The last of the pictures have been uploaded. ere are the two links that are new:
Kenya 5
Kenya 6
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Kenya 4
Kenya 3
Kenya 2
Kenya 1
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, June 21: Home
The trip to Amsterdam gained us an hour of time, but I lost quite a few hours of sleep. Breakfast was a yummy french toast and yogurt. When the plane landed, I was tired. We immediately visited the restrooms, and then those that did not eat on the plane found some breakfast. Our connection to go to Newark was at the opposite end of the airport, but we had plenty of time to find it - about 7 hours.
We went to some of the lounges in the airport, but they were all filled with sleeping people, so we curled up on the tiny waiting area seats and tried to catch a few Zz's. Kayla seemed to be the only one to actually fit on a seat and sleep more or less comfortably. I spent some of the time catching up on writing this blog.
Boarding the flight to Newark involved another security check to enter the boarding area - passports, questions, remove belts, shoes, pocket contents, pass everything through x-ray machine, put ourselves back together, and then wait some more.
The flight across the Atlantic was especially boring. In Newark, we had to claim our baggage, go through customs, and recheck the baggage. A luggage cart was $5! We managed it all and it was painless.
You can tell I am tired - we arrived Cleveland on time, Cody met us with our van, and we drove home, picking pizza on the way. Night Night - have to go to work in the morning.
We went to some of the lounges in the airport, but they were all filled with sleeping people, so we curled up on the tiny waiting area seats and tried to catch a few Zz's. Kayla seemed to be the only one to actually fit on a seat and sleep more or less comfortably. I spent some of the time catching up on writing this blog.
Boarding the flight to Newark involved another security check to enter the boarding area - passports, questions, remove belts, shoes, pocket contents, pass everything through x-ray machine, put ourselves back together, and then wait some more.
The flight across the Atlantic was especially boring. In Newark, we had to claim our baggage, go through customs, and recheck the baggage. A luggage cart was $5! We managed it all and it was painless.
You can tell I am tired - we arrived Cleveland on time, Cody met us with our van, and we drove home, picking pizza on the way. Night Night - have to go to work in the morning.
Saturday, June 20: Bomas
We got up at 5 to say good bye to Timothy and Christine. The driver was a little late, but arrived in plenty of time to make the flight connection. It was sad to say good bye to our good friends. As soon as they left, we crawled back in bed, but were up at 7 for breakfast.
Christine (not the other Christine who was in the air headed back to Kisumu, but the cook at Eshel Garden) cooked a wonderful breakfast of crepes, sausage, and fruit. We even had maple syrup. The morning was spent packing and figuring out how we were going to get to Bomas (a Kenyan cultural center) and then to the airport. Plans fell into place a little at a time, making me feel a little more relaxed.
At 3, Bovince, the driver for Eshel Garden, took us to Bomas. When we arrived, we heard music coming from the large pavilion. We paid our admission and went in. They have a dance group that dresses the various tribal costumes and performs a traditional dance. There were also drummers and acrobats. The show was pretty interesting. We thought the center was only open for a 2 hour interval, but that was just the time the dancing was going on. As a result, we did not have time to tour the huts and other surrounding exhibits.
As we were leaving, we spotted two warthogs grazing in the parking lot. We returned to Eshel Garden for our last supper there, and spent a little time visiting with Mary and her family. Our transport arrived, and we loaded our baggage, and then sat on top of it for the ride to the airport.
Getting everyone through the airport checks is quite an experience. It is nothing like going alone. The procedures in African and European airports are also different from what I have experienced in the US. At the airport entrance in Nairobi, passports are checked and everything immediately is x-rayed, just to get inside. We collected everything on the other side of the scanner, put shoes and belts back on, and then located the weigh-in station. All of the bags were weighed and stamped with a sticker. Then we went to the ticket counter to check the bags. Passports again. We checked ten bags (maximum allowed) so we only had personal items and the musical instruments to carry-on. Our burden lightened and boarding passes in hand, we headed to passport control desks to get our exit stamp. This required filling out yellow cards (again). I think this is the 4th time for this card, so it was at least a familiar process. When the yellow cards were dutifully filled out, we presented them to get our exit stamps in our passport. Next we located our departure gate; another x-ray and security check (passports and boarding passes). This is where all the water and lethal weapons (toenail clippers) were being confiscated. There was a large container of such items. Belts, shoes, computers were collected on the other side and we sat down to wait in the secure waiting area. Sarah, David, and Kayla stayed behind to do some shopping with Lisa and Evey (whose plane left an hour later than ours). As our boarding time drew near, we worried that they might not get through the security line in time. The line remained fairly long, even though the waiting area was filling. Our plane was a 747, and it holds a lot of people. We were about to go looking, when we saw them in line. Wendy appeared also (she was on the same plane for the first leg of her flight).
Boarding was delayed; they reported they were doing extra security checks. The plane was nice and the individual video screens all worked very well. The KLM staff were very helpful and friendly. After takeoff, we watched a movie or two and tried to get some sleep. Dinner was good -- chicken pot pie, salad, and a cream-filled cake of some sort. I had trouble getting comfortable. The plane was quite full; there was no opportunity to stretch out.
Christine (not the other Christine who was in the air headed back to Kisumu, but the cook at Eshel Garden) cooked a wonderful breakfast of crepes, sausage, and fruit. We even had maple syrup. The morning was spent packing and figuring out how we were going to get to Bomas (a Kenyan cultural center) and then to the airport. Plans fell into place a little at a time, making me feel a little more relaxed.
At 3, Bovince, the driver for Eshel Garden, took us to Bomas. When we arrived, we heard music coming from the large pavilion. We paid our admission and went in. They have a dance group that dresses the various tribal costumes and performs a traditional dance. There were also drummers and acrobats. The show was pretty interesting. We thought the center was only open for a 2 hour interval, but that was just the time the dancing was going on. As a result, we did not have time to tour the huts and other surrounding exhibits.
As we were leaving, we spotted two warthogs grazing in the parking lot. We returned to Eshel Garden for our last supper there, and spent a little time visiting with Mary and her family. Our transport arrived, and we loaded our baggage, and then sat on top of it for the ride to the airport.
Getting everyone through the airport checks is quite an experience. It is nothing like going alone. The procedures in African and European airports are also different from what I have experienced in the US. At the airport entrance in Nairobi, passports are checked and everything immediately is x-rayed, just to get inside. We collected everything on the other side of the scanner, put shoes and belts back on, and then located the weigh-in station. All of the bags were weighed and stamped with a sticker. Then we went to the ticket counter to check the bags. Passports again. We checked ten bags (maximum allowed) so we only had personal items and the musical instruments to carry-on. Our burden lightened and boarding passes in hand, we headed to passport control desks to get our exit stamp. This required filling out yellow cards (again). I think this is the 4th time for this card, so it was at least a familiar process. When the yellow cards were dutifully filled out, we presented them to get our exit stamps in our passport. Next we located our departure gate; another x-ray and security check (passports and boarding passes). This is where all the water and lethal weapons (toenail clippers) were being confiscated. There was a large container of such items. Belts, shoes, computers were collected on the other side and we sat down to wait in the secure waiting area. Sarah, David, and Kayla stayed behind to do some shopping with Lisa and Evey (whose plane left an hour later than ours). As our boarding time drew near, we worried that they might not get through the security line in time. The line remained fairly long, even though the waiting area was filling. Our plane was a 747, and it holds a lot of people. We were about to go looking, when we saw them in line. Wendy appeared also (she was on the same plane for the first leg of her flight).
