Whenever you are going to a new holiday destination you are faced with the nightmare of packing, what to carry and what to leave out. But if you have been to Diani Beach then you know what to carry especially this partially cold season.

I decided to draft this list for first time visitors to Diani Beach to make your visit worth. The items in my list are randomly prioritized and they include:

1. Camera- A holiday without a camera,video or still can never be remembered especially with family and friends. Make sure you have either or both with back up power. You don’t want the juice on your camera dying off just as you are capturing the most breath taking moment. If you use a digital still camera with rechargeable battery carry your power charger pack. You can access power in all hotels at Diani Beach. For cameras using regular batteries dont carry batteries because local stores like Nakumatt Supermarket stock them, all you need is sufficient memory cards. Remember Diani Beach power voltage rating is 240v and the plugs are English type. Oh, don’t leave your lenses behind because long shots will be your best bet to capture the wild animals if you take a safari.

2. Clothing – The kind of clothing you bring to Diani Beach is dictated by two factors. One, season, are you coming during the cold rainy season between April and July or the warm August December period. Secondly will you go on Safari to various reserves around Kenya? If you itinerary dictates your coming to Diani Beach over the rainy season  as the only stop then going back home, carry warm clothing but don’t carry winter clothing it isn’t that cold. If you are to embark on a safari to the reserves like the Mara,  have some trousers with you for night wear because all through the year night times are characterized by low temperatures plus the mosquitoes are most active then. The beach calls for loose clothing, shorts, t-shirts or swim wear for the ladies and sunglasses but you are advised to prepare according to season and destination. A hat to shield you from the rays will go a long way. Carry enough clothing for your stay because some lodges don’t have laundry services.

3. Medication -This can be anti-malarial tabs, anti diarrhea tabs, anti-fever tabs some of which you can get from local drug stores at Diani Beach. You will need plenty of sunscreen and mosquito repellent in its various forms. You can carry a repellent that will  keep both sand flies and mozzies at bay. Sand flies are a menace that can ruin your holiday.

4. Toiletries are a matter of preference because you can grab some from the local stores but if you have a specific brand then carry it with you.

AN assortment of toiletries

5. An easy attitude and an open mind.  With that you are well on your way to a fabulous holiday at Diani Beach.

You have this lovely 9 month or older tot who you must take on your Kenyan Safari at Diani Beach but are torn between dropping the trip and facing the numerous facets of baby travel. Take that trip without a doubt but first, some words of advice.

It all begins with packing proper clothing depending on the destination, Diani beach it is. Anti malarial shots and any other necessary vaccine should be first on the pre-travel check list. Emergency medicine for the cautious parent like fever tabs, play toys and diapers to boot.  Before you can do your own packing your luggage should be exceeding your airline’s weight limit.

A huge chunk of your time will be spent on the beach and kids of this age are hard to contain. You could spend a better part of your time panicking when you see an oncoming wave, running for cover and grabbing things from their mouths. Therefore a portable crib or playpen will come in handy to contain the ever wandering toddlers plus it also serves as the baby’s beach bed when they need to take a nap. Remember to carry an umbrella to shield the baby from the sun and a hat to cover them when they are awake and raring to crawl around. Sunscreen is also vital.

Take off on your flight to Diani beach could be the onset of your first problems with the baby if it is a first time flight. Ear pressure as the plane takes off and descends could be a source of discomfort for the young one. A simple trick of breast feeding at take off and landing does the trick or with the alternative of a suckling bottle. Older kids of three years or there about can do with chewing gum to tone down the anomaly.

You need a smaller bag with some of the basic necessities nearby during the flight containing change of clothes medication and baby food where necessary.

a small baby bag is necessary on long trips

Depending on when you decide to come down to Diani Beach you could be greeted by warm or cool weather. Weather changes agitate kids and they could turn cranky before adjusting to the new weather and environment. Pray that your baby sleeps soundly for most part of the trip probably until you get to your hotel room. Actually, the hotel room is another point of concern. Ensure that the hotel you are booking into offers child sitting services incase you need to leave the baby behind.

The room has also got to be child friendly with all the hazards taken care of like broken tables and sharp objects removed or replaced or better yet covered.
Before venturing out to the beach upon arrival it is advisable to give your child time to adjust to the new surrounding having found comfort in the familiar home territory. You can however bring a few home items like their favorite toy, blanket or photo to calm them down. Once they adjust, you can hit the beach with vigor.

