That's Kenya too... (page 5 of 8)

This Kenyan’s smile lights up the whole page!

Aaah, I love your comment, Pascale. His name is Daniel. He was our first driver, and he’s just as nice and cheerful as he looks 😊

Tsavo covers 32,000 km², and the landscape changes dramatically in no time. After seeing green plains surrounding the red tracks, Stephen takes us to the top of a viewpoint that’s simply breathtaking.



And as if that weren’t enough, right there, on the side, a huuuge elephant is rubbing against a tree, languidly.



And just as we’ve been watching it for a while, several moms show up on our left...



surrounding a really tiny elephant 🐘



Sure, this one is only a few months old, and it’s amazing to see it instinctively stay right in the middle of its moms!!



After taking the time to savor these dreamy images, we keep driving... while getting thoroughly "shaken like a plum tree." Because yeah, that’s the reality too... when you’ve got a small budget 💰.

Again, a few cars are stopped, and we arrive just in time to spot three teenage lions crossing. But yeah, I’ll admit we mostly saw their backsides.



Next up is the last game drive, as they say here, which starts off pretty badly. 30 minutes before departure, torrents of water come crashing down on Tsavo. 2 PM 3 PM 😱🚗



So we wait with Stephen, chatting over tea, until he finally says: "Okay, let’s give it a try."

The scene is stunning: the tracks are turned into blood-red rivers, the mountains are swallowed by misty clouds, and the green of the vegetation stands out even more.



So yeah, by "local standards," we didn’t see much on this outing. But in the end, isn’t it also a kind of luck to discover Tsavo right after the rain 😊?

If you love those big pachyderms, I’d recommend the book *The Elephants’ Sadness* by Jodi Picoult. It’s a novel with a bit of a thriller vibe, and you’ll learn a ton about elephant behavior and their young ones.

Either way, I’m noting this down because I don’t know about it—I’ve read a few books on elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, etc., but not this one. Plus, if there’s a plot, I should like it ;)

Awesome, Kate. Thanks for the tip! 😄

And there we go, the safari is over.



Stephen takes us one last time down the track to the exit. But he already knows us, so he gives us a beautiful gift: meeting his lovely little family, just before dropping us off.

(Yep, I’m sick of seeing my mug too 😅)

But we’ll chat by the door because Stephen is fully aware that his home doesn’t quite match the miserabilist view tourists like us have of those poooor Africans. At first glance, he lives in a "castle" set on a hectare of blooming garden, modestly named "Mwazigue Royal Palace." And honestly, I’m really happy for him ;)

He then drops us off at Voi station, where our train to the Indian Ocean is waiting. And here I am next to Steve, our new "buddy": a professor at the University of Mombasa, he’s also a Kenyan rugby player with a 3-year-old daughter. He loves goofing around, and we had a great laugh, but I admit that after 2 hours of struggling with English, I was wiped out... especially since it was 36°C when we arrived 😅.

Now a taxi is taking us to Diani, and right from the start, we’re dazzled: coconut trees, mango trees, palm trees, frangipani trees, all under a sky so blue it’s bursting.

And we arrive at our supposedly modest lodging for 40 € a night... and in our entire lives, we’ve never seen anything so beautiful!!! (Yes, yes, I checked the price three times when we got here! Thanks, rainy season :p).

It’s Olaf, a German citizen, who welcomes us to his home: a quiet guy, the real deal, who barely hears three words from you and already wants to escape 😅. But if you’re looking for peace and quiet, he’s just perfect.

So I called it a house, but that’s not quite right. More like a giant "hut" with a thatched roof, all made of wood, ropes, and curves, overlooking the Congo River.



Olaf lives on the ground floor, while the entire upper floor is reserved for us!



But actually, there are 7 huts here, bought by retirees from all over the world. Let’s just say it really gives you ideas—especially since you can swim here too!



And in the garden, like everywheeeere since we got off the train, an obese baobab: how many Cricris do you think it takes to circle it 😅?



