My Kenya

At Malindi you're only 25 km far from Jacaranda, you reach Watamu and continue for other 8 kms of which the final 6 are in the bush, then on dirt road. It's because of the difficulty to travel this road that this paradise on the coast has been left intact . And then 2 days and 1 night in the private reserve of Lualenyi, bordering on one side with the Tsavo west and on the other with Tanzania, large more or less as the Amboseli. We reach it after 5 hours of road, of which nearly 2 hours flown on a splendid red gravel track surrounded by villages and intact nature .

 

Kenya, generic infos.

After 15 days we are again on that road connecting Mombasa to Watamu and we will stop again in that beautiful shopping mall for, as Steven says politely, wash our hands. Same place, same companions but a thousand emotions, experiences, memories and friendships more within us. The Kenya is truly a beautiful country inhabited by simple people, poor but smiling. Very different from us, not only for the color of skin or stress that seems they did not know but for a way of thinking completely different from ours. Maybe this way of thinking has not done much to develop their country, and will not do much to then but certainly makes them live with permanent smile on the lips, without too many thoughts than to arrive at night with the stomach full. It is because in Kenya we live for the day without any planning for the future, without any invest in tomorrow. Because of this mentality the Kenyans are happy to build hotels, villages, shops and premises to foreigners, especially Italians in the area between Malindi and Watamu. Because they give jobs, they fail to understand that they collect only crumbs of possible tourism in their wonderful country, leaving the biggest slice to others. Difficult to understand this mentality if not with some examples. If 1 kilogram of tomatoes costs 1 euro 100 kg should cost less than 100 euros, not more because loading 100 kgs on a van is hard work! If I buy 1 meter of fabric per 1 euro and the time after I take the whole piece of 50 metres, I should spend less than 50 euros, not spend 55 euros now because they have to buy another piece for sale! If you're having a farmer that drops down from the campaign to go back to sell his basket of vegetables, which brings it with extreme elegance on the head, that's the market in Malindi and we'll offer to purchase all they do not you sell because, if not, we are going to do the market until they no longer have nothing to sell! Certainly these are strange facts but Kenyans are too gentle, friendly and hospitable for not to fall in love with them. But let's get back to Kenya. Surely the two major areas of tourist interest are the coast and savannah. The coastal area that I visited is between Malindi and Watamu, unchallenged reign of the Italians, since only at Malindi there are 5000 Italian residents who manage most of hotels and local authorities. Malindi is a town big enough and full of discos, clubs, hotels, villages and souvenir shops, it is very quiet, everything takes place pole to pole and there are no hazards to visit it, even at night. Its beaches are very beautiful but often full of algae, very frequent phenomenon in these parts. Watamu is only a small village of a dozen kms with some locals and a dozen hotels. Characteristic of this area of Africa are the tides with cycles of 6 hours. When they descend, creating with salt scenarios of absolute beauty, which are regulated by the moon. In the most propitious day you can reach the reef which is about 1 km from the beach and during this walk you can do incredible meetings, as starfishes of various types and colors, sea urchins, shells, shellfishes, octopusses, lobsters, ball fishes, soles and various fishes of the most absurd names, like cow fish. During low tide islets of white sand even form , the most famous is Sardegna2, where it is not difficult to forget that they are in Africa and expect to be on an atoll of Maldives. I must say that Kenya is the kingdom of colors from turquoise and blue of fantastic sea and the white sand to a completely red gravel road and then in green or yellow in the savannah more or less dry up to the orange of the fantastic sunsets. The possibility of making photographic Safaris are many, there are numerous reserves and parks, among the most famous Tsavo, Amboseli (at the foot of Kilimanjaro) and the Masai Mara. Being in the infinite bush surrounded by animals in their natural habitats is a beautiful emotion, zebras, antelopes, gazelles and kongoni hundreds, elephants, giraffes, ostriches and warthogs but the maximum is located in front, a few metres from the jeep, a pair of lions that after having eaten a kongoni decide to make love! I do not want to be too indiscreet, but it is a unique opportunity and we film the scene. Then we return to our tent camp, Lualenyi, where now we admire the dark sky full of stars fascinating by the vision of the milky way. A memory that will remain imprinted in my mind only, like all the others who were also printed in numerous film.

