The Indian Ocean

Wed February 22 to Sun February 27, 2006

Dad, Mom, Al, Julie and I left early Wednesday morning for the coast (Paula and Nick opted to do another safari in Amboseli National Park). We flew into Malindi then drove to Watamu to Turtle Bay Beach Resort, an all-inclusive hotel on the Indian Ocean. It was lovely. The weather here was very hot and humid unlike Nairobi, which is higher in elevation. Nairobi has a dry heat and was considerably cooler in the morning and evening (still didn’t warrant the warm clothes that some Kenyans donned —I even spotted someone in a parka in late afternoon). We enjoyed lots of swimming. The Indian Ocean is incredibly warm. There was scheduled beach volleyball every day which Dad, Al and I took part in. We tried out their kayaks, paddleboats and catamarans.

We saw some Giant tortoises that were rescued from the nets of fishermen—they were released into the ocean and swam away extremely fast. The highlight for me was swimming with dolphins. Dad arranged a tour on Captain John’s boat. We left at 8 a.m. to begin the search for the dolphins that swim into shallower areas each morning to feed. When we spotted a bunch, we were given a mask and snorkel and told to get in quietly and swim towards them. I was swimming away when all at once I saw about 8 or 10 of them right below me. They weren’t swimming overly fast so I was able to get quite close, but not close enough to touch them. It was amazing! After a while more boats came so we headed over to another area to snorkel. This was a neat experience as well. We swam in an enclosed area that was just loaded with fish—I wish I knew the names of them all! Our guide threw bits of bread in the water to attract them. The whole tour was so nice I decided to do it again. The second time, the dolphins were swimming faster, so we had to keep getting in the boat and driving ahead of them for a chance to swim close. The snorkeling was better, however—our guide allowed us to jump out about half a mile from the enclosed area so we could explore the reefs along the way at a leisurely pace. Mom’s not into water too much, so she opted for a camel ride along the beach. Her ride was a huge Somali camel named George. Speaking of camels, Dad tells me that he was made an offer of 51 camels in exchange for my hand in marriage. He told the guy that it would be cheaper for him to feed one daughter than 51 camels.