Boarding was delayed; they reported they were doing extra security checks. The plane was nice and the individual video screens all worked very well. The KLM staff were very helpful and friendly. After takeoff, we watched a movie or two and tried to get some sleep. Dinner was good -- chicken pot pie, salad, and a cream-filled cake of some sort. I had trouble getting comfortable. The plane was quite full; there was no opportunity to stretch out.
Friday, June 19: The Train, Part 2
When I awoke, The train was stopped at a station (a collection of 5-6 buildings surrounded by open ground. There was a passing siding on one side of the train. I assumed we were waiting for another train to pass.
People were walking around alongside the tracks. Children were staring at the train. I got off and found Timothy who was also curious about what was going on. Apparently we had stopped around 2 AM and had been sitting there ever since. We walked to the rear of the train and asked a man sitting in one of the two unique-looking cars that were attached after the third class coaches. He said there had been a derailment ahead and we were waiting for it to be cleared.
Sarah, Lisa, and Kayla got off with a beach ball, and attracted about a hundred kids around them. They had a good time playing ball. I walked to the front of the train, and got some pictures. I was headed farther up the line to get pictures of the turnout that is operated by a lever in the control tower through hundreds of feet of cables and pulleys, when the horn sounded, indicating the train was ready to leave.
The engineer waited until everyone was onboard before pulling out, and we were on our way again. The delay worked out well for us as we were able to see a lot of wildlife. Had the train been on schedule, most of the trip would have been in darkness.
The xylophone passed our compartment and we went for breakfast. Eggs, sausage, a little splash of cabbage mixture, toast, and orange marmalade (of course). Coffee too. The rest of the trip we spent looking out of windows, or sitting and talking.
We met several people on the train. A young lady sat at our table for dinner. She works on the front page layout of the Washington Post online version. She was in Kenya on a fact-finding mission with some other newspeople, and decided to stay a few extra days for a vacation. We met an older man with tuberculosis of the spine. He has been frustrated with the lack of success with treatments. Timothy knew of a hospital that might be of help to him, and gave him the names of a doctor and administrator that he could contact. His son helps care for him (he is wheelchair bound) and I talked with him for a while. He would like to come to the United States to do graduate work.
The train pulled into Nairobi around 4 PM, exactly six hours overdue. We had communicated with those who planned to meet us, so they had not been waiting all that time. We had to show our tickets to get out of the station.
Timothy, Christine, Gail and I were met by Margaret, who leads a fellowship in Nairobi called Friends of Israel. We were scheduled to attend a prayer meeting with their group. Originally, we were going to go to the guest house (Eshel Garden), have time to freshen up, and then go back to town for the meeting, but the train delay required a change of plans. The others went in a van with all of our stuff to Eshel Garden.
Margaret put us in a taxi and then we met a few blocks away at the Serena Hotel. The trip took about 30 minutes as the traffic was horrendous. At the security gate, they used a mirror to check under the car, and verified there were no explosives in the trunk before allowing us into the parking lot. Another lady, Pauline, and Margaret met us and we had tea and Samosas before driving to the meeting. Afterwards, Christine was commenting that she had seen this hotel frequently on the TV, and now she actually had tea inside.
The meeting was attended by about 50 people. We had a time of prayer, praise, and then Margaret talked about her recent visit to Tanzania. Then she introduced us and I talked about our ministry in Kenya, our family, and our fellowship in Akron. People had lots of questions about our family and life in the United States. We were encouraged to see the formation of more connections between Timothy, this group, and Timothy's church in Mombasa. I think we will also be in contact with some of the people there via email when we get back.
Margaret put us in a cab, and told the driver approximately where we needed to go. When we got close a phone call to Abraham got us through the last two turns and we were "home." We went immediately to bed, after greeting people and making arrangements for Timothy and Christine to leave at 5 AM for their return flight to Kisumu.
People were walking around alongside the tracks. Children were staring at the train. I got off and found Timothy who was also curious about what was going on. Apparently we had stopped around 2 AM and had been sitting there ever since. We walked to the rear of the train and asked a man sitting in one of the two unique-looking cars that were attached after the third class coaches. He said there had been a derailment ahead and we were waiting for it to be cleared.
Sarah, Lisa, and Kayla got off with a beach ball, and attracted about a hundred kids around them. They had a good time playing ball. I walked to the front of the train, and got some pictures. I was headed farther up the line to get pictures of the turnout that is operated by a lever in the control tower through hundreds of feet of cables and pulleys, when the horn sounded, indicating the train was ready to leave.
The engineer waited until everyone was onboard before pulling out, and we were on our way again. The delay worked out well for us as we were able to see a lot of wildlife. Had the train been on schedule, most of the trip would have been in darkness.
The xylophone passed our compartment and we went for breakfast. Eggs, sausage, a little splash of cabbage mixture, toast, and orange marmalade (of course). Coffee too. The rest of the trip we spent looking out of windows, or sitting and talking.
We met several people on the train. A young lady sat at our table for dinner. She works on the front page layout of the Washington Post online version. She was in Kenya on a fact-finding mission with some other newspeople, and decided to stay a few extra days for a vacation. We met an older man with tuberculosis of the spine. He has been frustrated with the lack of success with treatments. Timothy knew of a hospital that might be of help to him, and gave him the names of a doctor and administrator that he could contact. His son helps care for him (he is wheelchair bound) and I talked with him for a while. He would like to come to the United States to do graduate work.
The train pulled into Nairobi around 4 PM, exactly six hours overdue. We had communicated with those who planned to meet us, so they had not been waiting all that time. We had to show our tickets to get out of the station.
Timothy, Christine, Gail and I were met by Margaret, who leads a fellowship in Nairobi called Friends of Israel. We were scheduled to attend a prayer meeting with their group. Originally, we were going to go to the guest house (Eshel Garden), have time to freshen up, and then go back to town for the meeting, but the train delay required a change of plans. The others went in a van with all of our stuff to Eshel Garden.
Margaret put us in a taxi and then we met a few blocks away at the Serena Hotel. The trip took about 30 minutes as the traffic was horrendous. At the security gate, they used a mirror to check under the car, and verified there were no explosives in the trunk before allowing us into the parking lot. Another lady, Pauline, and Margaret met us and we had tea and Samosas before driving to the meeting. Afterwards, Christine was commenting that she had seen this hotel frequently on the TV, and now she actually had tea inside.