But don’t worry, for us too all this beauty isn’t real life, so tomorrow, we’ll take you to discover Diani 😊.

What a great find this place is! I think you’ve got a real knack for scouting things out.

This trip is amazing! 🙂 Did you plan it solo?

For Tsavo, were you in the eastern part?

I just reread your travel journal and I’ve got the answer to your first question! 😊

Here’s the answer to your second question, Pascale 😊

Hi Solene, I’m looking for a Lonely Planet or similar guide for Kenya / South Africa. Do you have one to sell? I’m looking for something less than 5 years old, since notes on lodges and other things change really quickly. Is Kenya affordable to get around? Looking forward to hearing from you, Roger

Hey Roger, Yeah, I do have a paper guidebook, but I’m keeping it because we’ll be heading back to Kenya one of these days. You’ll find tons of second-hand ones on Rakuten, though 😊. As for affordable prices—yes if you take the train, no if you go for a 4x4 with a driver for your whole trip. It’s like anywhere else, really—it depends on how you travel. Have a good evening

So we arrive in Diani on a Saturday, late afternoon, on a loooong little road lined with really high walls: dozens (hundreds?) of huge hotels are just sitting there, but phew, thanks to the vegetation, you can’t see them. Luckily, I was expecting it and had prepared myself because the only cool thing when you arrive here is the multicolored Tuk Tuks that sometimes drive by endlessly 😄



A paradise, then, for fans of luxurious "all-inclusive" resorts—something authenticity lovers prefer to avoid. But we’re convinced you can find sincerity anywhere, and in this country, you don’t even have to look for it!

Of course, you can do tons of outings in Diani, but we just rented a scooter, and that was more than enough for our happiness.

Babeth, the scooter renter 😉

But when so much luxury is drowning in an ocean of poverty, it can attract some dishonesty.

Diani is known for these Kenyans with their relentless (even indecent) propositions! Sure enough, when Lulu goes for a walk, I’m immediately approached by guys offering boat tours.



And him, with his unbeatable charm, got approached several times by young beauties offering massages.



I would’ve expected the opposite, but oh well 😄.

It’s all done nicely, without pressure, but 5 times, 10 times... it’s a parade on the beach as long as you stay there. So to avoid them, tourists stay holed up in their not-cheap hotels... leaving us with almost deserted beaches 😄.

And to avoid getting ripped off all day long, we invented a new life for ourselves: social workers in Nairobi 😜.

Well, that problem’s solved, and it goes down "smooth" because they immediately find it weird—these two white people interested in their lives and their kids.

And that’s how we ended up having some amazing moments with the locals: - Anne the Christian and Lutfia Ali the Muslim, who come over to share their lives on a Sunday afternoon,



- the Kenyan girlfriends who ride camels and laugh so hard they fall over,



- Aïcha, the expert foot masseuse who’s "had it with guys" and now prefers living with her daughter and all her cats 😜



- Nelson, the gardener at an abandoned hotel, who lets us relax in the shade of a palm tree... and who looooves to laugh,



Shoutout to Pascale 🤗

- the locals or Kenyan tourists from Nairobi who come to let loose at Diani Beach, sometimes telling you, "Oooh, I like your bikini" 😂,

- and the icing on the cake: the stunning Samburu in their traditional attire, who always leave me in awe 🤩



And in the evening, when the sun’s setting, whole families come out for a stroll.



For us, it’s mostly time to head to CopaCabana for cocktails called Dawa



and to enjoy some exceeeeellent grilled octopus.



Have a great evening! 😊

Nobody ever looks grumpy in this country!!!

The photo of the Samburu on the beach is gorgeous 🙂

And that beach looks really nice too 😎

And now we’re nearing the end of this trip, and like any self-respecting tourist, we’re moving to face the sea... mostly because I really want to see the sunrise over the Indian Ocean 🤩.

(Just next to "our place," Abou, 4 years old, waiting for his fisherman dad to return)

So we land at Galu Backpackers Ecolodge, at the end of the long road, in a wilder area. And sure enough, when we arrive, we run into 10 totally wild Australians 😂.

