Footloose and fancy free

November 9th 2020

....kind of feels like it not wearing our bicycles. We hop on the next tuk-tuk or a motorcycle or walk a while with one big back pack and a couple of little ones. We do have our tent with us....even more freedom on where we go.

And today we are here in Kilifi. A little town on the main road to Mombasa, going south. Not much different than all the others we been through. BUT, we looked at the overlander app and somebody talked about an eco camp....African living...

We went, met Juma on his tuk -tuk in town. He took us on the dirt road...up and down towards a body of water called Kilifi Creek. When we got there we listened to his stories..

While he picked up one kid another was terrified seeing us white skins: musungus. He told us he has four sons, one wife...his father had 12 wives and SIXTYTHREE children.......let that sink in for a minute or two....

The land is huge and so is the family. Juma took it upon himself to share his family and his land with travelers, so he is calling it the eco -camp. Offering to follow and learn what this Kenyan/African family does all day, all week. He invited us to go fishing, help with Swahili cooking and eating, taking us around, playing with his children. One of the boys stuck around us like glue...never said a word, he was too busy taking us in…..he couldn’t put anything out.

He sat next to my chair, fell asleep, woke up when I got up...sat up sleep drugged and wobbly. So I picked him up and secured him on my lap where he slept on for another two hours. I was in heaven! I was honored! I was in bliss! 

I wish we could stay for a week and really learn/understand Kenyan living. Now I really want to come back!

Found the above in my notes…guess I never transferred this story into my journal. Probably not finished the way I intended it, but this is how far I got. (June 9th 2021)