The meeting was attended by about 50 people. We had a time of prayer, praise, and then Margaret talked about her recent visit to Tanzania. Then she introduced us and I talked about our ministry in Kenya, our family, and our fellowship in Akron. People had lots of questions about our family and life in the United States. We were encouraged to see the formation of more connections between Timothy, this group, and Timothy's church in Mombasa. I think we will also be in contact with some of the people there via email when we get back.
Margaret put us in a cab, and told the driver approximately where we needed to go. When we got close a phone call to Abraham got us through the last two turns and we were "home." We went immediately to bed, after greeting people and making arrangements for Timothy and Christine to leave at 5 AM for their return flight to Kisumu.
Thursday, June 18: The Train
Thursday was a day to pack and squeeze in the last few things to do. Sarah and Lisa spent quite a few hours on the beach. Evey took an outrigger ride. Timothy, Gail, and I went to Haller Park, a sort of zoo near our apartments. Christine took a nap.
Haller Park was pretty nice. It was set in the woods, with some animals roaming free. The dangerous ones were in areas surrounded by walls to keep us apart. There were lots of silly monkeys running all around. The highlight of the day was Timothy feeding a giraffe.
Our driver arrived at $:45 to take us to the train station. Mombasa traffic was heavy, but nothing like Nairobi. We arrived at the train station, and were very unsure of the procedure we needed to follow. A guard sent me to the booking window to get boarding passes (we had pre-purchased the tickets). I met the others on the platform. There was no train yet, so we just sat and waited.
About 6, the train backed into the station, and people started boarding. We had no idea which car to get on. We asked someone, and he suggested we look at our boarding passes. That was helpful. Each pass had the coach number and compartment letters. Of course, the coaches were not arranged in any order. The train was not too long, so it did not take but a few minutes to locate the two cars we were in. We had booked one second class coach compartment (for 4) and three first class compartments (2 people each, except David got his own room).
The passages to the compartments were very narrow. The first class compartments were adjacent, and David's actually had a second door to ours, allowing for a more open floor plan. The car in front of ours was the Restaurant Car. The four girls were three cars ahead of that.
Our compartment had a bench seat along one side with a bunk above. The bench seat was way too deep to sit on normally, but was comfortable if you curled your legs up on it. Opposite the seat was a narrow closet with a ladder attached to it to aid in climbing o the top bunk. There was also a sink and mirror. The lights did not work until about 6:30 when they turned the power on.
We spent a lot of time standing in the passageway, looking out the windows on the right side of the train. The window in our compartment only went down about two inches. There were people playing guitar on the platform, and others eating and drinking at the trackside cafe. Someone came by and asked to see our tickets. Someone else came by and asked if we wanted to eat at the first or second sitting; we selected first.
The train left exactly at 7 PM, right on schedule. I was surprised. It was already dark, so there was little to see other than city lights, and they quickly faded from view. One of the porters (is that the right name) walked through the passageway ringing a three tone xylophone. This was the call for dinner.
The Restaurant Car had a line of fans down the center of the roof, all rotating in a circular motion. The tables were set with a proper British air. The menu said we would get cream of mushroom soup, breaded fish with tartar sauce, choice of chicken curry, vegetables and rice, beef goulash and Lyonaisse potatoes, and dessert consisting of a fruit plate and ice cream.
We soon were served soup. It was a cream of tomato soup. There was no fish, but the main course followed soon after we finished the soup. The servers brought the food on platters and served from them to our plates. For dessert, only the fruit plate was offered. We had been wishing for ice cream, but there apparently was none. We ordered sodas for a slight fee, and went back to our compartments with full tummies. Oh... they did bring tea. The server had two pitchers, and we assumed one was black tea, and the other African tea (tea made in milk). Evey asked for the milk tea, pointing to the pitcher that was not black tea. She got a cup full of plain milk. He walked away so quickly, she did not have a chance to correct the error. We all had a good laugh. When he returned, he added some tea (although there was not much room left) to remedy the mistake.
The beds had been made up in our compartments while we were out. We went to bed right away. The clickity-clack of the wheels kept me awake for a while, but I was finally overcome by the swaying of the car. I woke a little later, and noticed the train was no longer moving. I drifted back to sleep, and remember nothing more until 7 AM when I woke for the day.
Haller Park was pretty nice. It was set in the woods, with some animals roaming free. The dangerous ones were in areas surrounded by walls to keep us apart. There were lots of silly monkeys running all around. The highlight of the day was Timothy feeding a giraffe.
Our driver arrived at $:45 to take us to the train station. Mombasa traffic was heavy, but nothing like Nairobi. We arrived at the train station, and were very unsure of the procedure we needed to follow. A guard sent me to the booking window to get boarding passes (we had pre-purchased the tickets). I met the others on the platform. There was no train yet, so we just sat and waited.
About 6, the train backed into the station, and people started boarding. We had no idea which car to get on. We asked someone, and he suggested we look at our boarding passes. That was helpful. Each pass had the coach number and compartment letters. Of course, the coaches were not arranged in any order. The train was not too long, so it did not take but a few minutes to locate the two cars we were in. We had booked one second class coach compartment (for 4) and three first class compartments (2 people each, except David got his own room).
The passages to the compartments were very narrow. The first class compartments were adjacent, and David's actually had a second door to ours, allowing for a more open floor plan. The car in front of ours was the Restaurant Car. The four girls were three cars ahead of that.
Our compartment had a bench seat along one side with a bunk above. The bench seat was way too deep to sit on normally, but was comfortable if you curled your legs up on it. Opposite the seat was a narrow closet with a ladder attached to it to aid in climbing o the top bunk. There was also a sink and mirror. The lights did not work until about 6:30 when they turned the power on.
We spent a lot of time standing in the passageway, looking out the windows on the right side of the train. The window in our compartment only went down about two inches. There were people playing guitar on the platform, and others eating and drinking at the trackside cafe. Someone came by and asked to see our tickets. Someone else came by and asked if we wanted to eat at the first or second sitting; we selected first.
The train left exactly at 7 PM, right on schedule. I was surprised. It was already dark, so there was little to see other than city lights, and they quickly faded from view. One of the porters (is that the right name) walked through the passageway ringing a three tone xylophone. This was the call for dinner.
The Restaurant Car had a line of fans down the center of the roof, all rotating in a circular motion. The tables were set with a proper British air. The menu said we would get cream of mushroom soup, breaded fish with tartar sauce, choice of chicken curry, vegetables and rice, beef goulash and Lyonaisse potatoes, and dessert consisting of a fruit plate and ice cream.
