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Published: October 19th 2008
Watamu Village
from the roof of the restaurant Jambo in the middle of this gorgeous african coast!Hello again!
well not really gone to see the animals! things changed plans on the evening of my last blog! I realised that I had forgotten one of my HIV pills, ones that need keeping in the fridge, so I had to instead of going to the natural park and see animals, instead we made our way straight to Watamu, as I needed to go to a Hospital to try and get the pills I am missing.
So we made our way by tuktuk to another part of Mombasa and got there a bus that brought us for 200shillings to a crosspoing on the high road, and from there a matatu to the village itself. We got welcomed by a gorgeous guy talking to us straight away in Italian, everybody suddenly was at it! a couple of fellows, foolowed us, but it is the first one we set of to, his name Mansuri, but he first gave an Italian name, as most guys here do!
took us to several hotels, the one we wanted from the guide was actually 4 times the price said in the guide! we saw two home stays, and a hotel, it was hot
a double toilet!!! What a great find!
African time, one can even stop in the loo and have a chat! daytime, just before lunch time, we finally settled for one home stay for 800 shilling a night, separate rooms of course!
I still have one of my tablet, so we decided that we would go to the hospital next morning, and just stay the afternoon quietly here!, we went for a walk on the beach, and again a whole bunch of guys were surrounding us, every body trying to get some moneny from us in some way or another!
they all seemed nice, but Mansuri, seems most faithfull and intelligent, in the sense that he seems aware that if he treats us well, he'll get some economical help from us and a good reputation, rather than go for the fast cash mentality that most guys have and therefore put you off.
anotherone that seems to be Somali, Christian, was a bit of a pain, and although we though they were friends there ended up being friction as the Somali insisted in getting paid for doing nothing for us.
We got the the beautiful sea side, and totaly fell in love with this place! it is absolutely gorgeous, although some horrific abandoned building sites are left on
the first steps on a beach!
finaly some sand and sea! I love it here the beachsite, as some foreigners tried to close up some paths, and got the locals to suspend all work as it closed the locals from getting to the beach and pass to ther parts, so quiet a few resorts have had to abandon their plans as the locals have a strong voice! which is great.
We lost our economical way for a little while the first afternoon here, as we got innundated with questions for buying this and that, and in the confusion things got paid for more thatn they were worth! so I ended up having to have a go at the Somalian guy who was just after a quick penny, and apparently an Heroin user, and had a chat with Mansuri to ask him if he did as well! which apparently he doesn't!
Any way we got warned by the guy keeping our homestay, and it ended up as valuable information.
We had bought food to cook at home, on a bbq, as the local food on the coast hasnt proved to be great!
although in the village itself for lunch time we had a nice meal, wathced life of the village from the roof-top
Mansuri from a Turtle Cave
this is anesting site for turtles in December and January! they are protected here, although some times they catch them for food! restaurant and enjoyed the calm village feel of the place!
We got the food cooked for ourselves, a whole octopus freshly caught! that was half grilled on the bbq and other half made in an Italian sort of sugo like sauce, which was delicuious, served on coconut rice! we had a few spliffs that they Mansuri was keeping for us, and some fish that was bbq'd. We dont seem to get much fruit and veggies here, its all meat and carbs! ! am gaining weight I think!!! Gianluca was really ill all evening, really pale and feelibng sick so he'll come along to hospital tomorrow.
We got a few beers, and smoked a few spliffs, having made sure that the Somalian felt that he had done us wrong! and he expected money on top of that, and instead we settled with the nice and gentle Muslim boy/man (he is 23!) as we met his daughter and wife and saw that the guy genuinly has a family life and does not spend all his cash in drugs! when he left never the less he asked for the 500 shillings that we had promissed him.
Next day we were
The lovely beaches!
3 of these beaches, the algueae makes it look messy, but the sand is soft and white and just lovely to walk around these beaches! up early, as I had to go to hospital, we took the matatu to Malindi, the bigger town around here, and then half an hour latter we got a tuk tuk to the general hospital, were we were great by a big mama! nicely made up all sweet and sweettalk to gianluca who really does it for the women here!
We got brought to each a different part, I got to see the HIV/AIDs part, were all the people actually looked as well as we do on our HIV centres in London, so the drugs seem to be doing the work! I was given 9 days' worth of anothe HIV pills by the doctor, who said my one was not to be found there, but that one giving me would be compatible with mine for the sort period, except that I have to leave one of my otherones out! as it is in the combo one from here.
Gianluca was given antibioitcs for the tummy and anti sickness pills and pain killers, then as we had spoken about my project, we were shown as vip's around the hospital, and saw erach department, operation rooms and all! a small
over the Indian Ocean
this is no secluded beach, the ocean here, hit hard against the rocks! but working infrastructure! By the way I got my drugs given for free as well as all HIV+ people in Kenya are in title to free drugs! but Gainluca had to pay for his!
From the hospital we took a tuktuk to find the dive resort I had been in touch with from London, to find it closed! the season for the whalesharks hasn't started yet, it only starts next month, so it will not be in my chances! anyway booked a double dive for tomorrow, for me and a single for Gianluca who will then get the chance to just maybe have a second dive if he likes it, to then go for his full padi licence! He has to do pool training today to be able to go into the sea tomorrow, so we went together he got his course done, whilst I sat in this luxury resort's pool side having swims and sun burning, as one cannnot not burn here!
