Kenya: Part X (Mombasa)
Apr. 23rd, 2011 01:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
riontelOn the first day, while we were checking in at the Leopard Beach Hotel, a girl came up to the front desk and caught our eye. She was as red as a freshly boiled lobster and looked distressed. We overheard her complaining that during the low tide she walked to the reef in the company of one of the locals. Once she was done with the nature walk, he refused to bring her back, claiming that the "highway" out was not available and if she started walking by herself she would surely die. So she ended up stranded for a couple of hours in the middle of the ocean with no sunblock and burnt to a crisp.
We took her story to heart. When we decided to check out the ocean floor at low tide we slathered ourselves in sunblock, making sure no stray UV ray was getting through. We also planned to ignore the helpful locals but that proved quite impossible, they latch onto you like lampreys the moment you step up to the water. Unfortunately we left our camera behind so you won't get to see all the sea urchins, snakes, stone fish and other poisonous critters that crawl all over the bottom and whose nasty properties were described to us in great detail. After a long, hot and educational walk through ocean hazards we got to a sand bar where I finally expressed readiness to head back. That's where you get the talk about how difficult life is for the local population and, mixed in, reminders of how dangerous the walk back is for one who doesn't know the way. After some haggling over the price they took us back to the shore via a winding sandy mostly sea-urchin-free "highway". BTW, we were wearing water shoes but one of the local guys went barefoot. He claimed his grandfather was a medicine man and taught him how to protect himself. I suspect the skin on his feet was thicker than the soles of our shoes.
Mombasa City is just a hop, skip and jump, or, rather, a drive and a ferry ride away from the Diani Beach where our hotel was situated. There were plans at some point to build a bridge across the Kilindini Harbor to the island but they never materialized so the trip still involves a traffic jam, a wait for the Likoni ferry and then a short crowded ride.
Mombasa and its environs are one of the few areas in Kenya that are predominantly Muslim. It was originally settled by Arabs and we saw lots of people in traditional dress, especially noticeable, of course, being women in black from head to toe, and wearing nikab, in 90+ degree heat. I liked ladies in traditional colorful African garb better.
History of Mombasa involves a lot of bouncing back and forth between the Portuguese and the Arabs, specifically Oman. This is reflected in one of the main tourist attractions of the city called Fort Jesus because it's supposedly built in the shape of the man.
It was built in 1593 by the Portuguese and then changed hands 9 times, with Arabs and Brits leaving their mark on the buildings in addition to the original Portuguese design, which was actually done by an Italian architect.
This door is very similar to some seen in the old Arab quarter in Mombasa, in the design it incorporates Muslim symbols including some passages from the Koran.
Portuguese paintings
This room had dual purpose: a punishment room, notice the rings fixed to the ceiling beams; and a prayer room, hence some quotes from the Koran.
These are public latrines. For men
And, hidden away in a more secluded spot, for women
From one of the towers you can see a pool which was built specifically for Queen Elizabeth's visit, in case she didn't want to swim in the ocean.
It was extra hot that day, especially away from the nice ocean breeze we've been enjoying on the beach, and the mosquito bites came back to haunt me, my feet swell up to such a state that when our guide suggested a walk through the old Arab quarter, a traditional continuation of the fort tour, I got in the car and suggested everybody else could take a walk but I was done. Well, everybody but me had walked through the town before and you can't drive through the super narrow streets in the old city except maybe in a Tuk-Tuk (rickshaw) so I only got the most cursory of glimpses. If I felt better you would have surely enjoyed looking at the pictures of all the elaborate carvings on windows, doors and balconies of the old houses.
We stopped by a Mackinnon Market, a place to buy all sorts of fruits, veggies and nuts, if you can handle getting accosted by a crowd of sellers each yelling and sticking their fares right in your face. I pretended to be deaf and mute while N's stepmom bought a variety of strange fruits and other hard to identify things which presumably were also edible. N ate them at any rate.
After a short lunch break during which my companions consumed some deep fried Indian fast food while I watched in disapproval we went to do some shopping for the folks back home with a local friend of the family and then, after a stop in her home to rest and refresh, we headed out to the last destination on our itinerary for the day: Tamarind Dhow. Dhow is a traditional Arab sailing vessel that is used to carry cargo. This particular dhow is used as a pleasure boat that takes visitors out into the ocean on a dinner cruise.
The dinner is cooked fresh to order right there on the boat by a chef
N and I ordered two different dishes and they were both completely fantastic. I was served the best lobster I ever had and N's Swahili seafood was to die for. We wiped our plates, which doesn't happen to me very often.
There was also music and dancing if one was inclined and an overall wonderful atmosphere.
I fell asleep in the car on the way back and missed the night ferry crossing.
Next day was our last full day at the coast and we spent it on a snorkeling trip. Early in the morning we were picked up by Pilli Pipa Diving and Dhow safari and driven to Shimoni. From there we were taken by a dhow "Monsoon" to Kisite National Marine Park for snorkeling. There are dolphins in those waters and we saw some on the way but they weren't in a playful mood and ran away from the boat.