We soon were served soup. It was a cream of tomato soup. There was no fish, but the main course followed soon after we finished the soup. The servers brought the food on platters and served from them to our plates. For dessert, only the fruit plate was offered. We had been wishing for ice cream, but there apparently was none. We ordered sodas for a slight fee, and went back to our compartments with full tummies. Oh... they did bring tea. The server had two pitchers, and we assumed one was black tea, and the other African tea (tea made in milk). Evey asked for the milk tea, pointing to the pitcher that was not black tea. She got a cup full of plain milk. He walked away so quickly, she did not have a chance to correct the error. We all had a good laugh. When he returned, he added some tea (although there was not much room left) to remedy the mistake.
The beds had been made up in our compartments while we were out. We went to bed right away. The clickity-clack of the wheels kept me awake for a while, but I was finally overcome by the swaying of the car. I woke a little later, and noticed the train was no longer moving. I drifted back to sleep, and remember nothing more until 7 AM when I woke for the day.
Wednesday, June 17: Snorkeling
Today we woke up to sunny skies. Even with that, it did rain a few times during the day, but we simply ignored it. It was warm enough, and the rain was fairly short, so we dried off almost right away.
We spent the morning and part of the afternoon on the beach or in the apartment. Gail went for a massage at a hut along the beach. We also hired the same woman to braid Kayla's hair (and do extensions). While that was going on we swam, sat in the rain, swam, laid on the beach, and generally relaxed.
At 3, we jumped onto an old boat with a glass bottom to go on our snorkeling adventure. Hiring the right captain was a long process. Everyone that you meet on the beach wants to sell you something. I decided to ask the apartment owner, and he called his friend who came over to explain what he had to offer. It turns out he was from the same boathouse as the other guys I had talked with on previous encounters on the beach, but he seemed to have a better explanation of what he would do for us. When he cut his price in half, we agreed to go with him.
I think the glass bottom boat, despite its decrepit shape, was the better choice. It allowed everyone to see what was under the water before jumping in, and for those not snorkeling, it offered a view of the ocean that would not have been possible in the outrigger that Robert (the previous captain) was going to take us out in.
On the way to Coral Garden (a spot off Nyali beach) we stopped to pay the guard the admission fee to the marine park. The ocean was pretty uninteresting all the way to the destination, then suddenly the floor opened up to a beautiful showroom of ocean life. We anchored the boat, donned our gear, and jumped in. Snorkeling is great fun; I highly recommend it to anyone that has not done it before.
Kayla, David, Sarah, Lisa, Evey, and I snorkeled. The others stayed in the boat. One of the crew dived for starfish, sea urchins, and other items. He brought them to the boat so everyone could see and touch them. Everything was thrown back before we left. We spent most of our time there, then moved on to Starfish Garden.
Starfish Garden was a rather shallow area, and we were a bit cautious because there were lots of large spiny sea urchins, black, with very bright silver spots on the top. We did not want to step on them. Because of the danger, we only stayed there a short time, but we did get to see a lot of very large starfish, some twelve inches or more across, and more fish.
Next, as it was getting windy and darker, we headed out to the reef. We anchored the boat in very shallow water, and got out. After walking through ankle deep water, we came to the reef, which is a coral island usually covered by the sea, but at low tide, it is out of the water, or just below the surface. It is full of interesting life. It was a little like walking on water. The reef is probably one half mile out from shore (I am not good at judging distances across water, so this may be inaccurate) and runs for a long distance parallel to the shoreline. The waves all break at the reef, and the waters from there to the shore are relatively calm. In fact, the shore is pretty boring for a seashore. We did have some breaking waves (about a foot high) at high tide, but most of the time it is less forceful than Lake Erie on a calm day.
The trip back to shore was short, which was good as we were all tired. We paid for our excursion, walked up the path to the apartment, and then started supper. We made Chapati pizzas, an interesting and delicious combination of ethnic foods. Evey popped popcorn and we made coffee. Now it is time to go to bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Mombasa. We spend the night on the train to Nairobi.
We spent the morning and part of the afternoon on the beach or in the apartment. Gail went for a massage at a hut along the beach. We also hired the same woman to braid Kayla's hair (and do extensions). While that was going on we swam, sat in the rain, swam, laid on the beach, and generally relaxed.
At 3, we jumped onto an old boat with a glass bottom to go on our snorkeling adventure. Hiring the right captain was a long process. Everyone that you meet on the beach wants to sell you something. I decided to ask the apartment owner, and he called his friend who came over to explain what he had to offer. It turns out he was from the same boathouse as the other guys I had talked with on previous encounters on the beach, but he seemed to have a better explanation of what he would do for us. When he cut his price in half, we agreed to go with him.
I think the glass bottom boat, despite its decrepit shape, was the better choice. It allowed everyone to see what was under the water before jumping in, and for those not snorkeling, it offered a view of the ocean that would not have been possible in the outrigger that Robert (the previous captain) was going to take us out in.
On the way to Coral Garden (a spot off Nyali beach) we stopped to pay the guard the admission fee to the marine park. The ocean was pretty uninteresting all the way to the destination, then suddenly the floor opened up to a beautiful showroom of ocean life. We anchored the boat, donned our gear, and jumped in. Snorkeling is great fun; I highly recommend it to anyone that has not done it before.
Kayla, David, Sarah, Lisa, Evey, and I snorkeled. The others stayed in the boat. One of the crew dived for starfish, sea urchins, and other items. He brought them to the boat so everyone could see and touch them. Everything was thrown back before we left. We spent most of our time there, then moved on to Starfish Garden.
Starfish Garden was a rather shallow area, and we were a bit cautious because there were lots of large spiny sea urchins, black, with very bright silver spots on the top. We did not want to step on them. Because of the danger, we only stayed there a short time, but we did get to see a lot of very large starfish, some twelve inches or more across, and more fish.
Next, as it was getting windy and darker, we headed out to the reef. We anchored the boat in very shallow water, and got out. After walking through ankle deep water, we came to the reef, which is a coral island usually covered by the sea, but at low tide, it is out of the water, or just below the surface. It is full of interesting life. It was a little like walking on water. The reef is probably one half mile out from shore (I am not good at judging distances across water, so this may be inaccurate) and runs for a long distance parallel to the shoreline. The waves all break at the reef, and the waters from there to the shore are relatively calm. In fact, the shore is pretty boring for a seashore. We did have some breaking waves (about a foot high) at high tide, but most of the time it is less forceful than Lake Erie on a calm day.
The trip back to shore was short, which was good as we were all tired. We paid for our excursion, walked up the path to the apartment, and then started supper. We made Chapati pizzas, an interesting and delicious combination of ethnic foods. Evey popped popcorn and we made coffee. Now it is time to go to bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Mombasa. We spend the night on the train to Nairobi.