Made our way back again by matatu, and set off to the house, were we were found by Mansuri and we had a walk around! went to the beach, had a long walk! people now
Off Scuba diving!
This is Gianluca's first atempt to dive, to find out if he liked it! ended up staying here longer so that he can pass his pady course! on our second day, have learned that they will get nothing by asking, and we are being left alone and accepted by the village!.
It is amazing what a sense of Kenyanism there is every where! on the way here from Mombasa a muslim man told me about his hate for Italians and how balanced the muslim and christian situations are here, and indeed I can say taht these people feel first of all and foremost Kenyan, then either Muslim of Christian, or other religions, but the acceptance of each individuals' religion and culture seem to be totaly part of the people and it makes it a heaven on earth!
I have not yet found ANY place on earth where there seems to be such pride in being a national, from what ever tribe, and have no troubles with other people's trbie or religion, obviously except for the tribe of the President, has they seen as opressors and people with all the good jobs and money, and afterall only a minority! but other than them and somali's there seems to be good feeling in the streets!
I don't understand why any religious fanatism from either side would
lead to such things as the bombing in Nairobi of the american embassy , as this place is for me a successtory when it comes to multiculturalism and acceptance of the other!
We've been on our third day to the dive, they picked us up from the market place to Malindi, and back, the dives wheren't great, saw quiet a few barracuda, 4 sea green trutles, some nudibranch and most normal and typical tropical water fish! but nothing exceptional and the coral it mostly destroyed! hardly and live one left! apparently en nino year isnt helping things either! I got in a bit of a panick on my first dive, as it was my first time diving since I had had bloodclots in my lungs, and several bloodclots in my legs...So it came to my mind as I was going under, which wasn't good, but as soon as I calmed down it went well.
Gainluca decided to got for the full padi, so he did a second dive too, and from Malindi we were taken home, were we had lunch by the market and then headed, after pusing gianluca to be in time, to a resort near by
where he had to do some theory, and some more pool training.
I left to go to the home-stay where I bought some food for Mansuri's family, vegetables and rice to cook, and fruit for the children and soem nutella dn bisquits! also some for a poor woman who has been abandoned by her husband with the 6 children! apparently she's a drug user as well and giving her money makes it not last, so better off buying just the food... She seems to spend all her money in chewing this grass that makes their teeth red and keeps them awake and speedy!
By the evening I had had a few smokes by the time Gianluca came back from his training, we had a few more together, went for dinner at Jambo's nice foil cooked fish with rice, and after helping him study for a couple of hours! we went to bed around 10,30pm.
My health seems to be holding up well, and Gainluca seems to be the one getting bugs and small problems! he is off this morning on his own toi the scuba, whilst I sleep some more after making us breakfast! we're eating with
the home-stay cleaner, who is a nice guy but very shy! he at first felt bad sharing the table with us, but now he helps himself to cigarettes, and eats at ease, and drinks our beer in spite of being muslim too.
I laid on the beach for two hours today, then I went with Mansuri to get food for tonite to celebrate Gianluca passing his test (I hope!) and eating fresh bbq'ed prawns and fish, with salad and fruit.
I bought some meet for Mansuri's family they live 16 of them in a tiny house with his parents and sisters whom I met today, so bough some more food for them and set off for a WALK IN THE LOW TIDE, TO REACH THE CLOSE LYING islands, nice walk seeing murrays, and sea stars, urchins and crabs, really lovely walk, am off now to get the few bits and pieces missing for dinner, as I wait for Gainluca to return and have been escaping the deep heat of the mid-day sun!
It is half past 5pm going to give the typing a rest.
Nex update will be from our last destination, the Muslim island of
Lamu, where apparently Homoseuxality is very accepted! as long as not made too bovious! My only experience with Homosexuality thus far has been a few Masai asking me to buy stuff and when saying I didn't want any they guy saying: "I have one thing I am sure you would like to buy...I have a very big black Masai banana that you would like to try!" which I thanks him for but said I still wasn't buying.
Otherwise sexuality seems to be only given to whites by payment, not such thing as cruising for fun! as we do back home, Gianluca is very successful with the girls, but he doesn't get into it! and as I am older...they seem to take pitty on me and say that they'd take me on too if we paid enough! poor me!!!! LOL.
Homosexuality is punishable by 10 years in jail, so there is NO way I would accept any approach for sex, as I know tourists get given out to the police by men having had sex with them, to then ask for a payment...so no way I am going to have sex with anyone here! although I do have plenty of condoms with me...I gave many away in Mombasa.
This place here is also named Milano2, as we are just speaking Italian to all, and it is absolutely the main visitor's language, so from Milano2...have a good one.
hugs
Jungaree
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chris
non-member comment
hoi
Eli,ik zie dat je het erg na je zin hebt en dat het een mooie reis is,hoop dat je geen gezondheid problemen krijgt door dat je die pillen thuis hebt vergeten. Hier als ok...liefs je sissie chris