My friend Molly and I arrived in Mombasa at 8PM after a full day of travel. I felt a huge gust of heavy salty air the moment we stepped off the bus. It was invigorating! This was an adventure! A little post-travel groggy, we began looking around for a ride to our hotel and spotted a tuk tuk right away. A tuk tuk is a 3-wheeled passenger vehicle very common in Mombasa. Our tuk tuk navigated the streets of the city, while we were jostled about in the back. There was very little to see in the dark apart from the lanterns and candles that illuminated shops along the route, the occasional lit up sign, and the black water beneath us as we crossed over a bridge leading to the island.
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| A tuk tuk seen in Oldtown, Mombasa |
By the time we settled into our hotel (right on the ocean!), I was exhausted! But, we headed out to meet other MSIDers and catch up after spending nearly a month apart from each other.
The next morning, I was up by 6:00AM. I spent my 2 full days in Mombasa, rising with the sun. Which is pretty astonishing for me! That said, it's really amazing how much you can pack into a day.
On day one we went snorkeling at a Marine Reserve. I had never been snorkeling before, and I am not the worlds best swimmer, so I was both excited and apprehensive. Surprisingly, I was able to float-swim along just fine. Maybe it's the salt water? The breathing pattern was an adjustment, but after inhaling a few gulps of ocean, I got the hang of it. There's so much life to be seen under the surface! I saw plenty of beautiful fish, sea anemones, sea cucumbers, and coral.
After snorkeling, while the rest of the group went for lunch, I met a guy to ask about going horseback riding on the beach. As an avid equestrian (aka: total horse geek) I have always wanted to ride on the beach. I was completely ill prepared, barefoot and wearing a swim suit cover up (my butt hurt a lot by the end of my ride). But it was worth the moments of racing Mina up the beach, sand and water flying. I was pretty deliriously happy by the end of my ride.
Later in the evening, Molly and I decided to venture down the beach near our hotel. I met a lady earlier who offered massages on the beach, who remembered me from earlier. She lead us into a small wooden hut on the beach, where we got a great hour long massage. With the waves crashing just outside the door and the sun setting through the slates in the wood, it was easily the most ideal massage in the history of massages. It was a perfect way to end the day.
I went to bed that night feeling completely content :)
In the morning we spent several delicious hours by the beach and pool side soaking up the sun. I completely get why people head out on several week long beach vacations now--it was beyond relaxing! The pool had a swim-up bar and also offered "pool aerobics" classes, so we were sufficiently occupied.
In the afternoon, we headed down to the beach for a camel ride. Our camel's name was Jamal. He was wearing a scarf. A winter scarf, tied neatly around his neck. Jamal's handler lead us down the beach. His walk, rather than the smooth gait I expected, is almost rolling. You barely feel like you are moving, when suddenly you are lurching forward. As we once again approached the hotel, the camel knelt down and we dismounted. The minute we got done riding him, Jamal went back to what appeared to be his favorite activity--lounging on the beach.
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| Molly and me riding Jamal the camel on the beach :) |
After spending the morning and the previous day beach bumming, what I really wanted to see was the city itself. Molly and I had heard that Old Town Mombasa was the place to be for taste of what coastal culture and Mombasa's history was all about.
So, we walked out of the hotel and looked around for a tuk tuk to take us to town. There was a quiet man in a purple shirt who gestured to us. He offered to take us and the price was fair, so we climbed in.
I began chatting with our driver, who I learned was called Leonard. He asked a bit about what we were doing in Mombasa and our time so far in Kenya. After I explained that this was our first time in Mombasa, and our curiosity about seeing Old Town, Leonard offered to walk around with us and show us things. I figured, "why not?"
Leondard first drove us to Fort Jesus, an immense crumbling structure built by the Portuguese in the late 1500s, and a classic symbol of Mombasa. As we walked up to the gate, Leonard stopped to introduce us to his friend, who was supposedly volunteer tour guide for the area. Immediately the stranger danger I had learned in Nairobi kicked in. I try not to be judgmental, but this guy simply didn't look the part of a volunteer tour guide. But, before I had time to explain that, no, Molly and I were just fine, we'd explore Ford Jesus and Old Town on our own--we don't have money--we were being lead into the Fort.
We stepped inside the enclosed walls. I was skeptical, thinking quickly, trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation before this guy tried to get some quick cash out of the stupid tourists who believed he was a tour guide. But, as soon as we walked in, he began to explain the history of the building. He was articulate, intelligent, and extremely knowledgeable. Molly and I exchanged a look of surprise. Making our way through the architecture, I was reminded of a very important lesson: don't judge a book by its cover. Later, after our tour of Fort Jesus and having strolled through Old Town's streets, the four of us headed b Later ack to the tuk tuk. Our tour guide shook our hands and began to walk away. He had asked for nothing. He taken over an hour out of his day simply to give us the history of Mombasa.
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| The view of Mombasa from Fort Jesus |
On our way home, Leonard told us about himself. Although he had overcome many tragedies in his lifetime, he believed that he was a man of God and lead his life accordingly. Leonard had been cheated by his boss at a job he worked at for four years, he had sold all his belongings to pay for a surgery to save his leg after a boda boda (motorcycle) accident, and yet he still had faith that his life was a blessing.
We arranged for Leondard to pick us up the following the morning to take us to the airport. We had decided based on our limited schedule that we would be flying out the next morning, instead of taking a bus back (a decision that would save us 9.5 hours for only a little more).
In the morning at the scheduled time, he was there. As we drove through Mombasa, I felt like our trip had been complete. When we reached the airport we asked Leonard for a price, preparing for a small negotiation. But, Leonard told us simply to pay him as we saw fit. I was surprised. Molly and I thanked him for his kindness and promised to pass his name on to our friends in Mombasa.
A few minutes later as we were getting in line to go through security, Molly noticed that she didn't have her iphone. Panic ensued as she torn apart her bags looking for it. Realizing she must have left it in the tuk tuk, she ran out side to search for Leonard. But he was already gone. Frantically, she called him on the phone. Leonard picked up and told her had found her iphone under the seat and was returning to give it to her.
This brings me to perhaps the best experience we had in Mombasa. While this man could have sold her phone for a few hundred dollars, and made some easy cash, he instead came back to give it to its owner. My experience with this wonderful person confirmed something that I often forget: the world is full of so many good people. Sometimes I get lost in the hustle of Nairobi, the bargaining, and the traffic jams, the necessity of being "street smart" that I over look simple acts of kindness. It is so good to have reminders. I would just like to take a minute to appreciate Leonard and his outlook on life. :)
Overall, my Mombasa trip was a great success. The Kenyan coast is a place I would love to travel to again someday. Maybe a trip to Lamu or Malindi in my future? You never know.
-Alissa
