ugh!!). The days at the village pass quietly between pool dips, walks along the beach, chats with the various beach boys and shopping attempts… yes because it's not easy to shop when everyone wants you to buy something from each one. ……..

But in the end, apart from a few trinkets and the order of two pairs of beaded flip-flops, we promise everyone we'll come back before our return to Italy. We discover, thanks to an occasional companion of ours, that in the small road beside Turtle Bay there are little monkeys and every now and then we go to visit them with some bananas (after 16:00 because before that it's too hot and they aren't around either). It's incredible the greed of the two dominant females …… they stuff themselves to the point of disbelief …. They even scare me a bit… they have such big nails!!! The entertainment is between poor and non-existent, but we don't care. In the village you chat and we meet Lucio, a gentleman in his seventies who has known and frequented Africa for many years. A former hunter, repentant about wild animals, he tells us many anecdotes about his Africa.

Exciting hunting trips, up to the encounter with the Kudu that made him reflect and abandon this absurd sport. Undeniably he has "Africa sickness". It's a pleasure to listen to him, Africa is his second homeland and he got to know it deeply when it wasn't yet a rather popular tourist destination…. His stories flow like films from many years ago… so much for entertainment!!!!

Safari

The trip to Robinson turns out to be a huge disappointment, were it not for the stretch of road through the forest where we meet many small villages and schools teeming with joyful children and the crab at lunch. We'd never tasted it and it's delicious…. But we could have easily eaten it at the à la carte restaurant of the village. The day is saved by the stop at the Galana River, outside Malindi. The sand, darker than that of Watamu, is full of golden flecks, behind us there are dunes of lighter sand and in front of us the sea…. Red!! Yes red, red like the water of the Galana itself. This river, in fact, comes from the savanna and carries with it the earth of the typical red color… thus "tinging" even the sea in front of it. The play of colors is truly fascinating…. It enchants me.

Thank goodness the day wasn't completely wasted!!! Tonight there will be a show by the so-called Jungle Boys ……. Absolutely worth it. The agility and strength of these guys fascinates the whole audience as they perform a series of evolutions worthy of the best circuses……. The perfect physique, on the other hand, fascinates quite a few young ladies!! The day of our safari arrives!!! I can't wait to leave….. Anna and the others' account was exciting. We enter Tsavo park and the first thing we see: The lionesses!! Super pumped I hope the morning continues just as well. Nothing could be further from the truth! I get depressed also because until Voi Lodge, apart from the stop to see the Hippos, we see nothing but a few gazelles and Dik Diks. Stefano however is a bit more hopeful and unlike me remains satisfied with Voi Lodge.

Beautiful, of course! but I was thinking of something much more spartan, with little monkeys around, instead it's a super-equipped village in every way, from the pool to the weight room …….. We'll sleep in a tent …… to hear the sounds of the savanna on waking. At 16:00 we finally set off for the afternoon Safari. Just outside Voi Lodge, we find the elephants!!! Very close and so many. What an emotion (and also a bit of fear.. given the proximity …. heaven forbid they get nervous!!!)!!! It's so strange to be surrounded by these animals in absolute freedom!! It feels like being on Quark. The savanna is stunning, no photo fully captures its vastness, the colors and the magic. Around us calm and silence reign, among the clouds a few rays of sun filter through that seem to connect the savanna and its animals directly to the sky.

We see many herds of elephants, buffalo (far away), a turtle and the mongooses. The zebras are very far away and so are the giraffes!! How sad!! I wanted to see the zebras and the cute little faces of the giraffes …… Well, tomorrow will be better. We return to Voi Lodge (here Autan is really needed! Especially in the bathroom) a few photos on the veranda overlooking the pond where the animals come to drink (only two water antelopes), bath, dinner and then off to bed ….. I'm very tired and tomorrow the second part of the safari awaits us….. So much for the sounds of the savanna!!! I sleep so deeply that not even a charge of elephants would wake me!! Stefano instead gets up while it's still dark to film the sunrise… Finally we also see the zebras and giraffes….. I can't help but think of the neurotic giraffe from a cartoon……..