Unfortunately the first snorkeling session was slightly spoiled by a presence of tiny little plankton, resembling miniature jelly fish, which stung you on contact. Due to a combination of the season and time of day the water was teaming with them, contact was unavoidable and it took until the next day for the welts to disappear from my skin. It's not an experience I would want to repeat. The fish and corals were beautiful as usual and we also got to see an octopus and a giant clam. I skipped the second snorkeling session but N also saw a huge sea turtle.
Next we were ferried from the dhow by a small boat to Wasini Island. Due to low tide from the boat we had to walk through the hazard filled terrain.
Incautious step onto one of these creatures and you are out in bed for the next two weeks.
On the island a lunch of Swahili style food was served. In the spirit of adventure I tried a little bit of everything and deep fried seaweed turned out to be crispy and surprisingly tasty. Crab was especially good, and it wasn't even deep fried.
While I was relaxing, N discovered an old classmate of his among the staff, he is the manager of the whole operation. They spent the rest of the time, until the last boat was leaving, remembering good old school days and various friends. The guy went to UK after school, graduated with an engineering degree from college and then recession hit. He wasn't able to find a job, came to Mombasa for a vacation... and stayed.
That evening, our last one, we had dinner with N's parents at their hotel, Diani Reef, on the terrace facing the ocean. Dinner was specially prepared for us by the chef and was extremely good, I even ate the seafood soup, and on top of the delicious tiramisu that came with dinner we were presented with a personal chocolate cake complements of the hotel. I don't know how any of us managed to walk away from the table under our own power.
On the way back to our hotel an animal, which I firmly maintain was a huge rat, ran across the path of our car. N tried to convince me there weren't any huge rats in the area but I knew what I saw and the driver agreed with me. We tried to find it after letting the taxi go but only managed to disturb a very startled hedgehog. Back in our room, slightly rattled by the prospect of mutant rats, I opened a closet door, looked in, jumped away with a yelp. N, vividly picturing a giant rat about to appear from the closet, was all set to bolt out of the back door but first, valiantly staying well back, checked on the source of my distress. Well, there was a humongous cockroach sitting on top of the safe staring straight at me. It was easily three inches long! Realizing it was not a rat, N bravely called the front desk and some dude came with a broom and got rid of the unwanted visitor. That's not the end of the story, though. Next morning before our flight we went for a last swim and then took a shower by the pool. I went into women's shower and ran right out. My old friend, or his cousin, was making itself very comfortable in the shower drain. Another dude with a broom had to be summoned. I am only grateful neither bug decided to take to the air, because apparently they can.
With that little incident our adventures in Mombasa were over, we drove to the airport and reluctantly got on the plane back to Nairobi.
On the way back we again got to see the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro just barely sticking out of the clouds.
We took her story to heart. When we decided to check out the ocean floor at low tide we slathered ourselves in sunblock, making sure no stray UV ray was getting through. We also planned to ignore the helpful locals but that proved quite impossible, they latch onto you like lampreys the moment you step up to the water. Unfortunately we left our camera behind so you won't get to see all the sea urchins, snakes, stone fish and other poisonous critters that crawl all over the bottom and whose nasty properties were described to us in great detail. After a long, hot and educational walk through ocean hazards we got to a sand bar where I finally expressed readiness to head back. That's where you get the talk about how difficult life is for the local population and, mixed in, reminders of how dangerous the walk back is for one who doesn't know the way. After some haggling over the price they took us back to the shore via a winding sandy mostly sea-urchin-free "highway". BTW, we were wearing water shoes but one of the local guys went barefoot. He claimed his grandfather was a medicine man and taught him how to protect himself. I suspect the skin on his feet was thicker than the soles of our shoes.
Mombasa City is just a hop, skip and jump, or, rather, a drive and a ferry ride away from the Diani Beach where our hotel was situated. There were plans at some point to build a bridge across the Kilindini Harbor to the island but they never materialized so the trip still involves a traffic jam, a wait for the Likoni ferry and then a short crowded ride.
Mombasa and its environs are one of the few areas in Kenya that are predominantly Muslim. It was originally settled by Arabs and we saw lots of people in traditional dress, especially noticeable, of course, being women in black from head to toe, and wearing nikab, in 90+ degree heat. I liked ladies in traditional colorful African garb better.
History of Mombasa involves a lot of bouncing back and forth between the Portuguese and the Arabs, specifically Oman. This is reflected in one of the main tourist attractions of the city called Fort Jesus because it's supposedly built in the shape of the man.
It was built in 1593 by the Portuguese and then changed hands 9 times, with Arabs and Brits leaving their mark on the buildings in addition to the original Portuguese design, which was actually done by an Italian architect.
This door is very similar to some seen in the old Arab quarter in Mombasa, in the design it incorporates Muslim symbols including some passages from the Koran.
Portuguese paintings
This room had dual purpose: a punishment room, notice the rings fixed to the ceiling beams; and a prayer room, hence some quotes from the Koran.
