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PHOTOGrAPHS: COrBIS/SABA, NATIONAL GEOGrAPHIC/GETTY IMAGES
PrAGUE COUrTESY Of A HEdONIST’S GUIdE TO… (HG2.COM) travel
4: Sport fishing in Kenya
o cologne is a match for the real
scent of a man – that heady
blend of diesel fumes, fish guts
and sweat. Yep, there may be
plenty of ‘adventurous experiences’ out there
that leave you feeling a little too pampered,
but deep-sea fishing off the Kenyan coast
certainly isn’t one of them. You’ll get blisters,
cramp, sunstroke – but you’ll also get your
dinner. Come sunset, you’ll be sipping
a cold one in a beach bar while reeking of
fish, certain that you’ve just had one of the
greatest days of your life.
N
1001
Things To
do Before
You die
Before You go
You need to choose your resort for a week of
poolside lounging punctuated by fishy thrills.
Hemingways is the pick of the coast – check
out hemingways.co.ke for a taster. It’s 20
miles south of Malindi, which is widely
accepted as one of the fishing hotspots.
Alternatively, go to sport fishing’s
online specialist sportfishingmag.com
for more resorts and operators, plus tonnes
of background info. And if you don’t fancy
getting pulled overboard, visit an outdoor
shop like Blacks (blacks.co.uk) to buy a
forearm strengthener and get squeezing.
WhaT iT’s Like
You motor out in your boat at sunrise to the
various offshore ledges and banks where the
big beasts of the Indian Ocean gather. Then
you carefully lay your bait and begin to cruise,
waiting silently for the slightest tremor on the
various rods angling from your stern.
When a bite takes, expect utter madness
to descend, with the skipper hammering the
accelerator to ensure the hook sticks while
bellowing at you to grab the rod and start
hauling. The fight’s now on and the nature
of the battle depends on your opponent.
Tuna and dorado, the best nibblers you’ll
find in these waters, offer a relatively
straightforward weightlifting challenge, but
the spectacular marlin like to put on a show,
manically leaping and spinning as you race
around the boat to keep up.
If you hook a tiger shark, good luck –
you’ve just signed up for a 15-round
heavyweight bout as these creatures of
bewildering strength and stamina dive and
circle to resist the reel. It’s normal for a shark
fight to last several exhausting hours – you’ll
“Can I put on my pirate
costume now?”
Getting away from
the nine-to-five in style
earn that cold beer and, if you stick it out,
your skipper’s respect.
If you triumph, many resorts – including
Hemingways – encourage guests to ‘tag and
brag’, chucking the fish back in with honour.
But you can also apply another maxim to
your catch: ‘If it dies, it fries’. Brian Schofield
NEED TO KNOW…
l Get there via Kuoni Travel
(01306-747008; kuoni.co.uk).
It has seven nights at Hemingways,
half-board, including flights with
Monarch from £943 per person. A
day’s sport fishing starts at £420.
l The best time to go is from
November onwards.
l One word of warning: you
get what you pay for. You’ll see
some incredible bargains for
the Kenyan coast online, as low
as £200 for an all-inclusive week.
That’s because this coastline
has some of the least appealing
resorts in the country.
l Coastal Kenya has recently
acquired a new pastime to rival
sport fishing: kite-surfing. Reliable
wind and warm water make it ideal,
so you could combine both pursuits.
The fish really didn’t
feel like high-fiving
The PerfecT
Weekend in…
Prague
Stay at… Carlo IV
Opulent would be an
understatement for Prague’s
hippest hotel. It’s set in an old
bank with exquisite design and
attention to detail (Senovázné
Námestí 13; boscolohotels.com).
Buzzing atmosphere,
when it’s full…
Eat at… Hergetova Cihelna
Glamour, fashion, riverbank
views, excellent food, buzzing
atmosphere… Cihelna is a must
for anyone with the vaguest interest
in fun (Cihelna 2b, Malá Strana –
Lesser Quarter – P1; cihelna.com).
Cocktails and
pilsner: two of
life’s finest things
Drink at… Bugsy’s
One of the few established,
upmarket cocktail bars in
town, Bugsy’s has been on the
Prague scene for 12 years now
(Parížská 10, Josefov P1;
bugsysbar.com).
Kampa Museum:
where Crouch does
his chair shopping
Visit… Kampa Museum
Unusual eastern European art
set in a contemporary gallery on
the river. The terrace restaurant
is also an excellent place for lunch
(U Sovovych Mlynu 2, Malá Strana
P1; museumkampa.cz).
Carlo IV: falling
coconuts a risk
www.ShortList.com / 43
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