The Coastline

I have been visiting the Kenyan coastline for as long as I can remember and longer still.  It is the most beautiful one I have seen.  The warm turquoise and azure waters, and the fine white sand beaches have made it a haven for locals and tourists alike, many of whom eventually settled there and created niche communities and businesses. There is a certain quality to the balmy air that seems to float rather than blow.  The people walk with a slow saunter rather than the hustling, bustling movements of the city.  And the song of Swahili that lingers in the air sings more of the Arabic influence on the language. 

This trip to the coast was unique for me.  It was the first time my children had seen this place, and I was moved to see them playing in the surf, searching for shells, barefoot and sun-kissed, choking from time to time on sea water, like I did as a child.  

Additionally, all of my siblings were together again, gathering from the far reaches of the globe for the first time in fifteen years.  We came together with the most loving intention to celebrate our father’s 80th birthday. Moreover, we were celebrating a man who has achieved so much and worked so hard for his family for so many years in the only place where he actually relaxes completely.  It was such a pleasure to be together in celebration of the greatest man in our lives, three generations of us, all imbibing in one another for a time. 

And, as an added splash of extravagance, I was taken in flight over the an expansive stretch of this coastline by my big brother, Hassan.  He is a pilot, but, moreover, he is a true conservationist.  He is the founder and CEO of the most recognized carbon offset project on the African continent, and he uses his planes to survey and take census of the lands he and his team protect in Zambia.  On this day, he took me on an exploratory flight from where we were on Diani beach to the Wasini Island marine wildlife preserve.  It was spectacular.  I was astounded by how wild much of it remains, and felt an overwhelming sense of hopefulness by the sight of such wilderness. And, to see him flying, in his element, sharing his love for aviation and wild places was his great gift to me.  I saw the coast from a perspective I had never before imagined.  It is even more beautiful than I previously thought possible. 

To know more about Hassan, look to biocarbonpartners.com.  It is a great contribution to humanity and the life’s work of a true visionary.