Little Italy

The hotel had planned a trip to Malindi town for us on the third day of our stay in the hotel. The trip started at around ten in the morning. The hotel van was picked as the means of transport for the six of us; Fred and I plus two other couples.

Our first stop was the Marine National Park. We were taken on a small boat into the Indian Ocean so that we could view the coral reefs. The seemingly blue water made the underwater world more visible through the glass floor of the boat. The sights of the reefs, fish and other species in the water made my morning. It was really beautiful. The guide asked if any of us would like to go under the water for more adventure. Fred and another dude offered so they put on the diving suits before diving into the water. I was too afraid to join them. The huge mass of water scared the hell out of me.  After a few seconds, we could see them under the boat waving at us before drifting away.

When we returned to the beach, it was already one o’clock local time. The guide drove us away to the town. Malindi town was exactly what the brochures stated. It was an idyllic town with pure air that seemed to chase away all the troubles in the mind. The locals were so friendly when we spoke to them after we alighted from the van. Actually, we just said hello to them with the few Swahili that we picked up. The guide directed us into a building where to our surprise we had our lunch freely with the locals. It was nice for a change to see how they ate the dishes. They didn’t seem to mind our presence. They smiled at us before continuing to do whatever they were upto.

After that, we took a walk in the streets. Actually, I was confused to where we were at first. The number of white people or rather Italians in this city was ridiculous! No wonder it was called ‘Little Italy’. Most businesses, hotels and visitors all belonged to the Italians who made up the majority. Who would have thought that deep in the African plains that you would come across this huge number white people? I asked the guide why it was like this. He smiled then said it was because of the friendly and relaxing environment that the country offered. Most tourists usually come back after their first trip and apply to be residents. True, I was already making plans to return to this beautiful country. The locals who were made of Africans interacted with us freely. The women who mostly wore hijabs were really pretty.

We passed by the market where some African artifacts and curios were being sold. The little Maasai people sculpted from wood as a candle holder was really cute. I bought two of them and a few bangles to take back to my friends and family. Fred got a beautiful sculpted soap dish that was decorated in some animal prints and two key holders. I managed to buy one pair of sandals that were made from leather and beads alongside a leso print skirt. Later on we took a drive to see the Vasco da Gama pillar. It is a bell shaped Pillar near the beach. The guide told us that it was erected by the Portuguese explorer named after it as a navigational aid around the year 1500. The site was impressive as we got a chance to learn about the history of this wonderful site and the view of the beach was so pretty. We took couple of pictures with the beautiful sunset before heading back to the hotel.