These are public latrines. For men
And, hidden away in a more secluded spot, for women
From one of the towers you can see a pool which was built specifically for Queen Elizabeth's visit, in case she didn't want to swim in the ocean.
It was extra hot that day, especially away from the nice ocean breeze we've been enjoying on the beach, and the mosquito bites came back to haunt me, my feet swell up to such a state that when our guide suggested a walk through the old Arab quarter, a traditional continuation of the fort tour, I got in the car and suggested everybody else could take a walk but I was done. Well, everybody but me had walked through the town before and you can't drive through the super narrow streets in the old city except maybe in a Tuk-Tuk (rickshaw) so I only got the most cursory of glimpses. If I felt better you would have surely enjoyed looking at the pictures of all the elaborate carvings on windows, doors and balconies of the old houses.
We stopped by a Mackinnon Market, a place to buy all sorts of fruits, veggies and nuts, if you can handle getting accosted by a crowd of sellers each yelling and sticking their fares right in your face. I pretended to be deaf and mute while N's stepmom bought a variety of strange fruits and other hard to identify things which presumably were also edible. N ate them at any rate.
After a short lunch break during which my companions consumed some deep fried Indian fast food while I watched in disapproval we went to do some shopping for the folks back home with a local friend of the family and then, after a stop in her home to rest and refresh, we headed out to the last destination on our itinerary for the day: Tamarind Dhow. Dhow is a traditional Arab sailing vessel that is used to carry cargo. This particular dhow is used as a pleasure boat that takes visitors out into the ocean on a dinner cruise.
The dinner is cooked fresh to order right there on the boat by a chef
N and I ordered two different dishes and they were both completely fantastic. I was served the best lobster I ever had and N's Swahili seafood was to die for. We wiped our plates, which doesn't happen to me very often.
There was also music and dancing if one was inclined and an overall wonderful atmosphere.
I fell asleep in the car on the way back and missed the night ferry crossing.
Next day was our last full day at the coast and we spent it on a snorkeling trip. Early in the morning we were picked up by Pilli Pipa Diving and Dhow safari and driven to Shimoni. From there we were taken by a dhow "Monsoon" to Kisite National Marine Park for snorkeling. There are dolphins in those waters and we saw some on the way but they weren't in a playful mood and ran away from the boat.
Unfortunately the first snorkeling session was slightly spoiled by a presence of tiny little plankton, resembling miniature jelly fish, which stung you on contact. Due to a combination of the season and time of day the water was teaming with them, contact was unavoidable and it took until the next day for the welts to disappear from my skin. It's not an experience I would want to repeat. The fish and corals were beautiful as usual and we also got to see an octopus and a giant clam. I skipped the second snorkeling session but N also saw a huge sea turtle.
Next we were ferried from the dhow by a small boat to Wasini Island. Due to low tide from the boat we had to walk through the hazard filled terrain.
Incautious step onto one of these creatures and you are out in bed for the next two weeks.
On the island a lunch of Swahili style food was served. In the spirit of adventure I tried a little bit of everything and deep fried seaweed turned out to be crispy and surprisingly tasty. Crab was especially good, and it wasn't even deep fried.
While I was relaxing, N discovered an old classmate of his among the staff, he is the manager of the whole operation. They spent the rest of the time, until the last boat was leaving, remembering good old school days and various friends. The guy went to UK after school, graduated with an engineering degree from college and then recession hit. He wasn't able to find a job, came to Mombasa for a vacation... and stayed.
That evening, our last one, we had dinner with N's parents at their hotel, Diani Reef, on the terrace facing the ocean. Dinner was specially prepared for us by the chef and was extremely good, I even ate the seafood soup, and on top of the delicious tiramisu that came with dinner we were presented with a personal chocolate cake complements of the hotel. I don't know how any of us managed to walk away from the table under our own power.
On the way back to our hotel an animal, which I firmly maintain was a huge rat, ran across the path of our car. N tried to convince me there weren't any huge rats in the area but I knew what I saw and the driver agreed with me. We tried to find it after letting the taxi go but only managed to disturb a very startled hedgehog. Back in our room, slightly rattled by the prospect of mutant rats, I opened a closet door, looked in, jumped away with a yelp. N, vividly picturing a giant rat about to appear from the closet, was all set to bolt out of the back door but first, valiantly staying well back, checked on the source of my distress. Well, there was a humongous cockroach sitting on top of the safe staring straight at me. It was easily three inches long! Realizing it was not a rat, N bravely called the front desk and some dude came with a broom and got rid of the unwanted visitor. That's not the end of the story, though. Next morning before our flight we went for a last swim and then took a shower by the pool. I went into women's shower and ran right out. My old friend, or his cousin, was making itself very comfortable in the shower drain. Another dude with a broom had to be summoned. I am only grateful neither bug decided to take to the air, because apparently they can.
With that little incident our adventures in Mombasa were over, we drove to the airport and reluctantly got on the plane back to Nairobi.
On the way back we again got to see the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro just barely sticking out of the clouds.