Remember Diani beach just like any other beach has tiny shells or stones that could pose a choking hazard to the curious baby who will collect stuff and instantly sample with their mouths. Keep a watch before they choke on foreign elements.

Don't let the baby sit on the beach without a blanket

If you are in the company of another adult, take turns to watch over the baby to reduce the pressure on the mother being the sole minder. You are at Diani Beach for a holiday and not an extension of your home stay.

Ask your hotel if there is a resident doctor incase you need one and if not ensure there is a good hospital nearby. At Diani beach some of the hotels employ a resident doctor but without one the nearby Diani Hospital is safe and well equipped to handle most emergencies.
Finally when using a vehicle to get around, use a baby car seat at the back.

A baby's car seat

Hope those tips help to make your trip to Diani Beach with your baby uneventful and memorable.

What once used to be a house at the edge of the forest.

There’s a place not far from Diani Beach where Buffaloes still come out to graze and villagers of Maumba know that it would be fatal to be walking out at night. To get to the Maumba village, you go South towards Msambweni and then turn Westwards when you get to Gazi Village.

The coconut plantation of Gazi village

The road cutting through the coconut plantation is extremely sandy and rough with huge pools of water when it rains. There is a forest where the plantation ends. A quiet desolate area with no houses and lots of massive baboons. To get to Maumba Village, one takes a road that cuts right through the forest.

Massive trees of the forest.

With its massive trees and thick undergrowth, an eerie place to be on a bike especially when one remembers how bad tempered buffaloes can be. Getting to Maumba is not easy considering how loose the sand is and the steep hills just before you get to the village. The villagers walked me to the edge of the forest where I was shown buffalo tracks, but to see the real buffaloes I would need to go into the deep dark forest and I wasn’t ready for that.

No one to pick the firewood here.

What is incredible is how well that part of the forest is preserved with little minimal interference. There is little human occupation around that area and it is a beautiful quiet place.

The last shop, which was closed at this time.

The sandy path at the edge of the forest.

A homestead at Maumba village.

You may have read that there was a Video competition going on at www.dianibeachvideo.com. If you haven’t checked the videos submitted then you had better do that because the videos there are amazing. Here is my selection of the most memorable ones.

Amazing Flight over Diani Beach

This video shows all the areas of Diani Beach from the skies up there. It shows the amazing Diani Beach stretch starting from Chale to Tiwi. This spectacular video was shot from a microlight and the result is clear and unobstructed views of the forests, resorts, reef and beach below. This is the best clip so far you will find online if you want to see Diani Beach from the air.

Wrestling Vervet Monkeys

What would cause vervet monkeys to wrestle each other like that? This starts as a 1 on 1 wrestling match and quickly turns into a 2 on 1 match with 2 small vervet monkey wrestling a larger opponent. This wrestling match takes place atop a round table in a hotel somewhere. Is amazing the things technology gives us access to.

Morning at Galu Beach

Galu Beach is located further south of Diani Beach and is generally less developed and quieter.  See an amazing clip that captures the beautiful sunrise over the Indian ocean. It must have taken time to record the entire sunrise and that just shows how much people can be dedicated.

Kim4Love 9 day Festival

This 1minute 40 second video takes you through lots of shots from the KIM4LOVE Beach Festival. KIM4LOVE is a musician who performs and runs the KIM4Love fan-club that has set up base at the now defunct 2 Fishes hotel.The video is vibrant and catchy showing the people who turned up to see the performances by the local upcoming artistes while highlighting the work the Kim4Love is doing to help keep the youth gainfully engaged in music.

Diani Beach Kenya

This is by a mile my favourite video that takes us from the skies above to the waters below. The sight of dolphins, turtles and schools of colourful fish makes this one of the best Diani Beach Video I have ever watched.

See more of the videos here:Diani Beach Video

The Shikamana School (formerly known as Peace Village School) was founded in May 2002 in order to provide education for children, who due to poverty would otherwise not be able to attend school.

Many of these children are Orphans, now living either with a relative or a guardian found by the school.  Many are from single parent families, HIV and Aids is a sad reality in Africa and many of these children have already lost a parent to the disease, and are now living in poverty due to their surviving parent being too sick to work.  Many of these children may be HIV+
In the early days the school had just 6 children but 9 years on now has in excess of 360 children attending regularly.