Tuesday, June 16: Fort Jesus
We woke up to the sound of rain. It rained last night, but this was the first morning rain we have had for a while. Hopefully they got some rain in Kakamega. We walked down to the beach; it was very deserted except for some fishermen down the beach. They use a boat to drag a net out from the beach and then circle back in. Then about five men on each side pull the net to shore. I was too far away to see if they caught anything.
The kids went in swimming. I stood on the shore and watched crabs and clams. There was a greenish crab in the sand. He (or she) looked dead, so I was going to pick it up. When I touched it, it moved its legs. I poked it a bit more and it came out of the sand. It was about five inches across. It moved away a little, then as a wave went over it it buried itself so just a green rectangle was left. I saw it on and off for a while, then it disappeared. The experience made me look more carefully where I stepped.
There were those little sand-colored crabs scooping sand out of their holes, carrying it to a little pile about a foot away. They were busy, but ran and hid if you got close.
Robert, another captain, came over to sell me a trip to the reef. We agreed on a price if the weather would be good. However, the entire day was rainy, sunny, rainy, sunny, rainy... well, you get the idea.
I had to talk with two other vendors for a while. They are all too friendly and you don't want to just say, "get lost." After finishing at the beach, David, Kayla, Sarah, Lisa, Gail, and I set off to Nakumatt for more groceries. DK&G took borda-bordas. That was a good choice, as I had to talk with another sales person for most of the walk. A young man caught up with me, asked where I was from, and then started telling me he could arrange for us to visit any attraction in the city. It was a pleasant enough conversation, but I would have preferred to walk in silence. We parted at the turnout to Nakumatt.
All of us stopped at Chelsea's Internet Cafe to get our business done, then headed to the grocery store. Foe some reason, I was given the chore of getting food, while everyone else went browsing through the two-level superstore. We had a bag for everyone when we finished, and the three borda-borda riders met us at the exit. They called for three more bikes, and we all rode home. It was much more pleasant than walking with heavy groceries.
Timothy, Christine, and Evey left around 8:30 for the other side of Mombasa. Timothy needed to buy cane tips for some of the people in his congregation and they planned to visit a hospital for children with disabilities. This hospital also makes prosthetic devices.
When they returned, we had to decide about the reef trip. The weather was cool and looked like rain. We decided to visit Fort Jesus instead. Gail, David, Timothy, Christine, and I headed for the road. Immediately, a matatu traveling in the wrong direction screeched to a stop and asked where we wanted to go. They had just a little left to the end of their route, and were eager to pick up a group of five. Another matatu coming in the correct direction honked, and came to a stop. The first conductor yelled at them to keep going. In the meantime, the first matatu sped down the road, made a quick U-turn, and drove up (as the second one sped away). The door opened, and the conductor asked the person inside to get out and walk the rest of the way to his stop. He was carrying a large blue tank, like a welding tank. I felt badly. We got in, and headed for Mombasa.
Timothy wanted to get the driver to take us right to the entrance of Fort Jesus, but he refused (even when offered more money) as it would be against the matatu rules of Mombasa. We were dropped at the appropriate point, and jumped into two tuk-tuks for the rest of the journey. A tuk-tuk is a sort of motorized rickshaw, an enclosed three-wheeled motorcycle with a passenger compartment in the back for three passengers.
Gail, David, and Christine were in the lead and had a very aggressive driver. At one point the drove into a ditch, partially up the other side, and then back onto the roadway. They made a two lane road into three. Timothy's and my tuk-tuk was shared with a woman and child and seemed a bit slower. We arrived in front of Fort Jesus, and joined the others.
We entered the fort, and paid our fees, and then were greeted by a man that wanted to be paid to give us a tour. Timothy went back to the ticket window. He came back with a guard who introduced us to a "real" guide. He explained that people arrange to give tours at whatever price they can. This is allowed, but there are volunteers with name cards (not a hand lettered badge that says "Tour Guide") that do not charge. The wanna-be guide went off to find another victim. We went with our volunteer guide and had a very nice time.
Fort Jesus was built in the 1500's by the Portuguese to guard the entrances to the Mombasa ports. It was taken by the Arabs about a hundred years later. Then, in two hundred years, by the British. Kenya assumed control when it became an independent country. The fort is shaped like Jesus on the cross, hence its name. One of the most interesting features of the fort was the toilets in the wall. These were little egg-shaped alcoves with a hole at the bottom. By squatting, you could release the unwanted matter into the hole where if slid through the wall to the outside of the fort. Today, there is a nice garden along the wall in that location.
When we finished our tour, we walked into the downtown Mombasa area and caught a matatu to a point near home. Evey had cooked supper. The rest of the evening was just for relaxing and visiting.
The kids went in swimming. I stood on the shore and watched crabs and clams. There was a greenish crab in the sand. He (or she) looked dead, so I was going to pick it up. When I touched it, it moved its legs. I poked it a bit more and it came out of the sand. It was about five inches across. It moved away a little, then as a wave went over it it buried itself so just a green rectangle was left. I saw it on and off for a while, then it disappeared. The experience made me look more carefully where I stepped.
There were those little sand-colored crabs scooping sand out of their holes, carrying it to a little pile about a foot away. They were busy, but ran and hid if you got close.
Robert, another captain, came over to sell me a trip to the reef. We agreed on a price if the weather would be good. However, the entire day was rainy, sunny, rainy, sunny, rainy... well, you get the idea.
I had to talk with two other vendors for a while. They are all too friendly and you don't want to just say, "get lost." After finishing at the beach, David, Kayla, Sarah, Lisa, Gail, and I set off to Nakumatt for more groceries. DK&G took borda-bordas. That was a good choice, as I had to talk with another sales person for most of the walk. A young man caught up with me, asked where I was from, and then started telling me he could arrange for us to visit any attraction in the city. It was a pleasant enough conversation, but I would have preferred to walk in silence. We parted at the turnout to Nakumatt.
All of us stopped at Chelsea's Internet Cafe to get our business done, then headed to the grocery store. Foe some reason, I was given the chore of getting food, while everyone else went browsing through the two-level superstore. We had a bag for everyone when we finished, and the three borda-borda riders met us at the exit. They called for three more bikes, and we all rode home. It was much more pleasant than walking with heavy groceries.
Timothy, Christine, and Evey left around 8:30 for the other side of Mombasa. Timothy needed to buy cane tips for some of the people in his congregation and they planned to visit a hospital for children with disabilities. This hospital also makes prosthetic devices.
When they returned, we had to decide about the reef trip. The weather was cool and looked like rain. We decided to visit Fort Jesus instead. Gail, David, Timothy, Christine, and I headed for the road. Immediately, a matatu traveling in the wrong direction screeched to a stop and asked where we wanted to go. They had just a little left to the end of their route, and were eager to pick up a group of five. Another matatu coming in the correct direction honked, and came to a stop. The first conductor yelled at them to keep going. In the meantime, the first matatu sped down the road, made a quick U-turn, and drove up (as the second one sped away). The door opened, and the conductor asked the person inside to get out and walk the rest of the way to his stop. He was carrying a large blue tank, like a welding tank. I felt badly. We got in, and headed for Mombasa.
