Friday August 6th

We were supposed to make our own way to the airport in Nairobi, but there were spare seats on the Kuoni bus, so we were able to get a lift. Leaving the hotel at 8:30 am, we needed to be up reasonably early. Nairobi airport has the feel of a relatively small provincial airport, rather than a major International terminus, but did give us a pleasant surprise. One arriving the previous week, Sue changed a traveller's cheque and only later discovered that we had been given the $ rate rather than the £ rate. Rather optimistically, we went back to the International Terminal, to find that the bank had discovered the mistake and had the balance of the Kenyan currency ready for us to collect.
We waited in the departure lounge with a group of other Kuoni guests who were going on to Monbasa for a week and right on time our flight was called. Our tickets said Eagle Aviation so we expected to be on the plane on the left. In fact we were on the Kenya Airways ATR on the right. Security was not very tight on the apron. We were pointed in the general direction of the plane and invited to walk out. We had plenty of time to walk around it and take photographs.
	Malindi Airport The flight was uneventful. We arrived at the very small airport and Malindi almost spot on time. The airport has two flights per day, one to Lamu and one to Nairobi. Our arrival brought the children from the nearby school rushing to the fence. No air bridges, no luggage carousels. The luggage was brought out on tolleys and we helped ourselves.
The Taxi Getting from the airport to our hotel was our responsibility and this time there was no Kuoni van to help! There was a taxi waiting for trade. We had read the warnings about the condition of taxis, but nothing could prepare us for what we got. The car had a badly dented roof, so that I had to sit sideways, no side windows, no instruments of any description, no seat belts and the drivers seat back was broken so that he couldn't lean back. When we got going it seemed to be firing on three cylinders only and half way to the hotel the driver had to stop and put more air into the tyres. We arrived safely but declined to book the same taxi for the return joureny!
	Turtle Bay After the taxi ride, Turtle Bay Beach Club was another world. We were expected and virtually all of the necessary paperwork was already done. There was a cool drink while we were signed in and fitted with a wrist band that was our passport to hotel services. The hotel is set in gardens on the side of a hill sloping down to the sea. As a result getting from the lobby area down to our room was down what at first seemed an endless flight of stairs. It being lunchtime, we were taken straight to our room and then to the self-service lunch area around the pool. The hotel itself was reasonable quality, not de luxe by any stretch of the imagination. We had rooms in the beach front block. Our patio opened onto sand with palm trees, with the beach the other side of the wall.
The hotel was set in beautiful gardens. The palm trees near the main restaurant were the home to a myriad of Golden Weaver birds.
	After lunch we were given a guided tour of the hotel by the Duty Manager .. a really nice touch and spent the rest of the day gently exploring and relaxing. The hotel is right on a beautiful sandy beach, but during the summer months the prevailing winds pile up seaweed above the water line. Dinner was in the main restaurant, buffet style like most of the meals in the hotel.

Friday August 6th

Day 10 - Nairobi to Turtle Bay