Sunday, June 29, 9:30 a.m.
Most of us are plum worn out from resting. This is our last day at the
shore of the Indian Ocean. Later this afternoon we will climb on board
a Kenyan train (perhaps THE Kenyan train), a sleeper that will take us
overnight to Nairobi. We are excited if not a bit apprehensive about
the journey.
Evidently, in second class travel, there are 4 bunks to a compartment.
For this trip Darrel and I will be separated, he joining a 3-man group
and I a 3-woman group to avoid anyone having to travel with complete
strangers. The entire trip should be quite interesting -- I will fill
you in on the specifics in another blog.
Reminiscing to last night, however, we had another amazing adventure
as we were treated to a sunrise cruise on the hotel's dhow (small
ship). We had a cruise director (Sylvia), a congenial captain and
crew, and a musical duet to entertain us. The musicians played a
guitar and a small percussion instrument and sang Kenyan and
international songs, including "LaBamba," "The Twist," and "My Bonnie
Lies Over the Ocean." This last song seems to be really popular in
Kenya as we have heard it several times in different places.
Of course, part of the adventure was the drive to the dock, once again
passing through the crowded busy streets and the crazy traffic. Every
time we take a drive, we comment that it is just impossible to
describe the situation satisfactorily. It is one of those "you have to
see to believe" scenarios. But I will try again, giving some sights
along the way.
Many of the storefronts along the street could best be described as
sheds. They have sides and roofs, mostly of rusted corrugated metal,
and doors. There are no sidewalks or pavement of any kind beyond the
street, not even shoulders. The booths are constructed within 10-20
feet of the street. In some places there is standing water as there
are no curbs or gutters for run-off. (Hence the mosquito problems.)
Offshoots of the streets are what we would consider alleyways full of
these same structures and teeming with activity. Here in Mombasa we
see mostly people in these areas. In some of the places we have passed
through, the animals -- goats and cows mostly -- roam freely. Here
there are bicycles, motorcycles, mutatus and more cars and trucks than
in remote areas.
Br. Chuck rode back to the hotel from the train station in a 3-person
taxi yesterday. The drive to the station in a car took 1 1/2 hours.
The ride back in the taxi took 20 minutes! I am not sure what that
says, but Chuck said it was a great ride. There are hundreds of these
small taxis throughout the city.
On the way to the dock we passed a Muslim area from which many women
in traditional garb were emerging. We saw lots of signs for schools
and churches. A sign indicating "Heaven's Gate Church" seemed like a
misnomer to me. Many businesses have religious names, but I can't call
one to mind now. Along this main drag we see the school for the deaf,
the school for the mentally handicapped, the school for the physically
handicapped and the headquarters for child welfare, all in close
proximity.
An amazing sight on the return trip in the dark -- each little booth
has a flaming lantern of some sort to light its wares. And the crowds
are still filling the streets. Couples are walking along together, the
women dressed in pretty clothes. That is one thing I noticed, the
women really dress nicely, taking great pride in their appearance.
The cyclists are still on the streets, no lights or reflective clothes
or devices. Neither are the pullcarts lit, and people dart
indiscriminately across the streets in front of vehicles. We are
amazed that there is no carnage along the road.
The cruise itself is great. Seeing Mombasa from the water gives it an
entirely different presence. There are magnificent structures along
the shore, many of them privately owned. We go under the only bridge
connecting one island to another here. The other island is connected
by a ferry which some of our group saw earlier.
A crew member has picked up a conch shell and stands on the bow of the
boat, and as we go under the bridge, he blows into the shell creating
beautiful echoing notes. As we go under the bridge, one of the many
strollers drops banana peels and a whole banana on us. The crew is not
happy about that! This is one of the few examples of rudeness we have
experienced during our visit.
We have passed a for-hire fishing vessel and the excited fisherman
holds up a barracuda for us to admire. It is nearly as tall as he is!
We are impressed. We pass smaller boats with individuals fishing, and
as darkness falls, these unlit vessels cause some worry.
After plying us with nibbles, free drinks and an opportunity to enjoy
the sunset, the crew gets us back to the dock. One of the nibbles we
have enjoyed is similar to our ethnic bieroch -- a dough pocket with
ground meat and cabbage. The Kenyan version is quite small and
triangular and is called samosas. They serve them at the hotel also.
We have decided that every ethnicity has something akin to this
serviceable food item. Pete and Liz said their Welsh ancestry
developed theirs so the miners could take them into the mines for lunch.
Buses take us back to the hotel for our dinner. Tonight there is a
full house in the restaurant. We are happy for this establishment that
more guests have arrived. Evidently another group will arrive today to
take our places. Our friends on the beach will have more customers to
hassle.
Our bags are mostly packed, so now we have to just relax and wait
until we depart for the train station at 5 p.m.
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