Safari in Lualenyi Reserve

Two days and one night in the private reserve of Lualenyi, bordering on one side with the Tsavo at west and on the other with Tanzania, large more or less as the Amboseli. We reach it after 5 hours of road, of which nearly 2 hours flown on a splendid track of red gravel surrounded by villages and intact nature. We decide to do here our safari because in a private reserve we can follow with our jeep any route to find the animals closest as possible, while in the parks tracks can not be absolutely left. Other privileges are to be able to remain in the bush after sunset, be the only visitors (less jammers = more animals), have a jeep instead of a bus, lunch in the bush and best of all you can climb on the Lion Rock, a promontory from where we dominate to 360 ° the savannah and which has inspired by the film "The Lion King" of Walt Disney. Now animals are the only to miss! We come to camp at 11.30 setting us down. We are going to lunch where Gianni, the Italian owner of course, explains the program, then rest and departure at 16.30. Of course, because up to that hour there's not even the shadow of animals, it's too hot. We leave with confidence and armed with cameras and emotions occur in a few minutes when we see tens of giraffes, zebras, antelopes, warthogs, gazelles, ostriches, kongonies, we've been loaded by a herd of elephants pledged to defend their puppies and then suddenly under a tree we meet 2 lions, male and female. Mr. Cambi, our tracer has the eyes of a lynx and see the animals to hundreds of meters giving indications to the driver of the jeep. After admiring the beautiful sunset we return to the field where we drink around the fire admiring the milky way and commenting our emotions. Dinner is abundant and excellent and we quickly go to read in the tent, not seriously that because there is a bath, shower and two beds! Alarm at 5.30, breakfast and again in the bush, where we rejoin all the emotions of the previous day enriched by new ones. We see lions having as lunch an antilope and then, after a bit of pampering, coupling twice. Climbing with the jeep on Lion Rock we overlook the savannah to 360 °, we have a puncture then and descend to change the wheel surrounded by zebras and antelopes, we have lunch in the bush as if it was a picnic in the park (such amazing) and at return to the camp we are forced to flee again loaded by elephants. The return to the coast is pleasant and we spend time to admire the landscape, nature, villages and columns of people with buckets in the heads that are shuttling between water wells and their huts, always constantly greeted by children that shout us "Jambo".

Jacaranda Beach Resort

An oasis of flowering bouganvilles surrounded by vegetation, this is our resort. Beautiful, facing the sea, 57 rooms, a garden full of bouganvilles and 2 baobabs, swimming pool, restaurant and bar directly on the beach and with makuti roof. The kitchen is fabulous, mostly based on fish caught right in front of us, octopuses, crabs, sometimes lobsters and then tunas and gilts from the fish market of Malindi. The staff puts us almost in embarrassment for his kindness, to which we are certainly not used in Italy and other places of vacation. To Kitty and Gilbert you do not even spend time to ask the bed that you have already prepared with a mattress and beach towel. If the salt tide rises to you they will move your accomodation, if the wind gets they bring you up the pool, if you say that you have thirst they come with a coconut and chopped straw enough. Asante sana Kitty! At the restaurant, Harrison, Ali and Willy are tenders with great kindness and cook, when ready, because everything is prepared at the time, they play the drum to call us and say Chakula Cema! Max is head animator and when we note that it is "the only" animator he does not lose smile and doesn't stop ever to please our days telling us of his Kenya. The village belongs to two Italians, Carmine and Oreste, we tell their story, their idea of moving there about 1 year ago also helps us to know and understand the Kenya and Kenyans. Carmine brought us with him to fish, fruit and vegetables market to Malindi: the shopping experience was beautiful. All people in the village knows us and calls us by name, aided by the fact that we are only twenty, October is low season, Abari gani? Mzuri sana, na wewe? mzuri sana, karibu. What a fun trying to learn swahili, their language, as all are committed to teach few words if you show interest. I also learned many words, but as they say their Hakuna matata. The sea is just fabulous, incredible colors, drawn from different depths and directly opposite the Jacaranda at low tide to check 50 meters from the shore a small island of white sand where it is a fun swimming and sunbathing. At about 1 km there's Sardegna2, another very famous islet and unknown destination of tourists in Malindi, which can only dream this wonders in front of their villages. The beaches are often "dirt" from algae, but our stretch of coast should be particularly protected by the coral reef because in two weeks only in a couple of occasions, after a little sore time, we were able to see them for a short time. But because the staff of Jacaranda has readily cleaned sand. At about 1 km on the left there is the famous and beautiful as unbearable villa Briatore, while right there are some Italian houses, including Vecchioni's one where he composed his latest album "Rotary club of Malindi." On the beach there are too many beachboys, so it is pleasant to walk in the company of children, that here in Kenya are numerous and everywhere. Still Mbolochignoni eh? Other event to Jacaranda is the Kenya-Italy beach volleyball match and what laughs when we say WE WILL DO YOU BLACKS. Well, they call us Mzungo! The rooms are nice and spacious, all with veranda and wooden bed with mosquito net, almost useless in this period because of mosquitoes (when seen) are very few. The evening will offer performances of Acrobats, Gospel choirs, Dances of Masai or Giriama, the main tribes of the coast, and then continuing to the locations of Malindi and Watamu. Our favorite is the LENAS, a sort of disco/pub frequented almost entirely by locals and really nice. We come there 3 times also because it is not a prohibitive expense, the entrance is free and a beer or a Smirnoff Ice (Vodka and lemon) costs 75 shillings, that is 80 euro cents. We do different excursions during our stay, including visiting the ruins of Gede, a mysterious old city, the Marine Park including lobster based lunch, Malindi visit to the wood factory and much shopping, 2 days of Safari, visit of Watamu and a turn in Bush just outside the village to know our "neighbors", their huts, their habits and to distribute to children a few games, clothes and school supplies that we brought with us from Italy. I learned another word Mpenzi, namely the Treasury.