Comical hedgehog encounter at Medina Palms

In the hot and sandy beaches of Watamu in the South Coast lies the enchanting Medina Palms. FILE PHOTO | COURTESY

I was at Medina Palms in Watamu for work. Actually, I’m still here writing this from my room. It’s a good-looking resort, very nice to photograph. Very eager to be photographed too.

You point a camera in any direction and there is something beautiful to be photographed, whether it’s a nice coastal window, a long pathway framed with gorgeous vegetation, or a hedgehog. [More on this guy briefly].

This was my first time, but Fred, my friend, usually holidays there with the family and he is a man of great leisure so I wasn’t entirely surprised by how beautiful it is.

On Wednesday night, around a square plunge pool, a hedgehog crawled under tables temporarily disrupting guests’ dinner.

It was a very comical scene, to see grown people squeal, lifting their legs, some almost standing on their seats.

I know I have seen a photo of a hedgehog before but I was surprised at how tiny the hedgehog is in person. Like someone shrunk a Volkswagen Beetle. A Beetle with spikes.

But so bold and friendly, an animal and almost blind, just shuffling about with its tiny legs like an elderly person, knocking against guests’ tables.

I doubt anyone has ever described a hedgehog as sweet. At least not anyone black. But I found it somewhat adorable.

Anyway, the point of this story is that I saw a very big man, a giant really, almost falling inside the pool while running away from the hedgehog while his wife tried to climb a seat.

It was hilarious, seeing Goliath almost break his neck over a hedgehog. That made me very happy.

So happy that when I sat down to write about their gorgeous eclectic beach bar made from rustic wood and the reclaimed hulk of dhows, I thought, “I don’t think the reader wants to read a review of this bar but I bet what they could use is a story about a very small hedgehog that scares grown men.”

If you go to Medina Palms and if you are lucky, you might see a hedgehog during dinner.

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