Coastal Adventure

This past week Laz and I went to Mombasa for a little beach vacation.  I had never been to Mombasa before, so this was a big adventure for me.  We received a lot of advice prior to going about which areas were safe and what to avoid, so I felt really safe there the whole time.  It felt much safer than Nairobi most of the time!

We decided to take the night bus from Nairobi to Mombasa so that we could sleep and wouldn’t waste precious vacation time on the 9-hour trip.  I decided we needed to sit in the big fluffy seats in the front row so I could look out the huge bus windows, which ended up being a huge mistake because I was freeeeeezing the whole trip.  By the time we arrived in Mombasa around 8 on Tuesday, I welcomed the heat and humidity with open arms.   After we attempted to eat breakfast (it is HARD to eat when it is so hot out, especially when the local cuisine focuses so heavily on all things fried), we decided to try our luck at getting into the hotel early, with great success.  Tourism is way, way down on the coast due to security concerns, so the hotel was nearly empty.  I made best friends with the AC and bed in which I could be fully horizontal. (what?  I don’t have to sleep in a chair again?)

It was a little misty and rainy, so we decided to explore Mtwapa, a nearby town which is essentially Rongai with palm trees, and then stop at the mall for room snacks.  There was a Coldstone at the mall, which was very fantastic.  A major feature of the mall is a row of those leather massage chairs that you lay down in, and they seemed to be incredibly popular, hilariously. 

Upon return to the hotel I got to fully explore it.  Although it is a bit worn down, as most Mombasa-area hotels are these days, it is really nice.  The rooms were thankfully updated recently with super comfortable beds and awesome showers, my two favorite things.  Laz really liked the big TV.  The room also had a private balcony that monkeys liked to come visit.  It was all private, actually, because the room was the top floor of a tiny little cabin.  Most of the hotel was your average block of room after room, but scattered in the middle were these cute little cabins with spiral staircases, so I felt really lucky.   There were two pools and one even had a little waterfall, plus a huge dining area, and a “swing bar” on the beach surrounded by comfy swinging benches.  The best part was the beach, of course.  It was amazingly devoid of people and beach boys, so it felt very isolated.  The first living creature I saw on the beach was actually a camel named Charlie Brown who I took for a little spin.

The second day it was raining again, so since the pool was out of the question we headed into Mombasa to visit K and see Old Town.   To get there we took a matatu to the post office, then a tuk tuk to Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was built in to 1590s by the Portuguese, which means I am probably pronouncing it incorrectly in my head as I type this.  It is quite lovely to look at, though some hooligans have decided to add a touch of graffiti to some of the walls.

Since this is a tourist attraction, there is plenty of shopping to be done in the area, and boy did I go all out.  I am the shopping queen, young and sweet, spending loan moneyyyyy.   Thankfully Laz and K have been through this before and were very patient (6 sisters on one side, dating Sonia on the other).   When the rain just got to be too much, we returned to base to warm up.

The last day was beautiful and sunny, so I got to enjoy the pool/beach and a little tanning time.  Due to my shopping extravaganza, I also had to go buy a new duffle bag to tote home all my treasures.   By the time the night bus rolled around, I was so content and tired that I actually slept all the way back home.  A trip well taken I say.