Jambo Kenya

We booked our holiday in Kenya well in advance to take advantage of the "book early" discounts. After we booked our holiday in Kenya, the country's political climate changed because of the post-election period, when the two political leaders, Kibaki and Odinga, both proclaimed they had won the election, causing political instability with clashes between ethnic groups that appeared to be at peace. Before leaving we were very worried about the political situation and very undecided about whether to go or not; in the end we decided to leave! For tourists there were in fact no problems, but when you're out there you never know.

I thought it better to die in Africa among the lions than in Ferrara among the c.........! A few months earlier two friends of ours had already been to Kenya and spoke very highly of their guide Jammy from Malindi, whom we too contacted already from Italy, a truly very serious young man who organised our excursions, and it's for him that I decided to write on this site, hoping that many others who, like us, go to those parts will rely on him for their excursions. You have to consider one thing: if you go to such a poor country, you shouldn't just make the hotel establishments and tour operators earn, but you can help the local people by giving them work and relying on them, always with care — not all of them are good and serious, quite a few lads take drugs, to keep from feeling hunger or because they want to be like us, so their heads don't work well and they aren't reliable.

Jammy, on the other hand, is punctual as a Swiss clock even though he is African and their schedules are usually longer, thoughtful, and in his own small way he has a big heart; he only wants you to have unforgettable days, and so it is! I don't intend to write everything I did or saw in Kenya, it wouldn't be useful to anyone, but I can say that when we arrived every fear and anxiety we had before leaving went away, making room for the warmth of the people, of the savannah, of Africa; you have to experience it, so go to Kenya, it's a unique experience.

We saw so much sadness and fear in people because, due to the political problems, there were few tourists, and we tourists are their bread; without us it's as if you went to the supermarket and found it all empty — how would you feel if the day before everything was normal? Our village was the Aquarius, which is beautiful; normally it holds over 300 people, we were barely about twenty, and even so they never let us lack for anything; in fact in the evening the shows still went on, and often there were more people coming to perform the show than us tourists, incredible, isn't it? Now things have almost returned to normal, even if the tour operators who decide the travel market — I hope they go back to betting on Kenya as before the election; remember, it's they who decide where people should go on holiday, and when it comes to poor countries like Kenya, whose main resource is tourism, the

lives of millions of people are at stake: the tourist eats, and so they eat; restaurants, markets, fishermen, farmers, cattle breeders, etc... the tourist drinks, and so those who produce rum, tea, coffee, fruit juices, etc... also live. the tourist buys local crafts such as: wood, necklaces, bracelets, clothes, bags, shoes, sun creams, etc... the tourist moves around and gives a wage to guides, taxis, transport, police, guards and escorts, etc... and so on for hundreds of thousands of people. Go to Kenya, contact Jammy and let me know!

This is his e-mail: JAMMYSAFARI@YAHOO.COM

This is his website: