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






Mama monkey and her baby

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)






In closing:

3,000 shillings
(That’s my “somebody just kill me and end my misery” face)
100 Shillings
1,000 Shillings
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)
Priceless
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