On the 8th we left Lamu for Malindi. Chiara, who has some studying to do, stayed there to catch up on work… I must say its an enivable place to do some studying in! We got to Malindi in the early afternoon where after settling at Ozi’s Guesthouse we went out for a stroll.
Malindi
I was a bit let down by Malindi – we all expected it to be nicer and more genuine, but there is a whoel shabby feel to it that can be a let down, especially after so many people descibed it as being a “Little Italy”. Vasco da Gama, the famour Portugese explorer stopped here on his way to India in 1498, and set up a pillar at the very site to mark the spot. I bargained my way in for 1 euro (as opposed to 5 euros which is what residents pay) and took a couple of photos, enjoying the breeze over the Indian Ocean whilst taking a photo with a cross-topped whitewashed column by the sea. We then went for a walk along the seafront, guided by a local boy to a divine italian Gelateria.
That evening we went for restaurant and had a good time over all, and went back in. The next morning we hopped onto a shuttle to Mombasa, where we boarded the plane to Zanzibar, only to get there 30 minutes later.
Zanzibar
No words can do justice to this place. It is beyond amazing. Zanzibar town at first glance doesn’t look too impressive, but we’ll be touring it properly in a few days time. On our hour -long taxi drive to Jamboni beach on the Eastern coast of Zanzibar, once journeys through green lush forests, palm trees, spice plantations and simply breathtaking green scenery.
Nothing, however, compares to the surprise that was Jamboni beach. Imagine all those stunning photographs of turqoise-blue-green waters and white chalky beaches under a hot tropical sun. That is what we feasted our eyes upon. At this very moment I am typing this from a seafront bar 5 minutes walk from our bungalow, hearing the seabirds’ occasional cooing under a soft mellow breeze coming over from the sea, which is literally metres away. The stars are bright, the Zanzibar colada cocktail tastes great and life seems perfect. The epithamy of relaxation, and the nadir of all that onee wishes life to be. Zanibar is simply the definition of “joie de vivre”, the joy of simply BEING, and enjoying something one imagines the rich and famous only can afford to enjoy. Only for $20 a night, in an air-conditioned double bungalow with bed and breakfast!
I can’t beleive how amazingly luck I am to have found this place. Our accomodation isn’t the best, and if we’d known beter we’d have booked a bungalow for $5 more a night nearby at Coral Beach Resort. The owners of the place are lovely people – they have even given us a 10% discount from any food we buy from their bar, which is one of the few around. We also have free internet we can use at our leisure at their place. Additionally, there are parties every night at nearby Paje Beach, and they have offered to take us there. We went to such a party last night, and it was great, even though people there were mostly in their early 30′s or older.
This night, however, Paul, Fran and Pauline have gone off on their own. I have been wanting to update my blog for ages anyway. I also am not too keen on an all-night-every-night party life – I’d rather savour the quiet and calm night of a Zanzibar beach, relaxing reading a book into the night and having a good time, even on my own. Life, as I’ve been realising, can be good, and at an affordable price. And one doesn’t need a party every night to make it so!
Flipper Mania
One last thing I’d like to add before I head off to some quiet reading… if you ever come to Zanzibar, do NOT miss the unique dolphin swimming excursion. We set off this morning at 6am to the southern part of the island, and by 7am I was jumping in the water with my underwater camera, flippers and masks, pursuing a beautiful family of dolphins. They weren’t the tame, over-friendly type. No.. these dolphins were the real thing. Wild. Fascinating. It is such an amazing experience swimming next to them. They won’t let you touch them, as I realised after a whole hour of tearing my leg muscles to shreds. You swim hard, harder and harder until you are soooo close, and then, with simple playful ease they just move a little bit farther from you and dive into the depths.
Friendly, Curious and dignified creatures. That’s what they are. But they know that you can never be a part of their world, as much as you can wish it. That is why, ultimately, they never let you touch them. They are the untouchable masters of the sea, our intelligent marine cousins who we can never understand. One can only swim in awe and listen to their underwater chatter, echoing all around you. And all you can do is wish to hold one in your arms and hug it with all your might, telling them “I love you, and I want you to be my friend”.
But no amount of want can ever bring you that. It is their world, and they are their own masters. And I accept and honour that. That is why, perhaps, when one dolphine decided to shower me in dolphine diarrhoea as it sped ahead of me, I didn’t feel bad about it. I hope it wasn’t a statement on their part, and anyway… I couldn’t care less… I was swimming after all! Perhaps that’s where we humans deserve to be – in their own latrine. We’ve devastated enough of their home and environment to deserve much worse.
It was only after an hour-long struggle of jumping, swimming, taking unerwater films and photos, and climbing back into the boat and doing that all over again that I gave up on touching one of them, even though at one point one dolphin nearly hit my hand with its tail. We were that close. Also, Jellyfish stings were getting to me (at one point, I was swimming in a sea of bioluminescent barely-visible jellyfish).
This was an experience I’ll never forget… the moment when, more than ever, I wish I wasn’t human, with all our misery, troubles, worries and pollution. This was one moment I wished I was one of our marine cousins, whose life is like an underwater dream, with a touch of the above-world every now and then. They have all the luck, don’t you think?
