Mombasa - City by the Indian Ocean
A few of us decided to wash the Ileret dirt off of us by visiting the city of Mombasa, where we could swim in the Indian Ocean. So after most students left Nairobi, we boarded a bus for an overnight trip to Mombasa. The bus ride was very calm, and we stopped in a small town along the way to use the restrooms, and buy something to eat. That is - those of us who were awake at that hour got off the bus.
When we reached Mombasa, we met up with Patrick, Stella's friend, who brought us the rest of the way to a cottage that he had arranged for us to rent. It cost about 700 schillings each night for us to rent. It was amazing. Right on the beach, a short walk from the main road where we later found a matatu so that we could buy food to stock the fridge. We enjoyed cooking for ourselves, and strolling the beach during the day. Some of the people with us even took a trip to visit Fort Jesus and the old part of Mombasa one day. I was beat, and stayed back and did laundry. I had no idea that my clothes would require multiple washes (by hand mind you) to remove the Koobi Fora dirt and grunge.
When we arrived at the cottage, we walked to the back porch, which overlooked the small yard and the beach. Sneaking in to steal a piece of fruit from the balcony, was a vervet monkey. We watched in amazement - to think that it was so habituated to humans that he would come so close. It came around again before we left, and we watched as the rest of its family (including a couple of babies) jumped from tree to tree after getting more fruit.
Here are some photos of the time in Mombasa. Enjoy.
Entering the city of Mombasa, Kenya.
Fort Jesus, Mombasa
Portuguese drawings at Fort Jesus that date to the 1500s.
