Mamma Mia, What an Africa...!!!!

Watamu, Kenya: A DESTINATION NOT TO BE MISSED! The name of this little village means gentle people! Ask a Beach Boy and that's the answer you'll get!

My boyfriend and I set off on 5/12/07 from Rome Fiumicino, arriving in Mombasa. Two hours in a minibus await us before reaching Watamu; the impact with the roads is a bit rough for anyone in Africa for the first time. ARRIVAL: a little procession of children is waiting for us in front of the Aquarius (our hotel), asking for sweets and clothes; they are fantastic, to say the least, but if you've brought something from Italy it would be better to save it for those who really need it, also because the children outside the resorts don't go to school, they beg for clothes or food which they then resell... ask the Beach Boys about this too...

THE AQUARIUS is beautiful and also huge, the rooms are comfortable and clean, the staff are very friendly except for the Italian entertainers who, when we arrive, put on a campaign to convince you to buy the various excursions, badmouthing the Beach Boys and calling them unreliable and dangerous. COMPLETELY FALSE! Unfortunately the first impression of these lads is definitely negative, because they are ALL very pushy, but as soon as you buy an excursion with one of them the others will go hunting for NEW MOZZARELLAS, as they call us! As soon as we leave the hotel we meet DIDA and SALIM, whom we had already contacted from Italy thanks to a friend's advice.

Dida is 23, married with a 3-month-old baby girl named Francesca; Salim doesn't know how old he is because he's an orphan. They are two reliable, very friendly and extremely helpful lads. They are always accompanied by other friends: Bob, Batteria and Giovedì. Before getting down to business they take us to see the low tide that forms in front of the hotel beach, where we could see huge starfish, moray eels and a pufferfish. Without asking for a single euro!

We buy from them the 2-day green safari + blue safari + Malindi package for 200 euros (if you're 6 people it goes down to 190-180, you just have to haggle!), while the hotel offers the same package for 270 euros, non-negotiable!

DEPARTURE FOR TSAVO EAST: wake-up at 5:00 am, breakfast, Salim accompanies us, an excellent guide with the eyes of a hawk! A couple of hours' drive awaits us on a road full of potholes! As soon as we enter the park we spot gazelles, both land and water antelopes, ostriches (the whole family), a fox, hippos, giraffes, zebras and buffalo. At lunchtime they take us to the hotel inside the park — the Aquarius takes you to sleep outside it! The Elephant Lodge is enchanting, full of birds in a thousand shimmering colours; the tents are cosy, spacious and clean — close the zips immediately or the insects take over the tent!

3:00 pm departure for the MASAI village; they ask 5 to 10 euros to enter but it's worth it, they are all very welcoming and friendly. Salim translates every question for the tribe chief, who welcomes us into his hut made of cow dung (it doesn't smell and it's cool!), and they too waste no time in wanting to sell necklaces, bracelets... All back on the minibus and off in search of the lion. We only manage to see 2 lionesses with cubs — beautiful. After numerous elephants, more zebras and giraffes, dik-diks, guinea fowl, baboons and a cobra.

2nd DAY: wake-up at 5:00, rich breakfast and animal-spotting; we see very close up a crocodile that has just had a ferocious fight. Back towards Watamu, along the way we stop in the various villages where we see the real Africa, the one with hungry children; here we leave clothes, notebooks and pens; seeing them smile and thank you is the most rewarding thing of the whole trip.

3rd DAY: rest, sea and sun in the morning; in the afternoon Dida and his friends take us to Blue Bay beach to feed the monkeys — mind you, when an African says a place is close, they walk everywhere! POLE POLE! They are beautiful, numerous and curious, too funny! Afterwards they take us back into the village through a town, Dabasso, where many Beach Boys live — here too there's the real Africa! We also pass briefly through Timboni and then Dida hosts us at his home, where he introduces us to his wife and little girl. Beautiful!

4th DAY, SARDINIA 2 (BLUE SAFARI): departure 8:30 from Blue Bay beach. Tony Manero, Bob and Karisa (he's deaf and mute, adorable!) and others accompany us. Wonderful weather, we see the tropical fish and swim with them. We approach the coral reef where we are surrounded by dolphins performing beautiful leaps. Unforgettable! Suddenly we arrive — a paradise! The boat stops near this strip of sand that forms Sardinia 2; we swim, the guys prepare lunch based on: coconut rice with octopus, grilled lobster, prawns and king fish with potatoes, fruit to your heart's content and coffee! What a meal! Then a concert complete with drums made from plates and forks and drums made from buckets. Brilliant!

MALINDI: Salim takes us back, we arrive after 20 min. Visit to the wood factory, the processing part is interesting, the wood market never ends. The town is too chaotic; Salim advises us not to get off, it's too dangerous. We all listen to him!

We stayed in Watamu until 23/12/07 and leaving was a flood of tears on our part and on theirs! We advise against going to Kenya close to Christmas: the hotel was almost empty and we couldn't do other excursions like the mangroves and the golden beach because we didn't make up the required number to set off. The week from 5/12 to 12/12 was already more crowded with tourists. It was an unforgettable experience where we left our hearts, and which now makes us understand what Africa blues is.

We were always accompanied by these lads, even just to go to Mama Lucy's to buy water. They were excellent guides, able to explain every little thing and above all able to provide excellent company — something that tour operators like Eden, Valtour, Condor... can only dream of. The centre of Watamu is also lovely, where you can see the bar, the cinema, the various cobblers and little shops. Please say hello to everyone, they care a lot — from the children to the elderly! Timboni is another village where we again find the real Africa, where Tommaso lives, father of three children, a widower and a beach boy. Here we brought numerous pens, notebooks, clothes and soaps. Seeing children thrilled to receive a pen makes you realise how lucky we are and how we should complain less.

IMPORTANT! I want you to know that all the Beach Boys work for travel agencies, which in turn provide the same insurance that covers the Aquarius and any other resort. Their job is to bring as many people as possible to their agency, which gives them a percentage for each person who buys an excursion.

We met all the Beach Boys, and we know perfectly well who you can trust without running risks. For more information, this is my address fedesoli@gmail.com, contact me for anything, I'll be happy to help. For convenience I'll also leave you the phone number and email address of Salim, Dida and Calamaro:

e-mail: salimomarabubakar@yahoo.com

cell: +254 736 722513

e-mail: dida.momo@yahoo.com

cell. +254 733212817

CALAMARO cell. +254****4174

TOMMASO cell +254****1976