Nemos

On the lighter side of my trip to Kenya, I have finally dove in the Indian Ocean!! Here in Malindi there is a Marine Nature Reserve which is home to Kenya's best diving. I did two dives this morning, 15m and 10m depth respectively.
The fish life was fabulous and a huge difference to the fishes I've seen in Canada where I've done most of my diving, as well as Lake Malawi where I've dove most recently, which is of course freshwater and completely different from the marine environment.
I've finally seen anemone fish (or Nemo's for you non-fisheries people). They have eluded me for some time as they only exist in the Indian and Pacific Oceans (is the Gulf of Thailand in the Indian or Pacific Ocean?). I also saw octopus, 2 octopuses actually, who were mating in their den. Which was very special and rude of me to interrupt but you know... I saw so many creatures but the anemone fish and octopus really were the highlight of my dives and worth writing home about.

On a more serious note, I think the marine park was established to prevent further degradation to the environment. There has been alot of damage to the coral - from poor diving technique (those who kick and crack the coral reef), overfishing and El Nino events (which bleach and kill the coral due to higher temperatures). I was amazed that the divemasters there actually grabbed onto the Elkhorn coral to hold their place. Of all the people who should know better its them. I mentioned it to the dive shop owner (an Italian) and he just shrugged. He said that since they are local guys (Kenyan) they just won't change their behaviour. This ignorance and apathy put a damper on what should have been a super-duper day.

Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I would be a happier person if I was more ignorant or dumb. I find there are times when I know too much about a situation or topic and it makes me see such negative things occurring that it can get me down. Like that old saying 'ignorance is bliss'. But if I had to choose between knowledge or ignorance I'd have to go with knowledge.

It reminds me of that Simpson's episode where Homer realized he had a crayon stuck up his nose into his brain and upon removal it made him smart, and he could finally relate to his daughter, Lisa. However that higher IQ came with consequences, it made him see all the negatives in life. Homer realized that he didn't want to live with insight and he decided to have the crayon reinserted (by Moe) so he could live in ignorant bliss again. That was a good episode.
I haven't seen the Simpson's in 6 months now. Its strange to think that in a few days time I'll be home and can watch 3 episodes a day if I want.
OK I'm getting out of the internet cafe and going to make the most of my time in Kenya. Might go for a Kenyan pizza tonight. What is that you ask? Imagine pizza with no cheese or tomatoes, instead it has ground beef and onion baked inside the crust, and cucumber, cabbage and carrot grated on top. Interesting.