Vacation

So for Easter, the staff of the St. Julie Center had off on Good Friday and the next Monday. That’s a four day weekend right there. And the following weekend, the volunteers were meeting in Nairobi for a two-day retreat. We figured this would be the best time to take a vacation, so we decided on Mombasa. I was praying Mombasa was going to be a good time, because this meant Tim and I would be taking a 9-hour bus ride to Nairobi then immediately getting on another 9-hour bus ride from Nairobi to Mombasa.

Mombasa is the third largest city in all of Kenya. It is a port city that sits on the Indian Ocean. It’s origin dates back to the 16th Century, when it was ruled by the Portugese. You can’t really see the influence though, because after the Portugese were ousted, the Arabs took over. This you can see. The city is almost entirely Muslim (you literally can’t walk 10 feet without seeing a mosque). For as nice as it is, it’s very cluttered and very hot, not unlike Nairobi, so we decided to go elsewhere.

We took a bus north from Mombasa about two hours, and landed in a tiny village called Watamu. Watamu is Swahili for “sweet”, and sweet it was. White beaches and clear water: all I need. Watamu is a resort town that hosts many European vacationers, but mostly Italians. It is funny to walk down a street in Kenya and see signs for authentic pasta and fresh gelato. It is also funny to walk by a group of Kenyan kids who all scream “Chao” at you. What isn’t funny is seeing fat old Italian men wearing speedos and fanny packs. That almost ruined my vacation.

We stayed in a little guest house for five days at an unbelievably good price (each of us paid less than 20 bucks). We went snorkeling, sight seeing, and visited the Gede Ruins. Gede Ruins is a 12th Century Swahili village that was mysteriously abandoned some 600 years ago due to unknown causes. It is now a National Museum, and the ruins are heavily overgrown with indigenous forest trees. Supposedly there is no record of this area ever existing. It was just found deep in the forest by accident. Pretty cool

To be honest, it was weird to see so many Muzungus. I have been accustomed to be one of the only Muzungus in a 30 kilometer radius. It was also weird how we were treated. This tiny village depends solely on tourism, so the people there are extra nice to you. So we didn’t have to worry about our safety, which was a first since I have come to Kenya. And since we know a little bit of Swahili, the people were extra cool to us. Overall it was a great time. I basically just bummed around for an entire week, and loved every second of it.

I forgot to mention that I am now officially a resident of Kenya. My work permit passed right before the trip, which was perfect because I now get a discount on many things that tourists have to pay full price for. Ok enough with the small talk, enjoy the pics

Here are some pics I took on the bus ride from Nairobi to Mombasa

Tiny village with mountains in the background

These people are sitting at their "Kiosks", which are stands that they sell their produce from


No matter where you go in Kenya, you cannot escape extreme poverty

Gede Ruins

The Great Mosque of Gede

So on the way out of the ruins, we saw this sign. We took the sign's advice and decided not to feed any monkeys we saw. Instead, if we saw any, we were going to break up some bread and throw it at them, just to see what they would do

Silly monkeys

Mama monkey and her baby

Here is a shot of me with two members of the celebrasated Masaii tribe. Although, I am highly skeptical of the authenticity. Members of Masaii are nomadic people who base thier lives around cattle, to the point that one of their favorite cocktails is a mixture of milk and cow blood. You really wouldn't find Masaii hanging out on the main street of a resort town. Another giveaway: I saw the guy on the right wearing a Hulk Hogan shirt and doing "the worm" at the dance contest at the local club the night after this pic was taken

And these next shots answer why Watamu is a great spot for vacation

In closing:

- Two horrendous 18-hour bus rides (Kakamega to Mombasa and back):
3,000 shillings
(That’s my “somebody just kill me and end my misery” face)

-Resident entrace fee to the Gede Ruins:

100 Shillings

-Resdient fee for snorkeling:

1,000 Shillings

-One bottle of aloe gel for my mangled foot:

150 shillings

(result of severe sunburn and kicking the coral reef while snorkeling)

-Seeing fat old Italian men in speedos :

Permanent mental scarring

(pic was too explicit for this family-oriented website)

-Jumping off the roof of a boat named "Ali-Baba" into the Inidan Ocean:

Priceless