The boys have gone fishing so after working on the blog I’m in need of a swim.
That’s better, think I’ll have a little lie down on the beach.Ooh, do you know what I fancy?A pina colada, I know it’s only 4.00 in the afternoon but I could just drink one.Oh, no coconut cream, never mind, Hamisi, surprise me with another of your wonderful cocktails.
Ah, Jill’s over there, I’ll go and see what she’s up to.We’re having a great time,we’re on the wine now and it’s bliss watching the fishing boats come in, trying to guess which one Phil and Agy are on and imagining what they’ve caught us for dinner.
Boy, we’ve been here for so long, they’re throwing us off the beach!I manage to stagger to the room and Agy comes in to say that they didn’t catch us anything decent but another boat skipper has taken pity on us and donated a dorado.Can’t wait for supper, ought to have a shower and sober up first.
6th September
Why have I got such a headache?Aah, white wine, I remember now.That dorado was delicious, hope they catch us some more on their Friday fishing trip.
Do you remember that we went to see Nuru a few weeks ago?We’ll go back to visit her today to see how she’s getting along.She still hasn’t had her baby.Here we are and she’s come to greet us. Boy, we’ve been here for so long, they’re throwing us off the beach!I manage to stagger to the room and Agy comes in to say that they didn’t catch us anything decent but another boat skipper has taken pity on us and donated a dorado.Can’t wait for supper, ought to have a shower and sober up first.
nuru and ians house
nuru and ians family with jayne and guide alex on left at mida
nurus immediate family
the new banda at mida creek,paradise
the new banda at mida creek,paradise
the new banda at mida creek,paradise
We’ve all been doing some research into possibilities for her future and we’re delighted to hear that her husband, Ian, made a trip to Mombasa to find out all about nursing courses.The courses offered at the hospital seem to be much more feasible and close to home.Really hope this will work out for them.Ian hasn’t been able to work recently due to an ear infection which is common amongst fishermen who dive – no work, no pay.A quick trip to the chemist provides him with antibiotics and eardrops.Just to give you an idea of how people struggle, the total cost of these pharmaceuticals is about 2.5 euros, very little to us but still beyond their means.Makes you think. Before going back we pop in to see how work is progressing on the eco camp, just adjacent to the board walk at Mida Creek.The boys are working very hard, the banda is almost complete and we’d like to spend a night there some time. Just a quick story from Agy. One of my workers called Mohammed or Dodi to his mates was telling me that it is very difficult to use the fishermes canoes for tourism as it costs him 200ksh per trip,all day or 1/2 an hour,but only 20 a day for using it for fishing.I asked him how much it would cost to buy his own and he told me between 5000-8000 ksh,I then had to ask a fellow guide to find out how much he had saved up and reluctantly told me 1500 ksh.How much for the tree?,1500 he replied,u buy the tree and I will pay for the work and you can pay me back next year I told him,he was ecstatic I can tell you,but we drew up an agreement and it would belong to me until he paid me back. After a few days he called me to say the tree was so big he could have 1 large canoe and 1 small canoe,cool or what.This is the first time a welsh shipping line has ever set up in Mida creek. In addition as there were now 2 canoes part of the agreement was that Ian,Nuru's husband could use the small canoe for fishing until he pays me back.I think this is developement at grassroots level and I hear he is doing ok.
guide alex,ian,the fundi,myself and dodi
ian and the fundi
ahoy captain dodi
myself and dodi
Time to say goodbye
This is probably the right but very sad time to bid you goodbye. Our time in Kenya is almost over.We hope to do one last safari before we leave and we’ll try to keep you updated with this when we get home.
Thanks so much for your company over the last few months, it would honestly not have been the same without you.Haven’t we had some adventures?As you can see, for us this has been the time of our lives, we’ve had the great fortune to be able to live our dream and every second of this is precious to us.We’ll never forget each experience from which we have learned so much.You’ve probably gathered that we love everything about Kenya (let’s keep the roads out of it this time), particularly the people.
Thanks to all the wonderful peeps whose company we have enjoyed along the way, whether it has been for a few minutes, days, weeks or months, you have really enriched our time here.Thanks most of all to the staff at TurtleBay.We feel you have become family to us and will miss you terribly.
Before I go, I seriously want to say to you that if ever you have the chance to live your dream, please, please do so.One of the main aims of this blog has been to say, if we can do it, why can’t you?Go for it and we’d love to hear how you get along.
