An Adventure in Africa

18 July

I hope you’re feeling energetic because today is going to be pretty mad.  We called Johnson, our taxi man, to ask him to drive us around so that we see all our friends in one day.  He picks us up, right on time and takes us to our first port of call, Sonneti School.  Our boy Japhet is a former pupil.  We’re very proud of him as he has successfully graduated and is now attending a national secondary school.

He texts us regularly and signs off with “your loving son Japhet”, ah.

Obviously, as he’s away sitting exams we won’t be able to see him but his brother Chai has come to see us instead.

Mangi and Sammy are showing us the church that has just been completed, it’s beautifully finished and I can see they have a new preacher – Agy. Wonders will never cease!

Dodie’s (Mohammed) dhows and favourable comments about the boardwalk and guides

Having caught up with Alex and the boys, we walk across to see Nuru while they give Johnson a tour of the boardwalk.

Alex

We’re really excited about this as we’re dying to see her little boy Elvis who was born last September.  Can’t wait for a hold of him.

He’s gorgeous.  A little overwhelmed at first and not used to our pale faces.  He probably thinks we’re ghosts. 

We discuss with Nuru plans for her education. She successfully passed her secondary school exams last year before getting married and becoming a mother.

She’s decided she’d like to follow a front-of-house and customer care course in Mombasa.  A bit of a mouthful but it sounds like a good option as this should enable her to find work in hotel receptions, shops or offices.  She and husband, Eyern, will go to Mombasa this evening to try to enrol.  We really hope this works out for Nuru as we’re quite worried that she and the family will remain stuck in the poverty trap.  Their house is so tiny and poor but there is much love there and Elvis is obviously cherished by the whole family and doted on by his grandmothers.

Yes, I suppose I’m his grandmother too (yeeks!) and he finally loses his shyness with us so I can hold him all the way back to the boardwalk.

Do you remember the eco-camp that was being built last year (see 6 September)?  Well, once again we have good news. The site has now moved a couple of clicks up the road and is being overseen by Fi and Jason, a lovely young couple from South Africa and Germany.

Fi, Jason and their little girl, with Sammy on the right

Saidi, Sammy and Hassan will run the camp, as they’re all experienced guides.  There will be a huge banda with viewing platform – great views of the Creek…

… together with three chalets in giriama (local tribe), swahili and Zanzibar styles.

There is also a secluded camping area.

Fi is working with the local community who supply them with milk, produce etc and it seems as though everyone’s a winner. It’s so inspiring and maybe one day, Agy and I will be able to do something along these lines (can’t believe I just said that) – they’re our role model.

Johnson’s very impressed too.  Sammy’s an old school friend of his and he’ll be happy to promote the area to visitors.

We’ve had the best day, so fulfilling and encouraging but the fun isn’t over yet.  Graham and Chris and their family, our ex-pat friends are collecting us to take us to dinner to their newly-built house.  It’s right by the seaside and really nice.  We have a marvellous time with lots of laughs. 

Wasp swatting – fun for all the family

Thanks for such a warm welcome and a lovely time.

 19 July

After yesterday’s activity we’re taking it steady, beach side.  Chatting to our beachboy friend Ali, who’s very, very excited as he will be getting married next week to an English girl called Julie.  After the wedding they hope to go to live in Newcastle.  I’m trying to imagine Ali speaking with a Geordie accent – we have quite a giggle.

As it’s our last evening (boo hoo) we are going to the Blue Turtle restaurant, courtesy of Turtle Bay.  It’s an honour they afford to all their repeater guests, amongst many other benefits (discounts, t-shirts, dhow excursions, even silver turtles after your sixth visit). Basically they spoil us rotten so it’s hardly surprising that such a large percentage of guests keep returning.

Take this for an example, Peter the waiter was a tapper (climbed coconut trees to extract the juice from the coconuts) in a previous life.  He’s just presented us with pina coladas in a real coconut, you have got to try one of these.

Now for dinner.  This is no exaggeration but it is one of the best meals we’ve had here or in fact anywhere.  We’ve chosen the charbonnade of prawns and beef.

Out of this world

To round off our evening we pop over the road to the Pole Pole bar for a drink with new honeymooner friends, Steve, Marie, Tom and Emma.  They’ve just returned from a two-day safari in Maasai Mara where they even saw a couple of rhino, awesome.

20 July

Sad, sad day. We have to say goodbye.  Caro and I go up to Silverstone school. 

Having said our “tutoanana badaais” (see you later NOT goodbye) we tuk tuk it back to Turtle Bay to meet up with Nuru.  She and Eyern went to Mombasa on Wednesday and she has successfully enrolled on the course.  We’re very happy to have this settled and hope and pray that this works out for them.

Got to tell you this.  Agy was on the phone to Miche earlier.  They’ve just returned from another safari in Tsavo East (grrrr).  This time, not only were they charged by elephants but while the boys were river fishing they managed to catch a crocodile – what do you think of that then!

On that happy note, we’ll leave you.  Make sure you have some days free in November by the way (that includes me) because we may be off on another “Adventure in Africa”.  Hope we can all make it.

Tutoanana baadai from us ...