Today is the 12th of July.For some reason this is important.Oh yes, it’s Agy’s birthday!It’s only 6 am and I woke him up to sing to him.Don’t think he appreciated the gesture.
So the birthday boy and I are hitting the road back to Nairobi.Farewell Sweetwaters.
As always in Kenya, the landscape changes from arid to lush within the space of a few km.We’re south of Nyeri town now and in to plantations of coffee, maize, bananas and sugar cane.
Back at Safari Park hotel, after a very good journey with blissfully smooth roads.The hotel has offered us a room upgrade, probably in honour of Agy’s now very advanced years
sweetwaters
coffee plantation
safari park hotel
safari park hotel,suite
I say, it’s rather nice.You could have a party in here.We also happen to be sleeping directly below the room occupied by Mr Nelson Mandela on his visit here last year, don’t you know.As I always say, what’s good enough for Nelson is certainly good enough for us.
As a special treat we are eating at the Nyoma Choma restaurant this evening.This is a barbecue restaurant offering all kinds of meat from crocodile to camel.George and his family join us and we have a wonderful time enjoying the African dancing.
george and family
safari park hotel dancers
It’s great to have our Kenyan friends with us, especially as Charlotte can explain a little of the dancing.One is by women wearing baskets on their heads to demonstrate that this is how they carry their loads (yes it’s always the women).Charlotte tells me that this is a tradition of Western Kenya, whereas in Central Kenya, where the Kikuyu originate, burdens are carried on women’s backs with a rope around their foreheads for support.To round off the evening the band sing happy birthday and they bring in the biggest cake for 6 people you’ve ever seen – more like 26.
13 July.
Where do you think we’re going today? No, not on safari but to the coast to see all our dear friends at Turtle bay.We’re flying with a new airline called Fly540.We arrive at the airport in plenty of time as for once the traffic is not so bad.We chat with the taxi driver about Nairobi life and he tells us that they’ve just imposed a smoking ban in public places.An embargo on flimsy plastic bags has also been recently introduced.I must say that we have noticed some improvements in Kenya over the last few years:the roads in certain areas, free primary school education and easier access to medicines are all factors towards gradual development.I’m just reading an article in the newspaper stating that in January 2008 the government intends to waive annual tuition fees in all 4,300 public secondary schools.Naturally, there are still many challenges to be faced, notably corruption and continuing poverty, but nevertheless, signs of hope are there.
Enough of politics, we’ve just landed at Malindi airport and are on the road to Turtle Bay.As we ride along in the bus, all the memories from last year come flooding back, it’s a wonderful, warm feeling.Driving through the main gates now at Turtle Bay Beach Club and we are really home.
turtle bay beach club,watamu
turtle bay beach club,watamu
pool at turtle bay beach club
weaver nest bar at tbbc
weaver nest bar at tbbc
water polo time at tbbc
My heart lurches as I see those beloved familiar faces.One of the first we see is Janet on reception who works so hard for the local children at SilverstoneAcademy.It’s no good, emotion gets the better of me and I arrive as I left last year, in tears – what an idiot.Ok, pull yourself together Jayney, the reception is full of people.
The minute we get to the room Agy starts to panic “it’s time for water polo – I can’t miss it” “Well go on then”. In the meantime I can enjoy a relaxing cool swim.The temperature here at the coast is perfect, 26 oC.
It’s getting near midnight and we’re having a great chat with some youngsters who are here from a military college in the UK.They’re so friendly and full of ambition, it’s refreshing to see that they have direction and have also been bitten by the Africa bug.George from fun base has just come over to see whether we would like to go mangrove planting in the morning at Mida Creek – what a question, of course we would.Come on Agy, no more Pina Coladas (isn’t that a girl’s drink?) or I’ll be planting you in the morning.
14 July
We all set off in the bus and take a right turn over the tracks in search of the mangrove.
agy and george at the creek
tsofa and agy at mida creek
tbbc guests planting mangroves
previously planted mangroves at mida creek
planting mangroves at mida creek
jayne cleaning barnacles with bare hands,naughty naughty
mida school kids at mangrove planting
turtle bay beach club,watamu
We eventually find the spot and walk over to find that the trees have already been planted by the local school children who have turned up in their numbers to do all the hard work.
It’s important to keep the planting going as the success rate is only 20%.Part of the reason for this is that they become covered in barnacles which suffocate them.So let’s try to free some of them.“Careful” says Agy “these barnacles are lethal, use a shell”.Oh, he’s such an old fusspot.Ah, I see what he means, my fingers are covered in blood, oops.
Moving along quickly and not a word of this to Agy - my Mr Right, middle name Always - look who’s over there.It’s Tsofa.Ah how great to see him.His wife, Mercy had a little boy a few weeks ago called Prince Imani.He’s supervising the work and doing a great job
We’ve also bumped into Arafa, our guide from the boardwalk, and Mohammed’s brother.If you remember, Agy organised for Mohammed to have two canoes built last year (see Blog 27).We’re really looking forward to catching up with them next week and finding out how they are getting along.Well, after all that “hard” work it’s back to TurtleBay for lunch and a nice snooze on the beach.
15 July
What are we up to today?To be honest, not a lot.I have a hair appointment with Margaret, TurtleBay’s hairdresser at 9.00 and then we saunter across to the rock pools at low tide.It’s very relaxing and nice just to peer into the ponds and watch the water life.
sea slug at turtle bay
turtle bay beach club from the beach
On the left, the hotel from the beach; On the right, a sea slug, yum yum
Back to TurtleBay for traditional Sunday lunch – curry, well it is in Kenya.They have recently introduced a naan bread oven and the bread is truly the best we’ve ever tasted.
We wander over to Pilipan for drinks in the afternoon to catch up with some friends from last year.It’s a very pleasant afternoon spent at the bar where we enjoyed our final evening last year watching the sunset over Mida Creek.
We’re gently strolling back to the hotel and Johnson, a local taxi driver, stops for a chat.After a couple of laughs we wander back and catch up with Janet.This is the first opportunity we have had to hand over the donations so many of you kindly raised for her.You need to know that she is genuinely moved to know that you care.Thank you so much.Tomorrow we will go to visit Silverstone with her – we can’t wait.
Meanwhile, we have a lovely surprise as our mate Mich is in town with her boys.
tippy
michelle, tom and james
She’s just given us a call to join them for a pizza upstairs.They’ve returned from safari in Tsavo East.Mich warned the boys that it would be unlikely that they would see much in the area they were staying so, typically, as soon as they arrived lion were crossing their path, followed by a male impala being stalked by a cheetah and to round it all off they were charged by an elephant.All in a day’s work eh Mich (are we jealous? you bet). This is unbelievable.In the short space of just over a year, the school has gone from 9 students and little more than a shack to 218 pupils and one, two, three, four, five classrooms, with another being built, a virtually equipped kitchen and office under construction.
the new cooker being made
silverstone academy classroom
new head's office
the new kitchen
little trevor
Another cause for satisfaction is that two of the Assets students have been employed by Silverstone, namely Oscar – now a French teacher and Furaha (meaning happiness), who is their secretary.She and her computer
