Malindi - Vasco de Gama did say it was a great holiday destination. He's right...
We elected to rent a van and drive to the coast of Kenya. Road trips are not unheard of in the Mahon family by any means so the 10 hour drive was less daunting for us than many locals I mentioned my plans to. And so at 6am December 24th we loaded the Toyota Noah Van complete with gifts and fake Christmas tree and hit the road.
Calling it a road is a generous and unnecessarily flattering statement for the Government of Kenya. Though this "road" takes us to the main seaport of Mombasa, it is barely maintained. Potholes in many cases MUST be avoided or the resulting outcome will see you stranded on the side on the road missing wheels and associated previously attached car stuff from down under. Some potholes would be a meter deep and wide. Avoiding these tank traps is the main cause of accidents on the road. We saw 6 or 7 major accidents mostly head-on collisions from this activity. The other danger is the cars that are passing and coming toward you. Corners - hills - oncoming traffic, it doesn't matter to most of the drivers as they try to "make time" on this corridor of crackheads. I was forced off the road on a numerous occasions which fortunately is relatively flat on either side.
As we traveled east, the temperature quickly rose from the relative cool Nairobi mid-20's to a hot dessert-like 30 something. The savanna sped by on either side with Zebra grazing, Thompson Gazelles looking nervously about and giraffes contently enjoying the fresh green bits from the tops of trees along side. The windows wide, the music as loud as we can get it and the sweet flowery smells of Africa filling each breath as we contently chase the black ribbon before us.
The Savannah gave way to red red earth with banana and coconut trees exchanging places with the scrub brush we had seen for hours. We elected to take a short cut off the main "road" which admittedly is a bit of a gamble as a short cut can mean winning the pot or just wasting your money and time. We fortunately won big on the gamble after meeting up with a wonderful Australian family in their Land Cruiser. They loaded us up with detailed instructions on how to "cut through the villages". Thanks to them and the excellent navigational skills of Jake (this time anyway :), we enjoyed a drive through traditional coastal tribe lands of Kilifi region resplendent in rich colors and leafy green more reminiscent of a jungle than dessert. Simple life in every direction - Kenyans waving enthusiastically as we passed. The children even more excited to just be running, jumping, laughing and breathing deeply the simple African life.
At last on the coast we made our way to the beach side hotel that would be our home for the next 5 days. I might also mention the security along the way. We fortunately were waved through most of the checkpoints but given we were into Al Shabab territory close to the Somali border and at Christmas time it was a slightly worrisome journey for me. The Christian celebration is not exactly topping the list of fun Al Shabab things to do. We were a bit shocked to learn of the violence 50 kms north of us on the coast over the coming days. It seems so at odds with the peaceful joyful people we came in contact with each day.
At the one checkpoint our luck ran out and we were detained. 10 minutes into the bullshit you don't have a .......fill in the blank, so a fine of 100 USD is unavoidable....the Grinch had me away from the kids around the front of the car. I pointed out it was Christmas eve with my family.......He stopped his spiel, smiled and wished us all a very Merry Christmas. It wasn't Whoville and he wasn't the Grinch after all. :)
On the first night we went to the beach late in the evening.....and as the moon rose majestically on the horizon somewhere over Indonesia, we swam in the bathwater warm Indian Ocean. It wasn't long before we were well into a wicked body surfing session that saw us catching 50 and 75 meter carries up onto the beach. It was a wonderful moment for me. We were all laughing jumping and looking around us in amazement at this wonderful place in the moonlight and gentle warm breeze.
The hotel was wonderful and within hours we had met many of the staff and started a friendly relationship. This would be the theme over the next days as we enjoyed the place, food and particularly the people at Angel Bay Resort. Best..at this all inclusive, was the fruit. We all agreed that the pineapple was remarkable as were the passion fruit and mangoes. A close second for me was the fresh seafood served freshly grilled shish-kabob style. One afternoon turned into a game of keep away in the massive pool with an extended Kenyan family from Mombasa. There's no language or cultural barriers to this game...it's just fun.
I'm not sure what was going on in this shot but I took the photo and was really pleased to capture the dark sky, and a conversation that had to have been secretive and mysterious... perhaps plotting the overthrow of the Catholic church or some such nefarious activity. Or maybe just making lunch plans.... hard to say. On the left is the 500 year old Vasco De Gama pillar which he had erected on his return from the first all sea voyage to India. This voyage changed everything allowing Portugal to reap massive economic benefits from the spice trade.
150 kms south in Mombasa is Fort Jesus also built by the Portuguese to support the burgeoning trade with India. Also...as stated previously, an nice place for a holiday. A little grog, sunshine and rest....can be just what the doctor ordered for an exhausted world explorer.
On the right, Jake and Steve stand guard taking seriously their responsibility for safeguarding the ancient city of Gede. What they are seemingly unaware of is that the 13th century city was abandoned in the 17th century for reasons unknown. "Discovered" in 1948 it is now a creepy jungle-tangled litter of crumbling structures strewn across a Walmart Mega sized area.
On the Left, Jake and Stevie pose for a "Sears Catalog - like" moment in the ruins. Monkeys and massive millipedes now the only inhabitants, the ruins will not be around for long in this unspoiled natural state. It was a really cool experience to trudge all by ourselves through the ruins feeling like the original discoverers....
