Diani with Liz

The day after Christmas we made a quick trip to the coast. The plan was to enjoy Diani Beach with Liz and then be back in Nairobi before New Year’s Eve, hang out there until she would leave on the 2^nd. In the end, it went according to plan.

There are many places to go on the coast but we opted for something familiar since we were bringing a guest. Didn’t feel like leaving things to chance, particularly with all the other uncertainty these days.

Priya still had the phone number of a tuk-tuk driver from our previous visit so we arranged to have two of them take us the relatively short drive to the hotel. The kids LOVE those little 3-wheeled vehicles so it ends up being cheaper for us and more fun for them.

note the guy retrieving coconuts for us high in the tree

Though we hadn’t stayed at this particular hotel before, it is a sister hotel to one where we’ve stayed, along the same beach. So it was less of a risk. Booking wasn’t as easy as we expected since many of the hotels were booked. I suppose that’s a good sign for the economy.

massive baobab tree next to the dining area

Similar to our experience a couple of months ago on the coast, the Covid protocols were in full force. With a few exceptions, the guests generally toed the line. Almost everything takes place outdoors and that reduces the risk considerably. The place that seemed to provide the most risk was the dining area. It wasn’t outside but it had walls that were open to the outdoors and was well ventilated. Masks were mandatory and the only self-service was for plates that you take with you. Tables were a safe distance apart and staff seemed to be well-trained in keeping clients safe.

Having been in the pandemic for nearly a year now, much of the world has developed a pretty good sense of when we find ourselves in higher risk situations. When I jog or walk past someone who doesn’t provide me enough space, I instinctively hold my breath briefly as I pass, even when wearing masks. We have developed an idea where these “pain points” are and automatically avoid them. I feel naked without a mask when I’m outside. A cough draws my attention. It does make me wonder how long these instincts will last once we are in a post-Covid environment. My guess is that they’ll stick with me for a long time.

In any case, nothing is no risk but overall I never felt like there was any significant threat of infection. It made it much easier to relax and just enjoy being at the beach. The other thing that I found interesting is that most people we talked to who are from the area seem to feel that Covid isn’t really that much of a thing anymore, at least in their area. With the exception of people that were in some sort of service work (hotel staff, tuk-tuk/taxi drivers, tourist shops, etc.), almost no one in the town was wearing a mask. As we were driving from to the hotel, our tuk-tuk driver said, “You know, people here don’t think as much about Covid anymore. Most people that wear masks are doing it because we know that tourists expect us to. Otherwise it might hurt our business.” It could also be the perception that people coming from the outside may be bringing the virus with them.

evening entertainment

It’s true that the infection rate in Kenya is on the decline. Though official numbers show a limited picture of the real number of infections, a combination of indicators, including the apparent current impact on the healthcare system, seem to point to an improving situation – one that will need to improve on its own without the benefit of a vaccine which may be well off into the future for most of the continent. Regardless, we exercised caution as we went about our activities.

daytime entertainment

Most of the time we spent at the pool, at the beach or eating. Not a bad way to pass the time. We did go for a snorkel out on the reef. The girls have done it before but they’re still getting the hang of it. There are occasional fears of urchins or getting seasick (like last time), but we were able to get them out for a while before they went to go hang out on the sandbar. I think we just need to be patient with them, expose them to things gradually and let them decide what they like and don’t like. The temptation is for them to like all the things that we like but, obviously, that’s unrealistic.

the setting for the snorkeling

After a while I was the only one of our crew out in the warm, turquoise water. I snooped around the reef peacefully by myself. I came upon a deeper section of water that was teeming with beautiful fish. It was absolutely stunning. I stopped moving and just watched for several minutes. While I enjoy diving, snorkeling can be just as amazing, if not more so given that the lighting is normally much better.

large millipede

After dinner we would go to the beach and hang out, playing tag or making sandcastles. Evenings on the beach after dark with the cool, steady, evening breeze are amazing. I get tired of the tropical heat during the day but I can’t get enough of cool, tropical evenings. The moon was full, or nearly full, so the stars weren’t quite as vivid as they otherwise would have been. Nonetheless, the generally low ambient light of the Kenyan coast lends itself to see a starry sky that reaches all the way to the horizon.

Far too soon, we were back in our tuk-tuks and heading back to the airport. We would have a few days of downtime, including New Year’s, before the girls would make the monumental transition back to school for the first time in almost 10 months. Should be interesting.