I come from a little coastal town in Italy and we were planning our vacation. Kenya was the destination. However there seemed to be a major obstacle to our plans. Hotels in Mombasa and Malindi were fully booked. In my despair, someone mentioned a place called Kilifi. Reluctantly I agreed to go to this unheard of and unknown place. Little did I know that I was making a date with destiny. I had not been here for five minutes when I knew I had to be back. I knew that not only did I have to be back, I had to be back to stay. I went back to Italy, sold my property and came back. I bought a house started my business and the rest as they say, is history. I was executive director of a Washington based organization facilitating aid to African nations.

I had visited Kilifi some years back and on my first visit here, I knew I had to be back. I tried my best to forget Kilifi but it just wouldn't go away. Before I knew what was happening, I had left my job in the United States and I was back in Kilifi - living there and enjoying it. Ever so often I get calls of great offers around the world but none of them has had the pull to take me from Kilifi. Right now, I work in the UK once a month and come right back to Kilifi when I'm done. There is absolutely no where on the face of the Earth like Kilifi. Stories like this are the common thing in this amazing little town.

What is it that has such an effect on people? Everyone that visits Kilifi wants a part of it. We asked around to find out what it was about Kilifi that had the drawing power. Was it the hospitality of the people? I have personally been a victim of that hospitality. People want you to come to their homes for a meal. Now that was foreign to me! Where I had come from, if you wanted to have a meal with someone you took them to a restaurant. very few people visited your home who were not immediate family. So, yes, the hospitality could be a factor. When in Kilifi, you feel welcome. This is such a strange thing. Its not as if you have to interact with people or have people say welcome to you. There is just something so welcoming about the very air.

Then there is the fact that Kilifi is the one in a few African towns where you hear of things like a yacht race or a kayak event! I remember a particular sailboat race I witnessed. It was so cool. We all gathered at the members club to see the sail boats return and once they passed the embers club, everyone made their way tot he boatyard where the race was going to end and prizes given. It was such fun. Another fun part of the whole boat life is when there are fishing competitions. I have seen fishermen bring out 5 feet Sail fishes from their boats. Its always fun to look out for the flag being raised by the boats as they return.

Of course just like you guessed everyone wants to see who caught a shark!