The coast is kms upon kms of hard packed sand with the odd mangrove "spoiling" the perfection by reaching all the way down to the sea. On the land side, great dunes of white sand constantly shifting beneath the mercilessly hot sun. It never cools down night or day; reaching close to 40 during the day and dropping to 30 at night.Yup - it's hot! Gotta love a cold Tusker (local brew) on these days.
We rented motorcycles for the day and rode 50 kms of beach stopping now and again to enjoy a dip and more of that fantastic body surfing action. As we raced along the beach with the hot sun and wind on our faces it was hard not to smile at the overwhelming sense
of pleasure and well being. Motorcycles, the kids, the sun...what's not to like. Jake broke his...of course and thanks to Stevie and I we towed him back.......though thought of making him push it for trying to wheelie "dukes of Hazard style" over small rivers. Boys...........
Christmas day is a special day on the beach in Malindi as all the village people come to walk and enjoy the social activity. Many families dressed the same with outfits all cut and made from a single bolt of material bought with the savings from a mango here and a pineapple there..... Their best clothes and smiles on this special day.
Now that the kids are adults, we visited a night-club in Malindi. We ran out of steam around midnight though the party was just getting started. It was still great fun to be a part of the night scene on a warm night with cold Tuskers flowing and conversation with locals and fellow vacationers easy and interesting.
A cool and different Christmas on the Indian Ocean with Jake and Stevie...thanks to you guys for joining me.
Thanks for reading - Layno
At the one checkpoint our luck ran out and we were detained. 10 minutes into the bullshit you don't have a .......fill in the blank, so a fine of 100 USD is unavoidable....the Grinch had me away from the kids around the front of the car. I pointed out it was Christmas eve with my family.......He stopped his spiel, smiled and wished us all a very Merry Christmas. It wasn't Whoville and he wasn't the Grinch after all. :)
On the first night we went to the beach late in the evening.....and as the moon rose majestically on the horizon somewhere over Indonesia, we swam in the bathwater warm Indian Ocean. It wasn't long before we were well into a wicked body surfing session that saw us catching 50 and 75 meter carries up onto the beach. It was a wonderful moment for me. We were all laughing jumping and looking around us in amazement at this wonderful place in the moonlight and gentle warm breeze.
The hotel was wonderful and within hours we had met many of the staff and started a friendly relationship. This would be the theme over the next days as we enjoyed the place, food and particularly the people at Angel Bay Resort. Best..at this all inclusive, was the fruit. We all agreed that the pineapple was remarkable as were the passion fruit and mangoes. A close second for me was the fresh seafood served freshly grilled shish-kabob style. One afternoon turned into a game of keep away in the massive pool with an extended Kenyan family from Mombasa. There's no language or cultural barriers to this game...it's just fun.
Vasco De Gamma on the East Coast of Africa
I'm not sure what was going on in this shot but I took the photo and was really pleased to capture the dark sky, and a conversation that had to have been secretive and mysterious... perhaps plotting the overthrow of the Catholic church or some such nefarious activity. Or maybe just making lunch plans.... hard to say. On the left is the 500 year old Vasco De Gama pillar which he had erected on his return from the first all sea voyage to India. This voyage changed everything allowing Portugal to reap massive economic benefits from the spice trade.150 kms south in Mombasa is Fort Jesus also built by the Portuguese to support the burgeoning trade with India. Also...as stated previously, an nice place for a holiday. A little grog, sunshine and rest....can be just what the doctor ordered for an exhausted world explorer.
On the right, Jake and Steve stand guard taking seriously their responsibility for safeguarding the ancient city of Gede. What they are seemingly unaware of is that the 13th century city was abandoned in the 17th century for reasons unknown. "Discovered" in 1948 it is now a creepy jungle-tangled litter of crumbling structures strewn across a Walmart Mega sized area.On the Left, Jake and Stevie pose for a "Sears Catalog - like" moment in the ruins. Monkeys and massive millipedes now the only inhabitants, the ruins will not be around for long in this unspoiled natural state. It was a really cool experience to trudge all by ourselves through the ruins feeling like the original discoverers....
The coast is kms upon kms of hard packed sand with the odd mangrove "spoiling" the perfection by reaching all the way down to the sea. On the land side, great dunes of white sand constantly shifting beneath the mercilessly hot sun. It never cools down night or day; reaching close to 40 during the day and dropping to 30 at night.Yup - it's hot! Gotta love a cold Tusker (local brew) on these days.
We rented motorcycles for the day and rode 50 kms of beach stopping now and again to enjoy a dip and more of that fantastic body surfing action. As we raced along the beach with the hot sun and wind on our faces it was hard not to smile at the overwhelming senseof pleasure and well being. Motorcycles, the kids, the sun...what's not to like. Jake broke his...of course and thanks to Stevie and I we towed him back.......though thought of making him push it for trying to wheelie "dukes of Hazard style" over small rivers. Boys...........
Christmas day is a special day on the beach in Malindi as all the village people come to walk and enjoy the social activity. Many families dressed the same with outfits all cut and made from a single bolt of material bought with the savings from a mango here and a pineapple there..... Their best clothes and smiles on this special day.
Now that the kids are adults, we visited a night-club in Malindi. We ran out of steam around midnight though the party was just getting started. It was still great fun to be a part of the night scene on a warm night with cold Tuskers flowing and conversation with locals and fellow vacationers easy and interesting.
 |
| Are you kidding me? Plastic covered seats in 30+ degree weather? Surprising we stayed upright at all..... |
A cool and different Christmas on the Indian Ocean with Jake and Stevie...thanks to you guys for joining me.
Thanks for reading - Layno
