We had been looking forward to going snorkeling at Malindi for quite a while. And so, all week we had been having discussions with the local beach boys regarding when to go, for how much, etc. As a family we finally decided that we wanted to go on Friday, and that a fellow named Zirroh would be our guide. He told us, leading up to today, that there was one other couple from Canada that would be on the boat.
Well, we got to the boat after a wonderful warm croissant breakfast, only to find that we were 4 of 18 on the boat. This included no other Canadians, but mostly Italians, and 6 crew. Not much you can do about it, so we got on, and not too far out, was a snorkeling spot. We all gave it a try, and we could see some tropical fish, but no gorgeous coral reef, so that was a bit disappointing. This was my first time snorkeling (Mark), so it took some doing try to rid myself of claustrophobic tendencies as I tried to breathe through the snorkel. Anyway, we did that for a time, with Micah having the most success, and then we all headed away from that spot, and spotted some dolphins swimming around. We chased them a bit, and then it was time to go to the designated spot. The water was beautiful all the way along, and not that deep, and we were surprised at times to see how far off the coast the Kenyan snorkelers were. After about 1 hour or so, we stopped on this huge sand bar, and everyone got off the boat. We swam, looked at coral, star fish, and so on. We were told that within an hour or so the water would recede completely from this sand bar, and we would be on an “island” of sorts. It turned out to be true, and we were also amazed that we were greeted by a whole crew of beach boys, selling their wares. It was here that we were served a wonderful lunch of different fish, shrimp, and lobster, and it was quite delicious. The captains of the boats had arranged to bring grills out to the island (no Webers, these), and that’s where our food was prepared. It was confirmed for me that I still do not like lobster; in fact, in my desperation to rid myself of the taste, I looked for a Coke to wash things down. We were pleased, in the midst of all this, to meet some wonderful people, including Joy and Alex from Italy.
Shortly thereafter, we headed back. The water got quite choppy for landlubbers like us, and we went slowly, but eventually made it back. We went for Gelati with Alex and Joy, and with Zirroh and one of his crew (Justin Timberland). It was a great time. We definitely have been amused by the names of some of the locals.
Since Tuesday, Micah has been having a bit of a rash, and yesterday things were quite bad and he itched quite a bit. So we tried some basic interventions, but it was still giving him some trouble today. So he and I went to St. Peter’s hospital to see what was going on. We arrived at the hospital, and much to our surprise, the doctor was standing right beside the administrator, ready to see Micah. He was given some antihistamines, and 20 minutes and 1300 schillings ($16) later, we were on our way.
We relaxed till supper, making some phone calls and the like. We went for supper to the pizzeria, and enjoyed our time there. I checked emails after supper, and the kids and Mary headed to the hut. We retired early, as we were tired from a day at sea. And what a great day it was!
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