Kenya, October 2008

The story

Kenya, our heart elsewhere

With only a few days left before our holiday and still undecided about where to go, we agreed, happy, to return to the country where we left a piece of our heart: Kenya. Through the internet we picked a last-minute offer and left 48 hours later. Unfortunately, at Fiumicino the first difficulties began with a delay of almost 3 hours on the flight to Mombasa. Anyway, setting that inconvenience aside... we arrive in Mombasa, the sun beats down, there is a light pleasant breeze and we immediately feel at ease, almost at home, speaking a few Swahili words we learned on our previous stay in Kenya in 2005. After more than 2 hours we reach Watamu and our hotel Aquarius, which unfortunately hosts 100% Italian clientele, something we personally would rather avoid on all our holidays.

Straight away we send a text to our now-friend Thomas, a young man from Watamu we contacted from Rome, who kept us company and accompanied us, work hours permitting, for the whole of our holiday. The standard hotel days were all a bit the same, by the pool (the hotel has 3), down at the beach with the very friendly beach boys, drinking something cold, but it was our outings that made this 2008 trip: the safari to Tsavo East was, as we were sure it would be, marvellous, exciting, dusty, full of feelings that fill your heart, above all when the night, spent in the tents of Ndololo Camp, gave us the closeness and the sounds of lions and elephants!!! And then the red earth of the road, animals everywhere, the hospitable people, a little cunning but fantastic, our Swahili that helped us on many occasions, the children whose eyes, a glossy ebony black, happily let themselves be photographed but

then ask for "water, water" and truly make your heart ache, the heat, the potholes in the road, and in the days that followed the Blue Safari departing from Malindi, a "classic" outing of its kind but one that, if done with the right people, friends and fun, turns into yet another pleasant, wonderful, therapeutic experience, especially for someone like me who suffers from seasickness but then realises it is all psychological, because there is nothing more beautiful and vital than living certain emotions, and it would truly be a huge shame to deny yourself all this out of stupid fears. And then the walks on foot, by day, outside the hotel, the "supermarkets", the little shops, the people along the road... what can I say: Kenya, our heart elsewhere.

For anyone wishing to contact Thomas: