A Trip to Mombassa

Mombasa is the sea port of Kenya and the Nairobi - Mombasa road is main artery road with goods coming and going as well as 'normal' traffic. The road in many places is perched above the landscape as a result of erosion, and there is just room for the two lanes - outside this there is a dangerous drop. Naturally enough lorries and buses do not want to go over the edge, so did not move over at all to accommodate oncoming traffic.

We arrived safely in Mombasa.

The original town of Mombasa was on an island in the harbor and as we were heading South we entered the island by way of a very good bridge and left the island by the Likoni Ferry. It is a short crossing and everything went smoothly.

We found a place at Diani Beach, which is a very pleasant place and we found a motel owned by Marion and expat Brit who had lived there most of her life. Hazel from Birmingham was staying with her - they were long time friends.

 Marion accommodated us in a very nice motel - well, house really. Two bedrooms, a toilet/bathroom, a kitchen and dining room-cum sitting room. If there was a fault, it was the toilet wall did not go fully to the ceiling, so anyone in there could be heard and smelt from the dining room. It was a matter of saying, 'I'm going to go!' and everyone else headed outside!
But to us it was outstanding accommodation!

Wema [maybe Mwema] was assigned to us as houseboy, our cook and cleaner. A very good fellow he was too! However we did most of the cooking and each meal, even if he cooked it, he sat at our table and shared. He liked to be given money and go to the boats to buy fresh fish for us, and bring the exact change. He wasn't required to do much cleaning either. I think he had as good a time as we had!

Our bedroom window reached almost to the floor and I was surprised to spot this monitor lizard walking along the path.
They are usually killed on sight because they eat poultry and eggs and as well their bite is said to be poison.
I enjoyed my close encounter with this fellow!
Actually Mo, while lying half asleep on the couch, saw a metre plus snake slither through our bedroom door and out that low window!

There were a number of Sykes monkeys at Diani Beach and they were cheeky. I guess because tourists fed them but even so they were troublesome.
Very good at thieving food - even came inside and stole a pot of margarine and took it up to the tree-top to devour.
I always thought I would like monkeys, but I found them to wasteful and just a pest to have around.

The sand beach was pleasant but devoid of life - over exploited. However to tout sure did exploit it! At no time could I venture out onto the beach without a 'very good offer' for anything from a drink of tea to drugs or a on-the-beach massage [behind sacks].
An expat Brit patrolled the beach, he told me that he was a Tourist Policeman. He told me that one of the problem was that young women from Europe come to Mombasa looking for a sexual experience and end up HIV positive. [He put it more crudely than that!] We certainly witnessed the sexual experience part.
We did go out on an outrigger canoe to see dolphins, but they failed to appear - I would say they lacked prey. Though I did enjoy the day. And on the trip there was a young German who wore a yellow swimsuit showing more skin to our 'boatboys' than they would eve see among their own women.

We paid a tourist visit in to Mombasa and I enjoyed the experience, especially the more traditional shops.
My bent for history was satisfied by visiting Fort Jesus. The fort was built by the Portuguese over about three years, starting 1593. Principally it was built to guard the Mombasa port.

The gunsight of an old cannon - I think it would be easy to hit a passing boat. This for was won and lost nine times and the architecture change by the Omani Arabs and the British. An interesting history.
The British used Fort Jesus as a prison and was in use until 1958.

Fort Jesus now is a museum and a World Heritage Site - and worthy of the title.






A fancy door at Fort Jesus reminiscent of those on Zanzibar.

We built up a friendship with Hazel, who had her own property in the Simba Hills and she was keen to have me look at the success of her plantings. She has been instrumental in the gazetting of an Elephant reserve adjacent to her property.
She came back to Arusha with us and visited a few of our projects. We have visited her at her Birmingham home and we remain in contact.

A part of the Simba Hills where [I'm guessing] the Elephant reserve has been established.
Hazel lived quite high up the mountain amongst the rainforest.

Hazel told me that there was a spring nearby that was the 'original' water source for the town of Mombasa. This interested me and an employee of Hazel took me on a bit of a route march to find the spring.
It was situated quite high and in a rocky gulley and while water is not visible in this picture, the stream was quite strong. The scheme is not operational at all - not even for villages further down the mountain.

My guide sits on the water tank, which I guess was a holding tank for the Mombasa water supply.
For the work that has gone into this project there must be a reasonable. if overgrown track into the area but we never found it.




We wanted to go home via Lake Jipe, but there had been flooding and the road, we guesses would have been troublesome.
We headed South towards Tanga and the remarkable thing was that one of the Tanzania boarder people called himself  'Kia Ora' which a Maori  greeting. It turns out that he had heard the phrase and liked it and just called himself that name.

We enjoyed our tour to Mombasa, and Hazel returned with us for a visit to our area.