Old Mombasa

Trip Start Jan 10, 2006
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38
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Trip End Jun 02, 2006


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Flag of Kenya  ,
Sunday, April 9, 2006

Prosper and his dad dropped me by the bus to Mombasa in the morning. It was a little sad saying goodbye, but i'm sure we'll be in touch. I have to try and convince his woman in St. Louis that Tanzania isn't such a bad place to live.

The bus to Mombasa was cheap, probably because half the ride is dirt road. It was raining, too, but we didn't slip around much. The driver took it nice and easy. On the way, I bought another fruit that I'd never known before. It was just like a purple-black olive, but fruity and sweet. I'm finding cassava chips as well. They're delicious and 10 cents per bag.

Mombasa is busy. This is the second largest city in Kenya and the major port. I got off the bus and wasn't able to contact my people in Kilifi, the next town north. I set off to find a cheap room. The rooms aren't so cheap around here, though. I wandered all the way to old town, where I met a guide named Jamad, who showed me to one of the few guesthouses in old town. They first told me they were full, but they could see I was sweating and it was about to get dark. They said there was a water shortage in Mombasa, so I'd only get a bucket full, and they gave me a small break on the price. I was stoked because I was right on the Indian Ocean next to the 900 year-old port, protected by Fort Jesus (the old slave trading fort) and a thousand year-old mosque, and I had a king-size bed. As soon as I got my room settled, I jumped in the ocean to get some of the dust and sweat off.

Later I walked around old town. Old town Mombasa is like a huge Lamu with cars and without all the reggae. They love their barbequed meat here. I ate masala chips and veggie chapati. Islam and India meet Afrika in all its Judeo-Christian glory here on the Swahili coast. I think everyone can tell that I'm Amerikan, but I don't tell anybody. I think the people here are aware of how Islam is bad-mouthed in the western media, and so they go to great lengths to make every western visitor feel welcome. The peace here is protected by the spirit of the people.
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marie04
marie04 on Oct 23, 2008 at 08:05AM

Mombasa
Up until 2006 all i ever did whenever i traveled to Mombasa was stay at the hotel and eat my self sick. I finally got out of the hotel and was really ashamed at how many sites i had ignored.
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Marie
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