Tuesday 18th May Goodbye A Rocha, Hallo Nyali!

We rose about 7, had one final walk along the beach, returned for a simple breakfast of toast and marmalade, packed, emailed a couple of people (Carol kindly lent me her laptop) and paid our outstanding debts (not a big amount, a hat for Nick and some sodas). Moses our taximan was there in good time to take us to Nyali.

We were sad to leave, as it had been such a good 5 days, in an idyllic location, with wholesome tasty food, good company and lots to see and learn concerning conservation. We also enjoyed great spiritual refreshment here - a time of singing and praying together on Sunday evening and a staff Bible Study on Monday afternoon. I do hope we can return here one day, maybe with others who are interested in the work of A Rocha.

Our next accommodation couldn't have been more different - the Voyager Beach Resort at Nyali. The Lonely Planet Guide is right when it states that the nautical theme is taken a bit far. We were referred to as "passengers" rather than hotel guests and shown to our "cabin" - rather than our room! Staff wore sailor outfits and a large banner in the entrance foyer proclaimed the port we were heading for eg one day it was Shanghai as that day there was a Chinese theme running through the food menu and the evening entertainment.

The resort was vast, with large palm-thatched buildings, whose interior structures were constructed from mangrove poles and extraordinarily intricate:

There were 3 quite distinct swimming pool areas. One, with an "infinity" pool, was child-free and very peaceful. The infinity edge of the pool lined up with the horizon so it felt amazing to be swimming as if we really were out on the ocean, like this:

There were several snackbars with reasonably priced light meals and several restaurants. The main one, the Mashua, was where we ate each evening and which had an amazing variety of food, always with plenty of fresh fruit and salads which was good.

We learnt from a taxi driver the next day that the whole complex was owned by the family of Kenya's first President - Kenyatta. Clearly this is a huge financial enterprise. It did feel strange to be in this seat of luxury after passing mile after mile of people who are living on "a dollar a day" or less. The injustice of it didn't sit comfortably with us.

Yet we didn't want to be ungrateful. Here we were beside the Indian Ocean with beautiful palm trees all around us, and a chance to read and relax after what had been quite a whirlwind trip. We wanted to make the most of the opportunity....

...but we never quite forgot that less than a mile away there were hoards of people who lived a very different life. The gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" is very wide in Kenya.