Mombasa Safari

Monday, September 24, 2007

Last week our program took us on an all-expenses paid trip to gorgeous coastal city of Mombasa for Kiswahili camp. The eight hour drive started out on the world’s bumpiest road. Now this was no gravel road, this road to Mombasa. This was like rumble strips times 10. I didn’t know roads this bumpy could exist, honestly. My head kept hitting the ceiling and window and there were a couple times when I was sure this was my last day on earth. Only about 1 ½ hours was like that though and the rest felt like smooth sailing in comparison. (A new highway is between Nairobi and Mombasa is almost complete fortunately) I loved the ride though, apart from thinking I might die. The scenery looks just like the Lion King and there were baboons and zebras along the side of the road just hanging out, eating some grass and stuff. It was so cool!!!!!! I loved seeing the rural areas after only seeing the huge metropolis of Nairobi.

We stayed at the swanky Mombasa Beach Hotel right on the coast and certainly “not real Mombasa” where we had Kiswahili class each morning and fun outings and beach lounging and adventuring around the city all afternoon. It was way fun, especially to hang out with all of the people in my program all together and all the members of my family commented on how dark I looked when I got back. One afternoon we bargained with the guys on the beach for an afternoon of snorkeling. We went out on wooden sailboats handmade by our guides out of a single mango tree to the reef out in the ocean where we got snorkels and masks and got to look at some of the coolest fish I’ve ever seen, just swimming around in the reef. I saw the deepest color red starfish and puffer fish and little neon green and blue fish and zebra fish and rainbow-color changing fish, and gigantic vibrant shells with scorpions living inside that would reach out and these prickly dangerous looking sea anemones.
Another day we went on a nature hike in this reserve where we saw giraffes, monkeys, the biggest turtles I’ve ever seen that were 130 years old!!! All of them just walking around not in cages or anything. We saw hippos and antelopes and all kinds of storks and other birds. Then we saw snakes and crocodiles and other lizards. We went to Fort Jesus, the 16th century Portuguese fort and walked around the old town of Mombasa which was way cool. I wanted to spend a lot more time there than we did, but we’ll definitely be back sometime, probably on Christmas break.
Other than that it was lots of fun relaxing time and Kiswahili time chilling with our professors who are really really great to hang out with. All but one on our program is having their birthday while we’re here and we had the first while in Mombasa! So I think by the end we’re going to have this birthday party thing down! Best reason ever to throw a party! At the hotel restaurant at dinner the entire staff came out in a parade with huge torches and a cake and sang to her. It was a great night! This trip came at a perfect time in the adjustment process and was just what I needed then. I came home feeling so relaxed and ready to be in Nairobi again (although I was jealous our program wasn’t in Mombasa the whole time, mainly because of the beach and how cool the city is). Nairobi’s getting pretty cool in my book too though. Weather’s great, summer’s on it’s way.