Urrah, they are back!
Paraphrasing the famous hens of the animated feature film, regarding the new arrivals of compatriots on the coast of Kenya these days, one could speak of "Retirees on the run" or thinking of an old science fiction film, "The invasion of the over-eighty".
Malindi and Watamu in particular, after the end of the vacations, are experiencing an unexpected extension of the season as a sort of "third time" (or perhaps it would be better to say "third age") in which to welcome a certain number of tourists, almost all recurring, who in reality legally could not leave Italy to travel to any African country.
But who cares! Never before has the saying "you only live once" been so true as in the case of the elderly, and that time is practically running out...do we want to deny them the pleasure of warming their tired limbs in the equatorial sun? If young people in Italy prefer to stuff themselves with liquor and end the nightlife in brawls or sexual abuse, rather than fight for a better future with a knife in their teeth, let the revolution be carried out by grandparents, armed with self-certifications and passports clenched between their teeth. As survivors of a war, they have defied fear, been prisoners of the lockdown, been electroshocked and brainwashed by virologists and politicians, and we want to deny them the penultimate pindaric flight, with a stopover in Addis Ababa?
Of course, some of the ways of temporary expatriation make us smile ... the letter of invitation to an eighty year old man who comes to Kenya for work is the stuff of Totò and Peppino, as well as who candidly confesses to participate as a travel expert at a conference organized by a safari agency of beach boys or who goes to do active volunteer work in the hut of Kazungu.
The creativity and imagination of the Italians, on the other hand, have no limits and it's nice to know that our sprightly old men and women still have dreams to chase, even if they may be slow and limping. The important thing is that they have all set aside some old disreputable habits, which are neither pleasant to think about, nor edifying (indeed they are often downright sleazy) to see.
Given that many of them have not even taken out insurance because they blindly rely (even if freshly cataracted) on African destiny, it is at least good to know that viagra with omicron is not really so indicated.
For the rest, the coastal resorts of Kenya are always here to welcome everyone with a smile, good weather, fresh fruit and fish, and with male and female caregivers used to having to understand Italian available for a few euros a day.
Everything is as you left it, for those who still remember.
But for all an affectionate welcome back!

(Picture by Gianni Boradori)