Beached by the sun

Last evening to a lovely little sun downer restaurant and bar a short distance from Alhamra  just south of Malindi in Kenya, is on archipelago with the Indian Ocean on one side and a little more than a quarter of a mile away a tidal inlet which is where Pourra Piri (I think that is what it was called) is situated and which is the subject of my first picture today. Out host Nigel Rowley, the brawn behind Medina Palms (the brains and the style are supplied by his wife Lesley who helped Sonia Irving conceive and dress Amber Lounge in the early days which has now gone on to become a premium brand in the world of Formula One) upon seeing some geckho’s, small lizards, lurking behind the bar as we put away a couple of wonderful cocktails, suggested that what the bar needed was a geckho blaster.

Time for a sun downer

Earlier in the day after a trip into Malindi where I had some made to measure shorts made for a little over an ill octopus, that is six quid at today’s exchange rates. The reverend Jeff had predicted dire puns and I guess that was something of the sort. They say that only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, but with half an hour before lunch was served, I decided on a short walk. Alhamra, where we are staying in staggering comfort and looked after by the most attentive staff I have ever encountered, is two minutes walk along a lane to the beach and from where I took this photo of the famous white sands (the fourth best beach in the world according to the Sunday Times) and specifically of the sand bar that extends out over half a mile at low tide.

The sand bar at Watamu Beach

There are permanent Masai guards at the gates, not necessarily for security as crime is rare, but to ensure guests feel safe. James, our day guard wears a Manchester United shirt under his traditional Masai Robe. I will try to get a picture before I leave. The sun, the cocktails and the matchstick coloured face should have forewarned me that I had overdone the sun so I took to my bed early with a rehydration drink and several pints of water inside me. You would think that my swarthy appearance, and having lived in the Cote d’Azur for seven years may have prepared me for the strength of the sun, but even although temperatures were somewhat below those that one accepts as normal in the south of France, the sheer power of the equatorial sun is something I had never before experienced. Today, I must collect my tailored shorts from Malindi and then we are going to explore nearby Turtle Bay where no doubt hundreds of anxious traders will attempt to get us to part with our cash. The Kenyans are lovely smiling people with a great sense of humour, football mad and although the traders can be persistent will back away if you ask, this is best done with a joke.. The place and the population reminds me of Barbados twenty years ago. Golf is on the horizon on Friday at and already the wager discussions have commenced. It seems that lost balls may be a problem because even the caddies supplied are reluctant to go too deep into the bush. Apparently we will see baboons and may even see a giraffe foraging in the jungle. There may be some other animals on the golf course, but i will be playing with them.

Chris France