Diani

Our daughters had a school vacation recently and were not able to take advantage of it due to the fact that I was in the US. Technically, they could have but it’s just easier and more enjoyable when we do that sort of thing all together. As such, they mostly ended up staying around Nairobi (part of the time with their aunt who was visiting from Thailand). I felt bad since we normally go on safari or to the coast this time of year. Alas, I didn’t arrive until the end of the break on Easter Sunday.

Mt. Kilimanjaro through the clouds as flew towards the coast

 

The good news was that only a two weeks later there were a couple of school holidays that merged together providing a possible window for a short trip. It was the convergence of the Muslim holiday of Eid combined with the Kenyan Labor Day and an impromptu holiday to commemorate the passing of a former Kenyan president who passed away. All this resulted in an unexpected five-day weekend. So we quickly sprang into action and booked flights to the coast.

Our customary tuk tuk from the airport

I hadn’t been to the Kenyan coast with the family since last October. I’d been to the Somali coast but that wasn’t a holiday and there wasn’t much beach time. In practical terms, from Nairobi to the Indian Ocean is either a day’s drive or an hour or so flight. There’s now a train which we’ve never done. It’s apparently almost as long as driving when you consider that it doesn’t take you all the way to the coast and you need to take an Uber or taxi for an hour to complete the journey. We’d still like to do it at some point but you need to be able to give up a day on each end of the vacation for travel purposes.

* * *

Pretty stunning

We arrived in Diani on a Friday. We weren’t sure how the crowds would be. The convergence of holidays might create some busyness but that would be tempered by the fact that it’s rainy season. Thanks to a few group bookings, the hotel was quite full most of the week. As is often the case when we travel, I would work by day and vacation by night.

Rainbow at high tide

The first few days showed some signs of rainy season but it frequently cleared up and was sunny. But by the middle of the week, a couple of days went by without any sun. It wasn’t the end of the world for us given that we’d had plenty of sun prior to that but we felt bad for those who had arrived at the inopportune time. It was even less of an issue for me given that my routine dictated that I was on my laptop until evening anyway. I would generally have the time for a quick swim before getting ready for dinner.

Evening entertainment

Having kids, it’s always better when they have peers around. Because their school is on break, we were fortunate enough to have a few kids from their school in the hotel. Makes a big difference in keeping them entertained.

Kinaya getting into the act

The white, sandy beaches are amazing but during the day, at least for our family, most of the action is at the pool. The beach is exposed and generally hot in addition to hawkers constantly trying to sell you stuff. You end up with people either in the water or back at the hotel.

The dinner is buffet style. Prior to the pandemic it was self-serve buffet. It’s still buffet but there’s someone at each station serving you. After dinner there is usually some sort of entertainment. They occasionally show a kid’s film and they often have some sort of performance by local groups (tribal dances, acrobatics, etc.). These groups move from hotel to hotel along the coast performing for tourists. Some of the talent is amazing. It’s unfortunate that they are in front of such small crowds. They deserve much more acclaim (and more income). One, or both, of the girls have been pulled into the act on multiple occasions.

Water polo

Interestingly, we’ve picked up the habit over the years of going to the beach in the evening after the evening’s entertainment. There’s always a constant breeze and, given the relatively low ambient light on the coast, the stars stretch all the way to the horizon. We often run around and burn whatever energy is left in us before making our way back to the room for the night.

Colubus monkey

One thing that’s changed over the years is internet access. Wireless has existed in these hotels for a long time but it has generally been pathetic, even in some of the nicer hotels. Recently, I’ve seen significant improvement, particularly on this trip. It was important given that I had several video calls and even a couple of media interviews. For the latter you don’t want any hiccups in the connection. Thankfully, there weren’t any.

* * *

After a few days, I’m sort of done with the beach thing. I do find it relaxing and wonderful but after a while I’m ready to get home and get back to my routines. It was more acute this time given that I have been away from home so much over the past couple of months. And it wouldn’t be long until I would be traveling again.