Mombasa

This isn't so much a page about Mombasa as it is is about the journey to and from Mombasa.  We took one of the finest bus transportation systems in Kenya to Mombasa.  While I laughed about the licks of country music in our 4 wheel drive vehicle as we were trecking through the northern deserts and mountains of Kenya, I actually felt tortured by the trashy lirics of R&B and Swahili music enroute to Mombasa.....that driver did not have a lick of sense as to what would be enjoyable to his passengers.  But it was fairly easy for me to tune the music out as I was seated next to the window and had the window open with the winds of Kenya keeping me from melting completely in the heat of the bodies packed on our bus.  I saw some fantastic huge Baobab trees enroute.  They just wowed me with their size, with their straggly bare & unblooming branches extending to the skies. 

What amazed me alot about Kenya is how tied to the "network" everyone is.  I mean you see cell phones EVERYWHERE.  People on bicyles are talking; people on foot are talking; people on buses are talking.  If the "network" becomes unavailable for 1/2 hour, it really becomes traumatic, and this newfound connectedness that Kenyans have has opened wide the residents of the country to each other.  You can even send money by MPESA to someone across the country.       

Keeping connected with business on the bus

The bus ride between Mombasa and Nairobi is somewhere between 6 and 9 hours, depending upon who is driving, how many stops they make, and how fast they drive.  Sherri was quite nervous--though I didn't know this until we arrived at Mombasa.  She could see all the close calls, big swerves, tailgating, and whatnot that is fairly routine in Kenya, whereas I couldn't see anything with the seating I had--except those wonderful baobab trees and the train which we passed.  Remember your history lesson--this railroad track--when it was being laid was the cause of many deaths by the lion mouths infamously called the "maneaters of Tsavo".  There was even a park called "Maneater Park" where tourists could stay. 

Maneaters of Tsavo Train Tracks

The bus we took to Mombasa was actually fairly new and the seats were really comfortable as compared to the bus Tom and I took to Lamu.  I enjoyed the trip.  They always have a stop half way for a bathroom break and a food stop.  It gives you time to stretch your legs too. 

Sherri & Josie chat outside at the bus stop

But overall the day is consumed with sitting on this bus which roars through the Kenya countryside on a new road built by the Chinese in connection with the "Roads President" Kibaki. We used to take the overnight train to Mombasa, but now with this speedy bus--you arrive much more rested via the bus on this smooth road.

The TSS Bus Conductor

I really did enjoy looking at the scenery.  It had been 25 years since I last made this treck by land.  And it was in the train at night....can't see too much at that hour!  Josie was amused by many of the names of the dukas (shops) and even at times, they got me.  How about this one for all the girls at my office in Atlanta--they've got Acapulco in Kenya too!!!!



Land being tilled for cultivation

 So much of the journey was the dense or sparse savannah scrub land.  But every now and then we'd see a thin streak of green on the horizon, and at times, the green just burst forth from the red earth.  I thought about calling the overall blog -- "A thin line of green" -- to emphasize just how resiliant the land and her people are in the midst of drought.

Sisal

This might be a disappointing page for those of you having expected the white sand beaches of Mombasa.  But this trip was not about beaches for Tom and I.  It was about getting out to the coast in an economical way.  It was about resting and relaxing on the beach for The Wilson/Naikoi party.  They spent the next 3 to 4 days on the Indian Ocean recuperating from weeks of bouncing around in vehicles, sleeping in wierd places, eating uncooked goat, and just touring places which were in large part unexplored by most Kenyans themselves.  Mombasa is the medicine for the weary.