Timothy wanted to get the driver to take us right to the entrance of Fort Jesus, but he refused (even when offered more money) as it would be against the matatu rules of Mombasa. We were dropped at the appropriate point, and jumped into two tuk-tuks for the rest of the journey. A tuk-tuk is a sort of motorized rickshaw, an enclosed three-wheeled motorcycle with a passenger compartment in the back for three passengers.
Gail, David, and Christine were in the lead and had a very aggressive driver. At one point the drove into a ditch, partially up the other side, and then back onto the roadway. They made a two lane road into three. Timothy's and my tuk-tuk was shared with a woman and child and seemed a bit slower. We arrived in front of Fort Jesus, and joined the others.
We entered the fort, and paid our fees, and then were greeted by a man that wanted to be paid to give us a tour. Timothy went back to the ticket window. He came back with a guard who introduced us to a "real" guide. He explained that people arrange to give tours at whatever price they can. This is allowed, but there are volunteers with name cards (not a hand lettered badge that says "Tour Guide") that do not charge. The wanna-be guide went off to find another victim. We went with our volunteer guide and had a very nice time.
Fort Jesus was built in the 1500's by the Portuguese to guard the entrances to the Mombasa ports. It was taken by the Arabs about a hundred years later. Then, in two hundred years, by the British. Kenya assumed control when it became an independent country. The fort is shaped like Jesus on the cross, hence its name. One of the most interesting features of the fort was the toilets in the wall. These were little egg-shaped alcoves with a hole at the bottom. By squatting, you could release the unwanted matter into the hole where if slid through the wall to the outside of the fort. Today, there is a nice garden along the wall in that location.
When we finished our tour, we walked into the downtown Mombasa area and caught a matatu to a point near home. Evey had cooked supper. The rest of the evening was just for relaxing and visiting.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Monday, June 15: Bombolulu
This morning we woke up to a beautiful morning. There was a nice breeze, and the ocean view was very pretty. I made french toast for everyone except David (he had eggs). The coffee today was a little better and we had real cream to put in it. After breakfast we headed out to the street, caught a matatu to Bombolulu to visit the workshops and showroom.
Bombolulu is a community that was founded in 1969 to create employment for the many disabled living in that area. We toured several workshops which now employ people who are disabled. There is a jewelry area where metal and beaded jewelry is crafted. In another center, wheel chairs are constructed. We saw all sorts of chair designs. Most were very rugged to match the rugged terrain in Kenyan cities and countryside. They also manufacture three wheeled bicycles with the pedals on the handlebars for those whose legs do not work.
In another workshop people were doing leather work. One of the current projects was the design of menu covers for a restaurant. In another building, people were sewing and embroidering. Many of the products were available in the showroom. We shopped for some time, and found quite a few items we wanted and were happy to support what looks like a good organization.
We talked with one of the business managers for the showroom, and he agreed to work something out with Geofrey so he can sell his banana leaf collages in Nairobi and Mombasa. Hopefully we can get all of that in place in short order.
Timothy arranged for transportation back to the apartments in a Bombolulu van. That saved us a little bit of money and time. Christine also picked up some Chapatis from a friend, so that made for an easy lunch.
Most of us headed to the beach, while Christine, Timothy, and Gail went shopping for costumes. A costume is what one buys to wear to the beach. They visited the market where Timothy used to sell tomatoes, and were excited to be reunited with many old friends. They did find costumes, and came down to the beach about the time most of the rest of us were ready to go in. I stayed and visited with Timothy; Gail and Christine visited in the water.
While the shopping was going on, the rest of us swam, dug in the sand, walked, sun bathed, and swam some more. I met two guys who operate stands a few hundred yards down the beach. They were looking for business. One operates a boat charter, the other a gift shop. If we can negotiate a good price, we may be able to take a boat to the reef and go snorkeling.
We all had a relaxing time. Evey fixed supper: leftover rice made to look like something new with a few vegetables and eggs added in. It was good. Fresh mango was also on the table. After supper, Timothy and Christine went to their apartment. Gail and I went for a walk on the beach as it was heading toward dusk. It was pretty deserted. After walking for a while we noticed little things scooting along the sand in front of us. I thought it was seaweed blowing across the beach, but some pieces seemed to be going in opposite directions. Crabs. Little sand-colored crabs. Some the size of a little finger, others the size of a small foot. They blended in with the sand, so they were almost impossible to see. The beady black eyes were the most visible feature. Only when they moved could you easily distinguish them from the ground.
We turned around, and started back. They just got thicker. We were afraid we would step on them, but they seemed to avoid our feet. We passed two guards with machine guns. They told us we should not be walking up the beach where we had been, that it was not safe in that direction. I do not think he was referring to the crabs. We thanked them, and made note of the information for the future.
We got back safely, just as the darkness began to close in. Time for a shower, and then off to bed.
Bombolulu is a community that was founded in 1969 to create employment for the many disabled living in that area. We toured several workshops which now employ people who are disabled. There is a jewelry area where metal and beaded jewelry is crafted. In another center, wheel chairs are constructed. We saw all sorts of chair designs. Most were very rugged to match the rugged terrain in Kenyan cities and countryside. They also manufacture three wheeled bicycles with the pedals on the handlebars for those whose legs do not work.
In another workshop people were doing leather work. One of the current projects was the design of menu covers for a restaurant. In another building, people were sewing and embroidering. Many of the products were available in the showroom. We shopped for some time, and found quite a few items we wanted and were happy to support what looks like a good organization.
We talked with one of the business managers for the showroom, and he agreed to work something out with Geofrey so he can sell his banana leaf collages in Nairobi and Mombasa. Hopefully we can get all of that in place in short order.
Timothy arranged for transportation back to the apartments in a Bombolulu van. That saved us a little bit of money and time. Christine also picked up some Chapatis from a friend, so that made for an easy lunch.
Most of us headed to the beach, while Christine, Timothy, and Gail went shopping for costumes. A costume is what one buys to wear to the beach. They visited the market where Timothy used to sell tomatoes, and were excited to be reunited with many old friends. They did find costumes, and came down to the beach about the time most of the rest of us were ready to go in. I stayed and visited with Timothy; Gail and Christine visited in the water.
While the shopping was going on, the rest of us swam, dug in the sand, walked, sun bathed, and swam some more. I met two guys who operate stands a few hundred yards down the beach. They were looking for business. One operates a boat charter, the other a gift shop. If we can negotiate a good price, we may be able to take a boat to the reef and go snorkeling.
