Saturday - First Full Day in Mombasa

Sleep in, we did….all of us finally woke up around 1:30 pm Saturday. When everyone was up and going we met in the main house and went over the schedule for the weekend and requested phones and modems for Internet. We went on a walking tour of the area around our compound with Isaac, who is the one of the program coordinators.

He first took us to a place that could exchange American dollars for Kenyan shillings and showed us where the ATM was located. We checked out the market area, where there are actually many little stores and even a Cinema. It reminded me of a little strip mall from back home. However, the whole thing is fenced in and there are guards at the doors to not only the supermarket but also almost everywhere you go that wand you with a metal detector and check inside any bags that you are carrying. We went in to the supermarket and I was pleasantly surprised at how modern it was. Right inside the door was a little cell phone kiosk where we could buy the minutes for our phones and modems. The rest of the store was like a mini Walmart. They had everything! Foods, books, cleaning supplies, small appliances, electronics, even Mountain Dew! So if there is anything I could possibly need, they do have most of it here. 

After the market we took off walking again and headed down to the beach. As we are walking down this little dirt road to the beach I see the beautiful blue water and the white sand and then, of all things, a camel walks across the beach. When we made it down to the waterfront, it turns out that there are people who own camels and offer camel rides right there along the beach. I haven’t gotten the gumption to give it a try yet, but I might before we leave. 

This is the little road that leads down to the beach

One of about five camels that just wander the beach

We walked down the beach a ways and as we did there are people that literally come out from everywhere to try to sell you things. I guess since we are white we look rich….little do they know I’m not!!! At first I tried politely telling them I wasn’t interested or didn’t need whatever they had but they are very persistent. So then I just started telling them I have no money and they turn around right away.

Shoreline

We made it down the beach to this resort that has a restaurant and a bar right out on the sand and stopped there for a drink. By this time it was about dark so we started back to the compound for dinner. After we all ate and changed out of or sweaty clothes the few people that were here before us decided to take us all to this little café in the mall that they have been hanging out at. Their city mall is very nice. It actually was nicer than the mall in Mitchell! The café was called Cafesserie and it was very fancy. I ordered a latte but it was nothing like I’m used to back home so I’m still looking for my local coffee shop. After the café we took off for this other hangout spot called Bob’s. It was kind of like a sports bar that had TV’s, food, drinks, and music. Isaac, our coordinator went with us and we had a great time. When it was time to head back to the compound I got my first experience in a Tuk Tuk. This is the mode of transportation that we use when we want to just run a little errand.

These are Tuk Tuks all lined up to give you a ride soemwhere

A Tuk Tuk is a open three wheeled buggy with one driver seat in the front and a long seat that comfortably sits three in the back, but if you really squish you can get seven in there. They are kind of fun to ride around in but it gets a little scary as we weave in and out of the hectic traffic that obeys absolutely no traffic regulations. They have no speed limits, no street signs, no traffic lights….its just a free for all with a lot of horn honking. Anyway, we made it home safely after Bob’s and went for a short swim in the pool back at the compound and then headed to bed. It was a great way to spend the first day. We were able to mix the group and include the few that were here before us. They were able to show us the ropes so to say, and it was great to get a heads up of what to expect in the next three weeks.