But beachfront comes at a price. The outdoors are gorgeous, but after staying at Olaf’s, you get a little shock... especially when you see the view from the toilet 🚽.



The setting is a lush garden with Samengo monkeys, a bar, a restaurant, a pool, sun loungers, and then the beach.



After stuffing ourselves, we go eat and see them coming from the back of the restaurant: the acrobats of Diani. Eight guys of different ages, who, with just their bodies and talents, put on an amazing show.



And even though we’ve seen them several times already, we really never get tired of it. They set up in front of the few tourists lounging on the sunbeds to do their performance. But at the end, instead of passing around with their hat, they just stand there while the vacationers stare at their toes! And I find out that here, like elsewhere, even at backpackers’ places, they’re not allowed to approach!!



The scene of the crime 🤬. Okay, fine, you can’t spend your whole day handing out bills, but in this case, they didn’t even get a smile or a thumbs-up! So let me tell you, after 10 days of thinking I was "sharing," that moment really, *really* got to me!! Unfortunately, like back home, I can’t save them all! So we ended up getting drunk 🍷🍺🍸😆... which didn’t stop me from being up at 5:30 AM to watch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean.

As soon as I step out of the room, I’m stunned: the lit-up pool, the sky over the sea starting to turn red, and right above my head, a tiny crescent moon—the one I’d been looking for last night under the starry sky but couldn’t find!



So I head out to walk on the beach to admire the show: 1 km, 5 km, okay, maybe just 500 m, girls 😅. And there, I discover yet another world—the guys heading out to fish, one of whom starts singing!



And as I’m heading back to the bar, I hear "Careless Whisper" playing in the distance, accompanying the Australians taking an early-morning dip. Another beautiful moment. But when the fishermen’s little boat passes by the vacationers, I can’t help but think how strange these corners of the planet are, where two worlds constantly cross paths... without really exchanging much at all!!

Your sunrises are stunning, Christelle! I think I appreciate them even more than sunsets, actually. Clever move—after seeing your photos, I’m regretting not making the effort to get up a little earlier! We were a bit further north than you (I was curious and checked on maps), and I *think* we saw the acrobats (or maybe not the same ones—I was in the sea, and from a distance, they looked like kids to me).

Okay, fair enough, we can't spend the whole day handing out bills, but in this case, they didn't even get a smile or a thumbs-up! So, I’ll just say that after 10 days of thinking I was "sharing," that moment—seriously—I hated it!!

I feel like I’m hearing myself! When I travel, I really struggle to get past that awkward feeling when I don’t give more than others. Though, it’s not just when traveling—at a red light somewhere in my city, when I don’t always have change or when people pretend to be on the phone while the clown performs to earn enough to eat. Gotta work on that guilt to stop living through those moments 😉

I have a special fondness for Kenya: My first trip as "independent travelers," my first safari, my first lions and elephants.

We stayed north of Mombasa, around Shanzu, and also discovered that "distance" between locals and tourists, especially on the beaches. But I have great memories of the encounters I had—more than 15 years later, I still keep in touch with some of them.

As for "approaches," we were at the hotel with two young French women who wanted to go out to a "club" in Mombasa and asked us to come along "for safety." They were safe, but I couldn’t stop being approached all night (which, by the way, was magical). I see that nothing has changed…

Alright, okay, we can't spend the whole day handing out bills, but in this case, they didn't even get a smile or a thumbs-up! So I’ll just say that after 10 days of thinking I was "sharing," that moment—seriously—I hated it!!

I feel like I’m hearing myself! When I travel, I really struggle to get past that discomfort I feel when I don’t give more than others. Though, it’s not just when traveling—at a red light somewhere in my city, when I don’t always have change or when people pretend to answer their phone while the clown performs to earn enough to eat. You’ve gotta work on that guilt to stop living through those moments 😉

Meanwhile, others are holding back from running them over. We reach some kind of balance. 🙂