DECEMBER 10^th (A DAY'S REST IN KIJABE)

During mid-morning, Mike and I went for a nice hour-long walk around Kijabe Mission. Since we have been in Africa, we have been less physically active. Most days in Canada, we get some form of exercise. It seems like most of our time has been in a car, van, or airplane.

Today, all I wanted to do was WALK! Mike brought his digital camera. I refused to take my binoculars or camera. I was out for exercise and to experience the scenery at my leisure. I told Mike that I have seen so much since we have arrived to Kenya, my mind was overloaded. I was in desperate need of clearing my over- exercised mind. It worked! Now, I'm ready to go to the coast tomorrow. Turtle Bay, here we come!

DECEMBER 11^th (GOING TO TURTLE BAY)

We were off to the Wilson Airport for our flight to the coast.

The four-lane highway between Kijabe and Nairobi is a nightmare! Along this stretch, it is not unusual for vehicles to be going at 100-110 km/hr in a highly residential area. Unlike most of the highways I am used to in Canada, these highways are filled with pedestrians trying to cross the four lanes between the fast oncoming cars. Oh yes, they have crosswalks along this highway. Who could or would stop for someone when they are driving that fast? The crosswalks are not practical and are as dangerous as jay-walking. Many Kenyans run across 2 lanes, jump over the concrete median, and then run across another two lanes of traffic. Unlike our Canadian highways, the traffic is sporadic. The buses and matatus stop every few minutes along this stretch. All the vehicles seem to follow the "me first rule." It is not surprizing to know there are many fatal accidents.

There were some errands to do in Nairobi so we saw more of Nairobi than usual. A day of surviving Nairobi's traffic is a day to be thankful. In fact, a day of not getting into a car accident or hitting a pedestrian in Nairobi is a miracle in itself. The city of Nairobi has roundabouts at approximately every 2 kilometers. There appears to be no set rule as to who has the right-of-way around all these turns. I have come to the conclusion that right-of-way goes to the largest vehicle.

The flight to Malindi was generally smooth and uneventful. This Air Kenya Dash-7 had 40 seats. We even had 2 flight attendants and a bathroom on our trip. We had some rain and many clouds. Julianne did manage to see a rainbow from her side of the plane.

DECEMBER 12^th (SECOND DAY AT TURTLE BAY)

We all woke up at 5:30 a.m. and decided to head to the beach to see the sunrise. Warm humidity hit us as we walked out of our air-conditioned room. The loud sound of cicadas was heard outside our door. We sighted 2 geckos climbing the wall of the hotel. No one was in sight except for the night guard on the beach and a few Kenyan men practicing their acrobatic show on the beach. Later, a few boats launched off the shore. Some were fishing boats. Other boats were filled with tourists. There were some pretty pastel colors in the morning sky before the sun rose. Around where the sun was about to rise there were fluffy light blue clouds with a soft pink hue beyond it. At the opposite end of the horizon, the sky appeared to be violet. These colors looked very pretty with the white coral sand. We sighted several crabs scurrying sideways along the beach. Julianne, being afraid of anything that breathes, did a little dance every time we ran across a hole in the sand. Once in a while, she would stop dancing long enough to draw pictures on the beach. Mind you, she drew many pictures of crabs! It must have been her way of getting used to them. Evan thought the crabs were cool. Neither reaction was surprizing. Most of our day was spent swimming in the pool and walking on the beach. The next best thing about going to Kenya for a family vacation is to have Grandma and Grandpa with you. It's nice to have the extra company along. It is also nice to have a few breaks from the children. Mike and I were able to go for a late afternoon walk along the beach. It was refreshing in several ways. There was a nice breeze and the water felt lukewarm. The most refreshing part of the walk was there were no hawkers trying to sell us something we didn't want to buy. I think that was one my first peaceful beach walks in Kenya! Three young Kenyan school-age boys approached us. They seemed to just want to talk. That was refreshing too! Having the evening meal at 7 o'clock proved to be a challenge in more ways than one. For a start, it was hard on the old digestive system. It is also extremely difficult on two tired children. While Julianne was dozing in her chair at the restaurant, she commented, "Thank goodness, there are armrests on this chair to hold me up." Both of them took turns curling up in their seats. I thought one would fall asleep while chewing. Both were asleep within minutes of landing in their beds.

DECEMBER 13^th (THIRD DAY AT TURTLE BAY)

We weren't as keen getting up so early today so we missed the sunrise. We did get a short walk at the beach before the heat of the day struck. This was followed with almost four hours of swimming in the pool. Julianne joined the "kid's club" for almost an hour. They drew some pictures and did some colouring. Thelma and I participated in the water aerobics. Wow! We did it two days in a row and what fun! We went to a different restaurant for our lunch. The pizzeria restaurant was located in a very nice area. There were several palm trees with many weaverbird nests. The palm weavers have a bright yellow body with a peach-colored head. There were several of these birds sitting on branches very close to where we were eating. A fishpond was right next to our seats as well. There is nothing like admiring natural scenery while having a delicious meal. Sometimes you just have to say, "Enough is enough, I can chew, but I can't swallow!" There is so much food available three meals a day. It is starting to feel like the Christmas Holidays when every one is feeding you turkey dinners, fancy desserts, and chocolates. I decided that Julianne and I could eat a smaller meal in the room for supper. She fell asleep at 7:30 p.m.. Staying in the room for the evening was the best decision I have made all day.

DECEMBER 14^th (FOURTH DAY AT TURTLE BAY)

Julianne was unwilling to go see the sunrise this morning due to the crabs on the beach. Passing up seeing a sunrise over the Indian Ocean in fear of these busy little creatures was no excuse for me. At 5:45 a.m., I headed to the beach by myself with camera in hand. The atmosphere was completely different from the sunrise 2 days prior. The waves were beating along the sand. The fluffy clouds were slate blue. There was some orange peaking through along the horizon. To the south, over the ocean, it was raining. It seemed like some serious rain was coming our way. I knew that rain here only lasts an hour or two, but it never did reach us that morning.

Mike and I went for our usual later afternoon walk. On every afternoon walk, we saw large groups of Kenyan children swimming in the ocean. There were about a dozen to two dozen in a group. All we saw were their little heads bobbing in the water as they motioned up and down with the movement of the waves. They were quite innovative with their floatation devices! Some floated with a chunk of Styrofoam. Others held on to logs or chunks of wood. Some had the luxury of inflatable floatation rings. They all seemed to be having a great time!

DECEMBER 15^th (FIFTH DAY AT TURTLE BAY)

We didn't get to go on the glass-bottom boat ride, but I did get a quick look at the critters from the ocean at low tide. There were a lot of creatures to see in the pools of the coral reef. Many holes in the coral were filled with water, plants, and a variety of sea animals. The pools looked like odd-shaped aquariums. Crabs were scurrying around from crack to crack. Several shellfish lay dormant in the bottom. Small colorful tropical fish swam around. One type of small fish had a very pretty iridescent green design on its back. They seemed to be quite common on the reef.

The rest of the day was spent in a taxi, in an airplane and later, in the school van. Thank goodness, both my children travel well. Travelling with them has been quite enjoyable and relaxing.

Arriving in Kijabe that evening gave me a sense of peace and tranquility. The homey feelings intensified when I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the beating rain. It was the first rain I had heard since we arrived in Kenya.