Our guides have a trained eye and spot animals at great distance and even half-hidden by the vegetation! Here indeed sprouting among the tree fronds is the slender neck of a giraffe!!! The zebras even block our path and we stop to give them right of way. So we can admire them calmly and at a, all things considered, close distance. But by now we're on the way back ……. With a bit of sadness I think that this safari was too short …….. the animals and the immensity of the savanna truly deserve a longer stay……. All things considered I can be satisfied….. but sooner or later I'll do a safari in the great parks Amboseli, Masai Mara…… Kruger …..

who knows, all three maybe! I'll want to enjoy and savor them calmly! IMPORTANT: When you go on a Safari, or any other trip, always bring pens, cookies and whatever else, because there are always so many children and unlike those who live in the area of the tourist villages and always receive something, those you find around are much less fortunate and have greater needs. By now I've set aside a bit my prejudice about this form of "begging"…… the joy of the children is so evident that it breaks your heart not to be able to give more to everyone.

Watamu between dolphins and gospel masses

Not far from the Aquarius village is the Ocean Breeze beach. It's no different from the others, but it's free and there's no one there. We go there for half a day, the sun is scorching and we take refuge under some rocky overhangs… it's nice and who arrives…… the ever-present beach boys!!! We chat calmly and buy a batik with giraffes and Kilimanjaro on an orange background (I'll put it at the entrance of the house….. I can already see it!)..… Veronica is faster than me and snaps up the batik with "mother Africa", a woman with a baby tied on her back, it's really beautiful. In the evening, the full moon and the clear sky give us a magical moment. The wide horizon, and perhaps the latitude, really give the idea of being "under the vault" of the sky. The stars seem suspended by silver threads and, while the white sand reflects the moon, the crabs quickly slip into their holes as we pass.

Malindi is a rather chaotic city and doesn't fascinate me at all. We visit the wood factory and browse among the artisans who are carving the various pieces right before our eyes…. Nothing to say, they're really very good, with a few rudimentary tools they're able to create truly beautiful objects. The prices, however, are a bit higher than at the stalls. This excursion only lasts half a day….. but I'm quite happy to return to Watamu!! Someone tells me that it's possible to spot dolphins in the waters in front of Watamu….. this is right up my alley….. I adore dolphins and have dreamed for years of swimming with them!! We make an agreement with Kaka (another beach boy) and book a boat trip.

It doesn't take long to meet them!! As soon as the boat stops I dive in, they're right below me…… and they don't deign me a glance!!!! Contrasting emotions invade me: joy because I'm close to them, a bit of fear…. they're really big….. disappointment, they don't even look at me (but weren't dolphins curious animals?)….. amazement and amusement …… they're making love!!! That's why they didn't deign me a glance!!! They're very fast and I have to get back on the boat and dive back in several times to chase them!!! Stefano films with the video camera ….he doesn't much like deep seabeds. In the end I'm really tired but very satisfied …. Hearing their whistles underwater and having gotten so close to my dream was a wonderful experience. Sunday. I'd read that it's very nice to attend mass, so we go. My expectations are not in the least disappointed.

We go to the church not far from our village and are immediately welcomed with extreme kindness. The girls look like little dolls with their puffy pastel-colored dresses and their hair gathered in myriads of braids and cornrows, the boys, also in their Sunday best, struggle to stay still. The atmosphere is joyful and enlivened by numerous gospel songs. We stay about an hour then we leave…….. the mass is still far from over, on average, in fact, it lasts about 3 hours. Wandering through the alleys that I initially said I didn't want to frequent again, after a while you don't even notice the smells anymore, we visit the orphanage (or the school?). Here too songs and laughter, but I got the impression that this stop, in a way obligatory since you're there, was a bit staged for the use and consumption of the tourist and for the benefit of the adults.

Probably this judgment of mine was influenced by those who, knowing these areas better than me, had recommended us not to give pens, notebooks and clothes etc. to the teachers because the children get little and most of it is sold. Indeed, a certain "grab grab" I seemed to catch. I'm sure there are orphanages that need it more and would use them better. Between swims, excursions, chats and walks, fifteen days fly by quickly and the moment comes to return home. Kenya … I can't say I've visited it, I've only tasted a little piece of its white beaches, its blue sea and the red earth of the savanna … but it's truly a beautiful land ……. But it wouldn't be so without its people, at times annoying, insistent, invasive, a bit sly but often friendly, curious and chatty and, despite everything, with the desire to smile at the world. Jambo Jambo Kenya!!