My parents separation hit me hard and it took me years to get over it.I went through therapy and once I was done with my last session, I had purposed to take a short vacation to kind of start over. It was my first time travelling alone.I was nervous at first, but went with the idea anyways.You see,travelling for me over the years, involved a good number of friends.We would book a flight down the coast of kenya,rent a big villa ,throw parties,do touristic things,like snorkeling, sight seeing,jetskiing etc. and before we knew it,we vacation was over. I flew down to Diani,which is in kwale county.I stayed at this lovely boutique hotel.Diani beach is voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. As i took a stroll down the beach,i came across nice curio shops that sell a range of beautiful handcrafted pieces ranging from beaded necklaces to animal carvings. They source for raw materials locally and their target market is both domestic and international tourists.Since I was a solo traveller, I found myself engaging with the locals.I negotiated prices of a few pieces that i loved and before you know it,I had bagged myself a few souvenirs. The hot and humid weather,got me thirsty.As opposed to Nairobi where people would typically go for carbonated drinks, here the norm is 'madafu' which is Swahili for coconut water.Its so refreshing and also has a lot of health benefits.ie facilitates digestion and is also rich in nutrients. The coastal food is amazing and very tasty as they tend to use a robust of spices.The common type of breakfast is 'mahamri' which is Swahili for some type of friend bread with a unique taste since the dough is prepared with a blend of mixed spices.Spiced tea is quite common as well. Another popular dish is 'biryani'.This is a meal made from cubes of meat or chicken,whichever your preference.The meat is flavoured with ginger, garlic,lots of spices, onions and tomatoes. It is then cooked in a curry then rice is added.This dish is finger licking good! Further down the beach, there was a henna tattoo shop.The henna is a dye from the henna plant mixed with water,essential oils and sugar then placed in a small piping bag.It is then used to draw on the skin.They give you a pattern book where you get to choose the design you want and also the part of your body you want tattooed.i had mine on my thigh.This kind of tattoo lasts on your skin for a week before it starts fading off. During my last few days, I had ran out of sunscreen and I had sunburns on my back.I went to one of the shops to buy sunscreen and to my disappointment,they din't have it.But the lady was kind enough to suggest coconut oil and aloevera which I bought.She told me to mix them together and apply on the affected area.To my surprise, it worked! I din't have the sunburns the next morning.I came to learn that coconut oil and aloevera repairs damaged skin and accelerates healing of burns.Cocunut oil is readily available at the coast and its inexpensive.I ended up buying extra to use for when I get home. Although my trip was four days short,I really enjoyed interacting with locals,learning their way of life, culture, food as opposed to spending all my time in the hotel I was staying at. This experience changed my thinking, not only did I get the break I desired,but i also got to learn a lot of things that I still carry with me till today.I got courage to travel alone,and am open to doing lots of solo travelling not only Locally but internationally.Travelling alone challenges you to be social and you get to do alot of things as opposed to group travelling whereby there is scheduled activities. Also I got to join a travel club because am intending to save and to travel to see the world more in future. Since I have a background in journalism and a passion for writing,am looking forward to writing real travel stories and experiences that will encourage other people to travel and experience the world.Travelling opens up your mind in a special way,the experience is just priceless.