Welcome to Malindi

Okay, this is going to be a pictureless post, because this computer/internet connection is being stubborn and doesn't want to load them, and I don't have the patience (or the insanity) to keep trying. So use your imaginations.

This morning I made the journey from Nairobi to Malindi, which was about two and a half hours waiting at the airport, followed by an hour flight to Malindi. Here's where your imagination (or your use of some sort of map on the internet) comes in: Nairobi is near the middle of the country, Malindi's on the coast.

I was picked up at the airport (I am loving this being picked up at the airport thing, by the way) and taken to my hotel, Scorpio Villas (there would be a picture here, so if you want to see it, Google would probably be your friend. Or waiting until tomorrow when I can try again to post a picture). It's a nice little resort on the beach, which I am told not to visit. It is apparently not safe. The resort is, don't worry (Mother). Then it was into the city of Malindi, which is pretty much stereotypical for a mid-sized city in the developing world (I'm beginning to notice trends in my world travels). A good portion of this time was spent trying to find an ATM that accepts MasterCard debit cards, instead of just VISA. I had to resort to giving up, using the MasterCard ATM locator online, and giving it a second try (which was successful). Since nowhere accepts credit cards, the cash is a must. And I wasn't thinking straight about conversion rates back when I was in Nairobi, where there are ATMs everywhere.

After that debacle (and before I actually got a decent amount of cash), it was out to lunch at a restaurant called Old Man and the Sea, which is (wait for it...) seafood. It was pretty good and seemed pretty well cooked, so I might not get a parasitic infection from this whole adventure. Then it was onto Malindi District Hospital, where I'll be working most of the next six weeks. They really only see patients in the morning, so there wasn't much for me to do other than meet some of the staff and get a judge of the distance between my hotel and the hospital (about the distance of three city blocks, and it's safe to walk it).

I headed back to the hotel after that and did some exploring, seeing all three of the pools on the resort (again, there would be pictures...) and the lack of a gym/fitness center, which means I'm going to have to get creative when it comes to getting some running in. There's a gym in town, so I might be doing that. And I did bring a few swimsuits (and goggles), so I'll be spending a lot of time in the pool, too.

Dinner with one of the doctors at the hospital rounded out my day and gave me a few directions to start looking when it comes to topics to present to the staff and projects to work on, and then that brings us back to here, where I'm lounging on my bed (again, I do have pictures) and typing this blog entry. Tomorrow should be time for some doctorish stuff... We'll see how that goes.