The youngest children are barely three years old and the older children can be up to 19 years of age.  This enormous age range is due to many children not having the opportunity to attend school until  Shikamana expanded and by then they were perhaps 8 years old or more, and as they must progress through each class/educational step, and succeed in passing end of year exams before moving on to the next level, they are often still in Primary Education in their late teens.  The children follow the Standard Primary Curriculum in addition to beginning with three years in Kindergarten.

Shikamana does not turn away any child who wishes to attend school.  This means that many of the children attend despite their parents being unable to pay the very moderate school fees at Shikamana.  The school operates a sliding scale of fees according to what the parents can manage, those in work pay moderate but full fees, others pay what they can, but must do so regularly and at a predetermined rate, and for those who really cannot afford to contribute financially they do so by offering their service to a rota for cleaning, maintenance, gardening and helping in the kitchen.  Very few parents pay full fees, but all take pride in contributing to their children’s education.  The parents are also involved in many of the decision making processes at the school.

Shikamana School has had many problems over the years particularly regarding keeping premises for school use.  On more than one occasion the building (barely more than metal sheeting and ply wood) was dismantled and moved to a new piece of land in order to continue to exist.

In 2006 Mr & Mrs Wood from East Lothian, Scotland, came across the school while on holiday in Diani.  It had dust floors, no books or paper to speak of, and nothing more than teachers who were willing, for little or no money, to share their own knowledge with the growing number of children.  The Wood’s saw such potential in this school, they vowed to help.  Mr & Mrs Wood are still trustees of the Charity they created based in Scotland and still assist with helping to allocate funds raised by various methods and from generous donations.

Little did they know that by 2009 their efforts and actions would lead to an American Benefactor stepping forward and agreeing to purchase the school a large piece of land and build a purpose built modern structure to enable the school to exist  indefinitely.   More information on how this came about can be found at http://www.shikamanaschool-diani-kenya.com/2.html.

The result of this incredible good fortune is the lovely  school that can be seen and visited today.  Some people may say that all the school’s troubles are now over.  This could not be further from the truth.

The school building is impressive, and as such gives the impression that it must surely enjoy a good income.  Far from it; the building costs a lot to maintain, particularly when it was designed for far fewer children than the numbers in attendance now.   The popularity of the school, resulting in such increased attendance figures, is not just due to the relentless hard work of its founder, but also due to the American Benefactor providing a feeding program which supplies a nutritious meal for each child on each school day.  Many children do not eat at all on the days they don’t attend school, and as a result long school holidays create many health problems for these poor families.   This feeding program and health program paid for by the American lady, has not  only enabled  the children’s overall health to improve, but is a sure fire way of motivating children to attend school every day!

Today the school is extremely proud of its building and of its improved standard of education closely linked with the improved health and well being of the children who attend each day.  However the school management team face the daily task of making the fees paid by a small percentage of the parents stretch to provide teaching materials, books, pencils, paper etc.  They have to pay their electricity bill,no electric means no water as their supply relies on a powered pump.

The staff receive a meagre payment each month, but must supplement this themselves from the income they receive from school fees.   The dedication of these staff is incredible when considering just how little income they receive for their hard work.  The maths just don’t add up!

When I  first came across the school, the building was still fairly new, they had moved in just fourmonths before.   The pride and enthusiasm of the staff was matched only by that of the smiling children in their dusty, ragged blue uniforms.  My family and I had taken two cases full of useful items to be distributed, but could soon see that what would benefit the school most was increased income.  It was at this time I realised I had to help this great school, hidden away near the Ukunda airstrip.

I promised to create a website, which would provide a single source of information about the school, so that all interested parties could be directed towards a full history and  a clear  picture of the schools circumstances.  This website has now been operating for more than a year, and I am sure theincrease in visitors to the school demonstrates its success.

I promised to create a website, which would provide a single source of information about the school, so that all interested parties could be directed towards a full history and  a clear  picture of the schools circumstances.  This website has now been operating for more than a year, and I am sure theincrease in visitors to the school demonstrates its success.

www.shikamanaschool-diani-kenya.com

Most visitors, as we did, take useful items or help with donations for text books etc, but I could see that a regular income would be the only way to allow the school to survive and in time thrive.

