Mombassa

As a grand finale to my time in Kenya, Daisy and I traveled to Mombassa, the major city on the southern coast of Kenya. We started our journey on Thursday night by boarding a bus into the city centre. There, we successfully made it to the bus office, got our tickets, and waited until we could board the bus. At 9:30 pm our bus pulled out of Nairobi, and arrived in Mombassa at 5:30 am. Mombassa is predominately Muslim, so we heard the Muslim call to prayer and got to see the sunset when we arrived. Daisy and I then took a Tuk Tuk (a tiny, 3-wheeled, 3-person taxi) to the Tusks of Mombassa - the most famous symbol of the city. 

We were going to try to explore the city a bit, but since everything was closed, we decided to head to our hotel and spend the day at Diani beach, south of Mombassa! We had to take a ferry across a channel, and there were literally FLOODS of people coming off the ferry and going on, heading to work I assume. We were the ONLY mzungus in at least 500 Kenyans, and got plenty of stares. After the ferry, we took a matatu to our hotel. For being the cheapest hotel we could find (about $12 a night), it was pretty nice - and even had a toilet and toilet paper! We then walked to the beach (we were one of the few hotels not on the beach). Once we got on the beach multiple rasta 'beach boys' came up to us, trying to sell us stuff, just talk to us, and give us a 'tour' of the beach. We flat out told them we wouldn't give them money, but they talked and walked with us for quite a while. It was okay though because it meant other people wouldn't come up to us trying to sell us stuff. 

Before we got to the private resort areas we laid our towels down and soaked in everything around us. It was absolutely amazing - too good to be true. Since I had heard about Mombassa my first weekend here I had been wanting to go. And thinking about the Cape and the warm weather at home, especially since it has been so cold in Nairobi, has been one of the few things making me homesick. But we were finally here - under a HOT sun, laying on white sand, surrounded by palm trees and bright blue water, with fresh mangoes to eat :D

After a good nap, swimming, camel spotting, trying to figure out the quickest way to make beach boys/vendors leave us alone (we probably talked to at least 20 guys within a few hours), body surfing, and making plans to go snorkeling the next day from one of the vendors, we headed back to our hotel. We showered, and went to dinner, and had seafood for the first time since being here! It was delicious! 

On Saturday morning, we woke up early, and loaded on a matatu to go even further south (30 km from Tanzania). Once we got there we went on a dhow (a boat completed made of wood, very old looking) and headed out to some islands to look for dolphins. It was so beautiful, and I felt like I was playing a part in "Pirates of the Carribean". It didn't feel like we were in the same country as Nairobi at all. We ended up seeing lots of dolphins, completely in the wild, just swimming around, having fun, and eating. They were beautiful.

After that, we jumped out of the boat and went snorkeling. There was so much coral, and the fish were beautiful! They were so colorful, small and large and some with weird horn/sword looking things. We even saw a sting ray, a huge clam shell, urchins, and many big schools of fish. It was like "Finding Nemo" (my two favorite movies within in one day!). After that we landed at Wasini Island, where a paddle boat brought us in from our dhow, to the restaurant we were eating lunch at. We had crab, talapia, rice, and fruits. We then took a short tour of the village and saw a mangrove forest that fills with salt water for 10 days of each month. Life on the island is very hard - they don't have any fresh water, so they bathe in salt water. They collect water during the rainy season and hope it lasts them through the dry season. 

We then left the island, and headed back home. It was an amazing day - although I got my first real sunburn since being in Kenya! At night, we tried to have dinner at a popular restaurant that is set in a cave, but there was no room. So we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach, and had lots of fun playing on the beach at night afterwards and catching crabs. God gave me a beautiful, full orange moon that night - and I couldn't help but praise Him for all of his blessings. 

We had to take a taxi to our hotel since it was late, and by God's grace, we ran into a man from Belgium who was also looking for a taxi. His hotel was less than a km from the restaurant, so we were going to pay for most of it, but when we got out, he offered to cover the whole taxi since he had daughters like us, remembered what it was like to be young and poor, and because I told him I was Dutch and so was his wife. 

Sunday morning we woke up and went for a run to the beach. It was my first run outdoors since being in Kenya, and it was absolutely amazing. I felt like I could have run forever. After I stopped to wait for Daisy, there was a Kenyan working out on the beach, and he asked me to join him. I was a little wary, but did anyways…it was pretty cool to work out with a local in the middle of paradise! Daisy then showed up, and we jumped in the ocean. It felt so good, and no part of me wanted to leave the warm water. We eventually had to head back though to check out of our hotel, and headed back to the Mombassa city. 

Again we were the only mzungus taking matatus and the ferry. As we were in line of at least 400 people and I realized we were the only white people in such a sea of people, I had one of those moments where it really hits me about how crazy it is that I am in Kenya, always standing out. It was one of those moments that gets me questioning - about why I was born in America, about race, and how being white has shaped my life and outlook, and about how race is completely effecting how people see me in this place. Sometimes I wonder why so many people are staring at me, why kids laugh when I walk by…and then I remember how ridiculous it must seem to them that I am living among them. Most mzugnus who visit Mombassa come from Europe, fly there from Nairobi, stay in all-inclusive resorts on the beach and never interact with local Kenyans, would not dare to step foot in a matatu or public ferry, are couples on their honeymoon wearing designer clothes, and don't know any Swahili besides Jambo (which Kenyans use to say hello only to tourists). Daisy and I shocked many people - we are young girls, with backpacks, know basic Swahili, stayed in the cheapest hotel, take matatus, are quite an odd pair to Kenyans since I am white and Daisy is Asian, and come from US instead of Europe (most of them kept thinking I was from Poland or Denmark). 

Once we arrived in Mombassa, we headed to the Old Town, and explored around ourselves. We saw Fort Jesus - a fort set up by the Portuguese in the 1500s. We then meandered through the small windy streets, minaly inhabited by Middle Eastern mixed with Kenyan Muslims. I felt like we had been transported to the Middle East or Greece - it did not feel like Kenya at all. The doors were very intricate - and Daisy wanted to take pictures with as many as we could, so we did. We had all of our stuff with us, so we looked like backpackers. Since it is the month of Ramadhan and Muslims are fasting until sundown, it took us an hour or so to find a cafe that was actually open! We ended up finding a local, non-touristy place, and had a delicious, Kibera style lunch of chapatti and beans! 

Afterwards, we walked around a huge market and tried many Ramadhan treats that they sell as people are breaking fast. They were all pretty good, and things I had never tried before! By 8:30 pm we were on our bus and headed back to Nairobi…after some sleep amidst the blaring rasta music, we arrived in Nairobi at 4 am, took a taxi home, and spent some time relaxing before my last 5 days of work in Kenya begin! 

Standing beside the Tusks of Mombassa - the most well known symbol of the coast throughout Kenya.

Dolphins!