We all had a relaxing time. Evey fixed supper: leftover rice made to look like something new with a few vegetables and eggs added in. It was good. Fresh mango was also on the table. After supper, Timothy and Christine went to their apartment. Gail and I went for a walk on the beach as it was heading toward dusk. It was pretty deserted. After walking for a while we noticed little things scooting along the sand in front of us. I thought it was seaweed blowing across the beach, but some pieces seemed to be going in opposite directions. Crabs. Little sand-colored crabs. Some the size of a little finger, others the size of a small foot. They blended in with the sand, so they were almost impossible to see. The beady black eyes were the most visible feature. Only when they moved could you easily distinguish them from the ground.
We turned around, and started back. They just got thicker. We were afraid we would step on them, but they seemed to avoid our feet. We passed two guards with machine guns. They told us we should not be walking up the beach where we had been, that it was not safe in that direction. I do not think he was referring to the crabs. We thanked them, and made note of the information for the future.
We got back safely, just as the darkness began to close in. Time for a shower, and then off to bed.
Sunday, June 14: Pentecostal Church
Sunday morning came after a restful night. I went out on the patio, and could see the ocean. There is an access path that leads from our apartments to the beach. There were some fishermen visible. It was windy and looked like it might storm, but that never really happened.
Sarah made toast in the broiler, and Kayla made scrambled eggs. I made terrible coffee with a sieve. Timothy and Christine arrived by motorbike and had a bite to eat. Then it was time to leave for church.
We walked out to the street and started walking in the direction we needed to go. A few seconds later, a matatu stopped. Timothy said some magic words in another language, and we hopped in and were on our way. Two hundred shillings ($3) and about five minutes later we were dropped across the street from Bombolulu, a large community of people with disabilities. The church that Timothy attended when he lived in Mombasa meets in a cultural center. It is a Pentecostal church, I will have to ask Timothy the name.
The kids joined the youth group and the adults went to a class which met outside. The kids were also outside, under a large round pavilion. We were in the grass. Our group was talking about prayer. When it was time for the service to start, we carried our chairs back under the grass roof of the pavilion, and found seats. We were all asked to introduce ourselves and sing some songs for them.
One very interesting thing happened during the service. The pastor said he was going to take up a special offering and would not say what it was for. People came up front and gave, and then he revealed it was for Timothy and Christine. Seven years ago, Timothy had gone from this church to start a new church in Gambogi. He went out of obedience to God. No one gave him any encouragement, or supported his move. Now, on this return visit to his home church, his pastor recognized the success of his efforts, and prayed over Timothy and Christine, and asked for continued blessing in their work. This was the first time they had received any real commissioning for their mission. It was a really blessed moment.
After the service, we had tea and a time of fellowship. It turns out that the pastor, Shem, and his wife, Catherine, are homeschooling their children. They had lots of questions, and we hope that we can connect them and Mary (in Nairobi).
While we were talking about us and listening about them, Evey and Christine met with a group of ten women from the congregation with a variety of disabilities. This will further her research, and provided another opportunity to meet people and form friendships in Kenya.
It was a long morning. We finally left about 2:30. A matatu nearly ran us down as we were walking out to the main road, but that gave us the chance to jump in and get a ride back to the apartments. The driver misunderstood our destination and tried to drop us off at Mombasa Beach (a public access road several blocks from where we are staying). When we cleared up the misunderstanding, he took us to the right place.
We cooked spaghetti American style, and enjoyed all of it for lunch. Afterwards we headed to the beach for a little relaxation. It was quite windy and had turned chilly. I should say a little about the weather. Mombasa is known for being hot. The early morning was warm, and grew steamy, even with rain threatening. As it cleared, it did grow pretty hot. This, I guess, is typical. Towards the end of the church service, the wind picked up and it grew chilly. This is fairly odd. It was still cool when we went to the beach. We thought the water was very nice, not warm, but not really cold either. Most of the people on the beach thought it was cold. There were a lot of people walking and playing soccer on the beach. David and Kayla went swimming, others went wading, or sat on a blanket enjoying the beauty of the sand and Indian ocean. The sand is very fine and white, not as coarse as what I experienced along the eastern coast of the US.
Four teenage boys walked by who were signing to each other. Timothy followed them a short distance and struck up a conversation. He brought them back to meet Gail and Christine. It turns out all four were deaf. They talked with Timothy, Christine and Gail a bit, and then went on their way.
Timothy and Christine walked a short way to a Nakumatt (like a super Walmart) for some groceries. When I got back, supper was ready, and Timothy and Christine's motorbike driver was waiting to take them to their apartment. Supper was rice and stir fry. Sarah and I had hot sauce with ours.
--
Sarah made toast in the broiler, and Kayla made scrambled eggs. I made terrible coffee with a sieve. Timothy and Christine arrived by motorbike and had a bite to eat. Then it was time to leave for church.
We walked out to the street and started walking in the direction we needed to go. A few seconds later, a matatu stopped. Timothy said some magic words in another language, and we hopped in and were on our way. Two hundred shillings ($3) and about five minutes later we were dropped across the street from Bombolulu, a large community of people with disabilities. The church that Timothy attended when he lived in Mombasa meets in a cultural center. It is a Pentecostal church, I will have to ask Timothy the name.
The kids joined the youth group and the adults went to a class which met outside. The kids were also outside, under a large round pavilion. We were in the grass. Our group was talking about prayer. When it was time for the service to start, we carried our chairs back under the grass roof of the pavilion, and found seats. We were all asked to introduce ourselves and sing some songs for them.
One very interesting thing happened during the service. The pastor said he was going to take up a special offering and would not say what it was for. People came up front and gave, and then he revealed it was for Timothy and Christine. Seven years ago, Timothy had gone from this church to start a new church in Gambogi. He went out of obedience to God. No one gave him any encouragement, or supported his move. Now, on this return visit to his home church, his pastor recognized the success of his efforts, and prayed over Timothy and Christine, and asked for continued blessing in their work. This was the first time they had received any real commissioning for their mission. It was a really blessed moment.
After the service, we had tea and a time of fellowship. It turns out that the pastor, Shem, and his wife, Catherine, are homeschooling their children. They had lots of questions, and we hope that we can connect them and Mary (in Nairobi).
While we were talking about us and listening about them, Evey and Christine met with a group of ten women from the congregation with a variety of disabilities. This will further her research, and provided another opportunity to meet people and form friendships in Kenya.
It was a long morning. We finally left about 2:30. A matatu nearly ran us down as we were walking out to the main road, but that gave us the chance to jump in and get a ride back to the apartments. The driver misunderstood our destination and tried to drop us off at Mombasa Beach (a public access road several blocks from where we are staying). When we cleared up the misunderstanding, he took us to the right place.