Last Spring I created and  now run a successful sponsorship scheme for individual children at the school.  For just £60 a year, (£5 a month/ £20 a term) a sponsor provides new uniform and shoes for their chosen child, additional food to help the families during long school holidays, and any other essentials their child may need.  In addition to this direct support, the school receives an income for each child sponsored, just as it would receive fees if the parents were able.  It really is amazing just how far such a small donation can go! It is not necessary to have visited the school to join this scheme; I have a list of profiles of children in most need.  This  scheme  helps hugely with the day to day running costs of providing good quality education.  In return the sponsor receives three or four letters a year from the child, a school report once a year to show exam results and grades, occasional photographs and any other important news about the child.

This schemes runs without any administrative costs.  Each term the full £20 per child goes directly to benefit the child and its education.  For this reason amongst others this  scheme is growing at a very pleasing rate.  In the first year I have commitments for 40 sponsored children, and am hoping that number will be 100 by the end of my second year raising awareness of this worthy cause.

I am lucky, I have been to Kenya 4 times, and am already planning to return again later this year.  Each time I leave Diani, I leave a little piece of my heart behind.  When I visited the school in February this year, I was delighted to discover many small improvements have been implemented since my last visit and I am very proud that the school staff value my opinions regarding their plans for the future.

As an ex teacher myself, I can see the differences  between schools in the UK and schools in Kenya, I also see huge similarities such as their determination to provide a full curriculum, evidence of good discipline and imparting to the children the importance of education and it’s direct correlation with a good standard of living.  However,  the overwhelming difference has to be the attitude of  the children.  They have nothing in comparison to my two very privileged children and many others I know, but they all greet each visitor with a huge genuine smile.  Their school is dusty and hot, and the teachers have little equipment to make lessons varied and interesting, but each child is attentive and understands the need to succeed, and takes pride in doing so.

I am very proud to be involved in supporting this wonderful school and sincerely hope that many of those reading this article will feel able to do the same.

Julie VoiceCamberley, Surrey, UK

Julie.voice@btinternet.com

www.shikamanaschool-diani-kenya.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKhbAtIFMs4

Swahili is the 7th most widely spoken languages in the world, with 100 million speakers. It is Kenyas national language alongside English and here is the roughest of all guides you will ever read on this site.

Swahili is a vast language of East coast of Africa, that stretches from the South of Somalia to the North of Mozambique, via the islands of Pate, Lamu, Pemba, Zanzibar and Mafia. Swahili also extends inland to Uganda, Congo, Burundi, Zambia and Malawi.
For those trying out Swahili for the first time, worry not for it is one of the easiest African languages to learn as doesn’t contain any unpronounceable sounds.
Swahili has only 5 vowels pronounced as below:

A, E, I, O, U .

A, a [a] pronounced like the “A” in FAR.

E ,e [e] pronounced like the “E” in BED,EGGI ,

i [i] pronounced like the “I” in KIT, SICKO ,

o [o] pronounced like the “O” in OFF,ODD.U ,

u [u] pronounced like the “OO” in TOO, COOL.

98% of the people you find in Diani speak swahili and it is great to learn a few useful words whenever you are in Diani or anywhere else in East Africa. As a matter of fact, the people along Diani Beach and the greater Mombasa area are native speakers of swahili. Therefore, Diani Beach is one of the best places to learn swahili in its purest form.

We will start with a few basic words, just remember to pronounce the vowels correctly as shown above and the consonants as you do in English.

The two basic kinds of greeting are based on habari, “news”, and jambo, “matter”.
Habari bwana —————-  hello sir

habari, bibi ——————– hello madam

The standard reply to habari is:
mzuri —————————-I’m fine

For example:

habari yako, bwana? ————-hello, sir?

Reply:
mzuri ——————————  fine

mzuri, tu ————————— just fine (tu means just)

mzuri sana————————    very fine (sana means very)

Jambo would be loosely translated to “howdy”.

However, Jambo greetings change according to gender and number of persons as follows.

hujambo, bwana ————————   hello, sir?

Reply

sijambo, bibi —————————-    I’m fine, madam

Greetings to more than one person

hamjambo  ——————– hello

Reply

hatujambo ————————— we’re fine, madam

For tourists the shortened form is commonly used so just say JAMBO to everyone and they will happily say Jambo right back at you.