Molly to Kenya: Wasini Island

Baba, Mama, and one of my Aunties, Mama Anifa (called that because Anifa is her youngest), took me on another adventure this weekend. Mama Anifa and Baba were born on Wasini Island, a small picturesque island off the coast near Tanzania. There are expensive tours to go swim with dolphins in Wasini, but I had the best tour guides—locals who know everyone on the island! The island community is like one big family, and Baba and Mama Anifa still have most of their cousins and extended family living there.

We took a tiny motor boat from Shimoni, the nearest tiny town to the island. Soon, we were in an interesting mix of a tourist’s paradise and a typical African village. One end of the island is filled with hotels and diving companies, but we spent our time climbing over coral and trekking dirt paths to get to each of Baba’s relatives’ houses to pay our visits. At first I was a little bummed we wouldn’t be going to the famous marine park on the island to see the dolphins, but I realized that that was a different experience for another time—this was my chance to see the lesser-known side of Wasini. Everyone was so welcoming of the mgeni (visitor) and I drank at least 5 cups of chai… no small feat in the heat that was somehow even hotter than Msambweni! Mama and Baba wanted to include a little of the more-known cultural activities in our trip so we visited a mangrove and coral garden. The coral rocks reminded me of visiting Stonehenge, except this was completely natural. Mama proudly explained to me that it was a nature conservatory, however 5 minutes later she gleefully dared Baba and I to climb on the coral and see who could get higher! Always up for some fun :-)

The day was completed with a sunset piki-piki (motorbike) ride home through the South Coast. Unfortunately Kenya hasn’t adopted the motorbike helmet laws that I’m so passionate about in Vietnam—looks like I have my work cut out for me in the East African public health policy realm?