Mr. & Mrs. Vandebilt + kids

As much as I loved Diani Beach, the sand, sun and lovely temperatures, there was another side to the life most people on the beach lead.

We’ve become quite used to having people try to sell us things, world over, so much so that we often just say ‘no thank you’ to people as we walk past. It usually makes it easier. Diani was no exception. There were people the length of the beach selling all kinds of souvenirs, everything from carvings to material from fresh coconuts to banana leaf hats.

Most of them were quite nice and usually we would have a small chat with them as we walked down the beach. It could definitely get annoying but at the same time, we were one of the few who took the time to even say hello; most people just shook them off or could be quite rude. It was hard to remember that this was probably not their first choice for employment, and that they are not trying to bother you. They are trying to make a living. Sometimes it was quite sad to see the same guy day in day out knowing that he hadn’t sold anything. You could see them get more and more desperate because it was low season and times were tough.

Low season was a hard thing for everyone, not just the souvenir sellers on the beach. It also means that all of the people who typically work at the resorts and restaurants are out of a job. Most of them will come down to the beach for something to do. They exercise, practice acrobatics or just enjoy the sunshine and the water. Unfortunately though, the restaurants that remain open have a problem with this. The restaurant where we ate most days (the only ‘budget’ one available) hired Masaai to chase the beach boys away with sticks. Literally with sticks.

All over the beach, and Ukunda for that matter, it was a common sight to see older white men and women walking hand in hand with young (and often quite beautiful) Kenyans. Talking to some of our friends we soon confirmed what we suspected, the Africans were being hired as escorts. While it’s not something I would choose to do, it is something I could probably easily overlook. That was, however, until we talked about it with our friend Nancy.

Nancy told us a story about a man she had seen around the resort near to where she works who arrived one year and promptly found himself several young girlfriends. One of these girls, it seems, had HIV. This same man then went back home to his clean, and advanced hospitals and medicine, got himself some help and then continued to come back year after year always seen with a few girls throughout his vacation. Years later she remembers seeing this same man withered away to skin and bones still continuing his dating practices. As Nancy told us this story, I remember feeling sick to my stomach. AIDS being prevalent in Africa is no secret, and is a very real and very large problem. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this is part of the way it’s spreading.

These men (and women) come on vacation knowing the risks but at the same time also know that they probably only have about 10-20 years left to live anyway. In our state of the art hospitals and access to drugs, you can definitely live that long with HIV. The young women (and men) you leave behind will most likely be dead before you return.

We were lucky enough to get to stay on Diani Beach for two full weeks and I look back on it as one of the most real times of our trip. It was where we connected most with locals simply because we took the time to relax and have a conversation with some friendly people and learn a little bit about what actually goes on.