We cooked spaghetti American style, and enjoyed all of it for lunch. Afterwards we headed to the beach for a little relaxation. It was quite windy and had turned chilly. I should say a little about the weather. Mombasa is known for being hot. The early morning was warm, and grew steamy, even with rain threatening. As it cleared, it did grow pretty hot. This, I guess, is typical. Towards the end of the church service, the wind picked up and it grew chilly. This is fairly odd. It was still cool when we went to the beach. We thought the water was very nice, not warm, but not really cold either. Most of the people on the beach thought it was cold. There were a lot of people walking and playing soccer on the beach. David and Kayla went swimming, others went wading, or sat on a blanket enjoying the beauty of the sand and Indian ocean. The sand is very fine and white, not as coarse as what I experienced along the eastern coast of the US.
Four teenage boys walked by who were signing to each other. Timothy followed them a short distance and struck up a conversation. He brought them back to meet Gail and Christine. It turns out all four were deaf. They talked with Timothy, Christine and Gail a bit, and then went on their way.
Timothy and Christine walked a short way to a Nakumatt (like a super Walmart) for some groceries. When I got back, supper was ready, and Timothy and Christine's motorbike driver was waiting to take them to their apartment. Supper was rice and stir fry. Sarah and I had hot sauce with ours.
--
Saturday, June 13: Heading for Mombasa
Waking up at 4:30 is hard for me, but I almost did it. 4:39, and I was out of the mosquito net. We got the van loaded up with all of our stuff and all of us, and were headed south by 5:25. Quite a few of the children got up to say goodbye. I do not know if it was last night's rain, or I am just getting used to Kenyan roads, but the trip seemed smoother than usual.
We drove right past Timothy and Christine who were standing alongside the road across from their house. They had a little bit of a walk to get to the van by the time we stopped. They were so excited. This was going to be their first airplane trip.
At the Kisumu airport, we loaded up 2 baggage carts, and carried the rest in after saying goodbye to Charles. Several small airlines share a rather cramped space. The procedure in Kisumu is to put all baggage through the x-ray, then you decide what to check after you get inside. There were nine of us, and they weighed the twelve bigger bags, and checked them all at no additional charge. The baggage limit is by weight, not pieces. All tolled, our bags were 150 KG and the limit for 9 was 180 KG. They did not care if some of the bags were over, which was good.
We waited in the outside waiting area and watched our plane land. We boarded, stowing the guitars and dulcimer in a little area near the back of the plane. The plane took off, but headed north (Kisumu is south). A little later we landed in Eldoret where Jenny (from Eshel Gardens) is living. The plane makes a circular trip, Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and back to Nairobi, so we ended up flying back over Kakamega to get to Eldoret.
I texted Jenny and told her we were in town for 15 minutes and she should wave. She replied that she was waving from her bed, and wished us safe journey. It is fun to know people in different places in Africa.
An hour later we landed in Nairobi, claimed our luggage (no lost bags this time), and met Yeshaia outside. He had agreed to take our extra bags and instruments to Eshel Gardens (where we plan to spend next Friday night) while we went to Mombasa. We waited there for the Coast Lines bus. Lillian, out travel agent, rode the bus from the station to the airport to be sure it picked us up. She had reserved front row seats. It was a nice bus with video screens and a washroom. Much smaller than a typical Greyhound, but about as tall.
The road was pretty bad for the first part of the trip; they are doing a lot of construction. Unlike the US, where most people merge into one lane long before the construction zone to be polite, in Kenya, people drive in the fields along the road, in the oncoming lane, on the far side berm... wherever they can fit their car.
Except for the construction, the road was very smooth, and the trip was pleasant. We saw camels, a zebra, a baboon, lots of goats and cows, and lots of people. The bus stopped halfway (the total trip was about 8 hours) for food.
The videos on the bus were not exactly family friendly. There was a lot of crude language in the movies, and the music videos became so awful that I finally complained. They changed the disc to something else that wasn't quite as bad. I would appreciate being able to choose what I see and hear when traveling, so I will not recommend this bus line to anyone else.
We got into Mombasa around 6:30, and were met by Mattias, our driver. This time we had only a small amount of luggage (yea). Mattias drove us to Nakumatt so we could buy food, then we went on to Mombasa Beach Apartments. The apartments are very nice. The bedrooms are even air conditioned and there is water, even hot water. We snacked on some of the food, and then turned in. We are looking forward to the rest of our adventure which begins tomorrow.
We drove right past Timothy and Christine who were standing alongside the road across from their house. They had a little bit of a walk to get to the van by the time we stopped. They were so excited. This was going to be their first airplane trip.
At the Kisumu airport, we loaded up 2 baggage carts, and carried the rest in after saying goodbye to Charles. Several small airlines share a rather cramped space. The procedure in Kisumu is to put all baggage through the x-ray, then you decide what to check after you get inside. There were nine of us, and they weighed the twelve bigger bags, and checked them all at no additional charge. The baggage limit is by weight, not pieces. All tolled, our bags were 150 KG and the limit for 9 was 180 KG. They did not care if some of the bags were over, which was good.
We waited in the outside waiting area and watched our plane land. We boarded, stowing the guitars and dulcimer in a little area near the back of the plane. The plane took off, but headed north (Kisumu is south). A little later we landed in Eldoret where Jenny (from Eshel Gardens) is living. The plane makes a circular trip, Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and back to Nairobi, so we ended up flying back over Kakamega to get to Eldoret.
I texted Jenny and told her we were in town for 15 minutes and she should wave. She replied that she was waving from her bed, and wished us safe journey. It is fun to know people in different places in Africa.
An hour later we landed in Nairobi, claimed our luggage (no lost bags this time), and met Yeshaia outside. He had agreed to take our extra bags and instruments to Eshel Gardens (where we plan to spend next Friday night) while we went to Mombasa. We waited there for the Coast Lines bus. Lillian, out travel agent, rode the bus from the station to the airport to be sure it picked us up. She had reserved front row seats. It was a nice bus with video screens and a washroom. Much smaller than a typical Greyhound, but about as tall.
The road was pretty bad for the first part of the trip; they are doing a lot of construction. Unlike the US, where most people merge into one lane long before the construction zone to be polite, in Kenya, people drive in the fields along the road, in the oncoming lane, on the far side berm... wherever they can fit their car.
Except for the construction, the road was very smooth, and the trip was pleasant. We saw camels, a zebra, a baboon, lots of goats and cows, and lots of people. The bus stopped halfway (the total trip was about 8 hours) for food.
The videos on the bus were not exactly family friendly. There was a lot of crude language in the movies, and the music videos became so awful that I finally complained. They changed the disc to something else that wasn't quite as bad. I would appreciate being able to choose what I see and hear when traveling, so I will not recommend this bus line to anyone else.
We got into Mombasa around 6:30, and were met by Mattias, our driver. This time we had only a small amount of luggage (yea). Mattias drove us to Nakumatt so we could buy food, then we went on to Mombasa Beach Apartments. The apartments are very nice. The bedrooms are even air conditioned and there is water, even hot water. We snacked on some of the food, and then turned in. We are looking forward to the rest of our adventure which begins tomorrow.
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