No water in the taps this morning, but the tide is high so we can go for a swim in the ocean, followed by rinsing off in the pool, after drinking the morning tea or coffee left on our veranda at 6:30 each morning, with saran wrap over the milk and sugar to keep the gazillions of miniature ants out. This is the best time of day. Between 11 and 4 is just too hot.
Bottled water ordered with your meal is ceremonially opened and served like wine; the hotel has ‘big tanks’ but further down the road, past several hotels and away from the spring, there is none. The rainy season didn’t happen this year in November/December.
Yesterday we got into the rhythm of life in retirement and on holiday: 2 hours for breakfast, went for a stroll on the reef at low tide for a couple of hours, 2 hours for lunch, finished a novel, swam in the pool & took a long siesta.
 |
| Watamu Beach |
 | |
| Coral Islands |
 |
| Rock Pools |
 |
| Eel |
Then, at 4, we were picked up by Eric to go for tea with him and & Elaine. They have a bungalow in the middle of a walled garden full of flowering trees and bouganvillea, down a coral and sand track barely navigable by their car not far from the hotel. A delightful little oasis amongst the shacks and dukas which line the road. Tea on the veranda under the slowly rotating fan rolled into snifters of gin and tonic as we reminisced about the old days and ‘do you remember’ turned to talk of now grown children and their crop of grandchildren.
This morning Elaine has promised to take me shopping to the local dukas to buy kitenge shirts, a kikoy or two and maybe a dress for me. Despite travelling with two suitcases each, one for cold climate clothes and one for hot, I don’t seem to have much to wear besides a collection of T-shirts. One each of shorts, jeans, short dress and long dress isn’t enough as they need to go in the laundry after one wearing. It’s too hot, sweaty and dusty; sand and red earth quickly get into everything. Swim suits aren’t worn in the dining room or bar.
No comments:
Post a Comment