ocean camp

saturday morning we depart muhaka for the last time.. packing is a nightmare. so much stuff to fit back into my oversized backpack whilst trying to make sure i haven't forgotten anything.. its so weird knowing this is probably the last time i'll be seeing the thatched-roof dorms that have been my homestead for the past 3 months.. i'm not feeling sad in the slightest though - muhaka was great and i've really enjoyed the program but it's been a while i feel it's time i moved on. we all do a quick check-over around the property, say goodbye to our darling chefs and eustace, then pass our heavy backpacks up onto the safari truck roof and pile in. as the 'camp muhaka' sign disappears down the dirt road i feel a bubbling of excitement inside of me - the muhaka era has come to an end, i wonder what lies ahead..?

we drive along diani beach, past forty thieves, past the camp kenya office and further still until we're passing by nice ocean-front villas and gorgeous hotels.. eventually we turn off and down a rocky track that takes us closer and closer to the ocean.. and then we see two camp kenya staff standing outside a palm-frond fence to greet us!! you've gotta be kidding me.. we're practically ON the beach!! everyone is so keen to see what this camp looks like and we run in like little kids only to discover the cutest little set-up: tents lined up on the sand, palm-frond showers with open roofs under swaying palm trees, a little beach bar, some masai jewelry stalls near the shore, a volleyball net and finally a long beach of pristine white sand spilling into the azure sea. i could not imagine a better way to spend my last five days in kenya!!

after a brief orientation we're given our program for the camp and then it's free time until monday (: we spend the day basking in the sun, drinking ice-cold beers with the staff who are all absolute legends and playing volleyball both in the water and on the beach. it's such a nice way to end the trip - quality time for us to chill out and enjoy each other's company. later, rinsing off the sea salt we discover the shower water tank has warmed up in the sun, effectively the first warm-ish shower since our arrival!! bliss. it's only been a day and i'm in paradise.

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the rest of the week takes a similar pace.. during the day we alternate between sea, beach and the shade of the bar.. during the night, seb, joe, george and i systematically wander down to the beach where a camp kenya staff member kindly helps us set up a fire using dried coconut husks. the stars are incredible and we spend a few hours there, chatting and swapping stories, watching the husks crackle and spit as the flames lick the furry hairs off them.. life here has such a relaxed, breezy rhythm.. whenever there are no pre-organise activities, we're free to do as we please and have the beach as our playground..

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the ongoing project at ocean camp is a flip-flop recycling project whereby garbage is removed from the beach and the rubber from discarded flip-flops/sandals is used to make art. there is a large model whale-shark being currently patch-worked with the rubber which we try to contribute to, as well as some people making their own bracelets, beer holders, balls, etc. i think it's a fantastic idea - camp kenya has already created a giant sea-turtle from flip-flops which is displayed out the front of the Diani Nakumatt (supermarket) alongside a sign reading "it took 10,000 flip flops to make this turtle, it takes only one to kill it.. don't let it be yours!" as well as my treasured flip-flop lion in tsavo and they honestly look fantastic.

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early monday morning we head out for a fishing trip with some local fishermen. we climb into these rustic wooden boats which we're told are hollowed out mango tree trunks and set sail. unfortunately the weather is pretty cold and drizzly and quite a few people end up being seasick so we return to shore earlier than planned. one of the fishermen decides to teach us a little about basket traps for lobsters and the such but unwittingly manages to insult three of the girls in our group within the first 30 secs of his speech which is unfortunate.. i suppose it's with mixed feelings we left the place but i personally was still glad to have experienced traveling on the fishing boat and trying to imagine what life is like for these men.

we also have a group of visiting school kids arrive on wednesday to join with us in a beach clean up. we set out for a walk carrying big garbage bags and picking up whatever rubbish we come across, separating plastic bottles from flip flops from general trash. the children seem excited to be by the sea and a few of them are really eager to make conversation. i befriend a 14-yr old boy called peter who's english is impressive and who asks me to add him on facebook when i get home :p so cute.. once we reach the end of the beach, we then end up playing a big game of duck-duck-goose on the sand.

(i unfortunately didn't bring my camera out with me on either of these activities but i know george has a few snaps of the beach cleanup i'll be able to show you at a later date)