On the opposite side of the road from the hotel was a large building I noticed yesterday with a flat rooftop. I had seen an African hanging out the washing and later a woman wearing a sari collecting it in. Now I realise it is a school for Indian or Asians only. Cars were arriving and an African girl stepped forward and collected each child then took them inside to a courtyard. The children arrived in all forms of transport including the back of a utility from where three of them were lifted out. I felt sorry for one mother who had walked her child to school, to then have a screaming child clinging to her removed. At 9.00am the children all gathered into a circle, holding hands they began to sing My Darling Clementine. It amused me as it was unexpected and because the children were very small.
We went down to the First Floor for breakfast and then John arranged for some washing to be done. As prearranged the taxi driver came for us at 10.20am. Our first port of call was Forex in order to change some money. We then headed out on the Malindi road to visit Haller Park. There has been a cement works in this area for years and as the works move on an unsightly scar is left on the landscape. The Cement Works funded Dr. Haller, a Swiss, to give nature a helping hand and introduce plants and animals. Firstly quick growing pines were planted and other species of trees and flora later. There are now lakes due to excavations down to below the water table. The first animals we saw were three Waterbuck standing in a lake chomping the water lilies, swimming around were varying sizes of Talapia and Catfish. In a compound, being viewed by a school party of small people with their teachers, were giraffe, oryx and eland. There were giant tortoises wandering around, for commerce there are large fish tanks containing Talapia, which are sold to the local people and restaurants for cash. In pits live 500 crocodiles of varying sizes from very small to very large. The eggs are incubated to control the sexes, 30ºC produces males and 28ºC females. Now the numbers are high enough to enable them to be sold for meat and skins for shoes and handbags. There are segregated snakes and their own accommodation with quite a few varieties. Living there also are three hippos, one a pair the other solitary as its partner died. The park is quiet and lush with many varieties of birds.
Afterwards, stopping on our return journey we called in to a place for a drink, inviting the taxi driver to have one also. Quite near the hotel we noticed that there were many people in a small park listening to a Speaker. On asking out driver what it was all about, he replied, “They are hearing about God”. We then had a small lunch that turned out to be a substantial lunch. It is always assumed, it seems that Europeans have enormous appetites. We then spent the rest of the afternoon reading. On going up to dinner we saw that Katherine was there again and already had a beer. Afterwards we sat out by the pool under the stars before retiring to bed.