Tides rule Twiga beach. At the moment high tide peaks at 3am or so and by 6am crystal clear blue water covers the reef. The water retreats rapidly and just after we’ve finished coffee the reef is exposed. For nearly a kilometer straight out and stretching south to Tanzania  and north to Mombasa you can beach comb to infinity or until the tide comes in. There are countless sparkling tide pools. There are shells hidden in the rocks and any number of bizarre creatures to be examined. Seductive waves roll over the outer reef, looking fun and playful. Unable to resist, on our third day at the beach Jim and I went out to swim in those waves and how lucky we were to come back unscathed. The waves may look playful but they are breaking on to coral just a foot below the water and hanging on the coral are scores of sea urchins ready with their spines. There are no sharks but with carpets of urchins, sharks are the least of it. You might be thinking that a proliferation of urchins signals a poor reef environment. Yes, the reef has doubtlessly seen better days but on the surface (haha) it appears that the reef can cope, if given a chance.  Let us hope so. Walking out on the reef, the air is cooler, the water refreshing, the finds endless – you just have to  remember to come back and not walk all the way to Tanzania unless you happen to be carrying your passport.

Bird life consists of the usual shorebirds and herons plus a pair of woolley-necked storks that hang around at low tide. Vervet monkeys (with their turquoise-blue balls), Sykes monkeys and the fashionable black and white Colobus monkeys range through the trees, wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting. The camp dogs do a fair job of keeping the monkeys in check, not that the camp dogs are that much better than the monkeys. Covered with fleas and ticks and continually bloody sores, they are not best-in-show. They are, however, the friendliest little dogs ever. They will let every kid in camp manhandle them, chase them around, pull their ears and hug them. I cannot help but wonder if the parents have noticed how truly mangy the dogs are – but what the heck, we pet them. Gingerly. No hugs.

Our time in Kenya is winding to a close. We entered the country from rainy Uganda looking like drowned rats in a mud-covered truck. Now we are tanned and rested and instead of mud there is sand in everything. Kenya has endeared herself to us completely. The elections and all that hoopla were a bit off-putting at first with locals warning us of awful possibilities, none of which came to pass as yet. We have enjoyed every minute of this glorious country, from Eldoret to Turkana to Nairobi to Barefoot Beach and on down the stunning Swahili coast to Twiga. Kenyans have been overwhelming friendly and helpful and they do this in stride, being friendly and helpful comes easy for them. The many faces of Kenya, black, white, tribesman, Arab, Indian, muslim, hindu – so many people proudly call themselves Kenyan. Politics aside (if only that were possible) Kenya is the most organized and prosperous country we’ve seen in East Africa. Yes, there are difficulties. Spasms of ethnic violence have scarred towns and villages. The Land Rover Defender parked behind us has bullet holes in it, its driver killed in a bandit attack. Infiltrators and terrorists have demolished the tourist trade. Still, Kenya is lovely and hospitable and its people are poised to lead in Africa. Come here and see for yourselves. Tell everyone jambo for us.