Malindi Madness

What an amazing week it's been so far! I'm in Malindi (a coastal town in Kenya) with my hubby, parents and sister. My parents have a Time Share in America that they were able to trade a week in Palm Springs for the week here. So here we are in tropical paradise soaking in the sun.

Yesterday we decided to travel to Watamu in search of some good snorkeling. We found out that it would be $100 to take a taxi round-trip. That sounded ridiculous to us so we opted for public transport for less than a quarter of that cost. Now there is something you should know about public transportation in Kenya. It is way cheaper. I mean WAY cheaper than private. But I think that you just might pay for it in the years it takes off of your life. I think my parents should get an award for their incredible flexibility and good attitude about yesterday's journey.

I pulled this picture of a tuk-tuk off the web to give you an idea of what they look like.

We started by getting into two different Tuk-Tuk's. A tuk-tuk is kind of like a modified motorcycle that looks a bit like a motorized partially-enclosed-tricycle. The tuk-tuk drivers took us to the local stage where we could catch a matatu to Watamu. I realize I am speaking Greek here. So a matatu is a 15-seater Nissan Van. But let me tell you, they cram a lot more than 15 people in them.

Another picture off the web. Often they drive down the road at full speed with people hanging out the side.

My mom bravely climbed up in the matatu and then proceeded to climb in-and-out, in-and-out as passengers kept needing to disembark. We finally arrived in Watamu and were dropped off on the opposite end of town from where we needed to be. So after a lot of loud and animated discussion (At times like this I am SOO glad I have a Kenyan husband!) we got in some more tuk-tuks to be taken to the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) station. Along the way a boat captain heard that we were wanting a glass-bottom boat for snorkeling. So he jumped in our tuk-tuk and told us he would arrange for his boat to pick us up. We agreed on a price and proceeded to the KWS gate where we payed our entrance fees.

My assumption was that there would be a nice little marina or at least a gangplank of some sort where we would walk out to our boat and head out on our journey. Nada! We walked about half a mile to a totally deserted beach. We then waited on the beach for a half an hour as our captain kept promising us that the boat was on the way. Well the boat finally arrived and we waded out to it.



Then the motor wouldn't start. We sat in the boat for another 10 or 15 minutes while they tried to get the boat to start. It finally started and we were on our way.


We went to the old-coral-reef at the end of the Watamu Marine Park. Mom, Dad, Ashley and I snorkeled and enjoyed interacting with dozens of beautiful tropical fish. William admired the fish from the safety of the boat.

Heading back we basically did the same trip in reverse. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the beach. While we were eating, the fishing boats started coming in with the day's catch. We marveled at the tuna, snappers, and barracuda that were hauled across the shoreline.


On our way home we got mobbed with people wanting to carry our snorkel gear while trying to transfer from a tuk-tuk to a matatu. It was quite an adventure for Mom and Ashley! Luckily we were able to get the two of them in seats with the matatu driver of front. At one point on the journey home there were eight bodies in the second row (designed for three). Five adults, a kinder-gardener and toddler as well as a baby. At that same time there were three guys hanging out the open door as we drove down the road. After a minute or two a lady in the back row offered to hold the baby. So the baby got body-surfed to the back to sit on a strangers lap.

All in all it was a fabulous day! As I said before, I was impressed with how the Kerns clan held up in Kenyan public transportation. They are super troopers!