On Monday, the groundsman of the place I’m staying kindly took me to see Malindi, the largest urban centre in Kilifi County, first mentioned in historical records in the 13th century and for many years a dominant port city rivalled only by Mombasa. Now it is largely a centre of tourism.
First stop: the Vasco da Gama pillar, a coral pillar erected by the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama who arrived in Malindi in 1498 to sign a trade agreement with the Sheik of Malindi and hire a guide for his voyage to India.
It thought it rather underwhelming, but I was told by my guide that it was a ‘very, very important place’ and I was ‘very, very lucky’ to be there. So here I am, lucky indeed:
Next, the hustle-and-bustle of Malindi traffic, an Indian-owned fabric shop…
….and the old fruit and veg market: