After the four days in Masi Mara park I was looking forward to Mombassa. The flight was uneventful. The only strange thing is that Kenyans don’t seem to worry about the silly ban on using your cell phone on the plane. Fully half of them were gabbing on their cell phones and text messaging the whole trip back. Almost ALL of Kenya is covered by cell phone coverage. In fact Kenya, has for the most part, skipped the hard wire telephone and gone directly wireless phones. Now if they could only do the same on Internet where the word “broadband” and wireless don’t exist - even in the capitol city of Nairobi. But if experience is any teacher, they’ll make the leap in the next two or three years at most.
There was someone at the airport to meet me and take me to Bamburi Beach Hotel. Which, on the surface, is a beautiful resort right on the Indian Ocean. It is sort like the full board resorts we see in Mexico and the Caribbean
. A porter took my bags to my room on the ground floor overlooking the pool and ocean, and that’s when the cracks began. The key that was suppose to go in the wall after you enter to turn on the elecricity and air conditioning was broken, so a walk back to reception to get another. The key worked for the electricity, but the air conditioning worked, so back again to get a technician. Finally I locked my valuables in the room safe and found I could not get it open again. Evidently they gave me the wrong code, but the person who could fix it wouldn’t be back for a day.I attempt to speak Swahili at every opportunity. Kenyan’s look at me like I’m Francis the honking talking Zebra- evidently nobody but black Kenyan speaks Swahili as Kenya is bilingual . They actually bring people out of the kitchen to hear me talk. Of course I have a few language accidents. Every time I saw a Zebra I’d shout out “ Look Punda Milia (a striped donkey). But I’d mispronounce the last word and it would come out:
“look a donkey prostitute!” Which, of course, is met with gales of laughter. But, in all seriousness, they go out of their way to encourage and correct me, so I’m improving a fair amount each day.
The roads in Kenya are either wonderful or horrible - no in between. There is a nice new two lane highway that goes ALMOST to Mombassa from Nairobi. The part that is finished is very nice, but about 60km north of Mombassa the new road ends and the rest is unbelievably. I thought the roads on the island of Chuuk in the South Pacific were bad but these are the worst I’ve ever seen
The next day was to be a trip to visit the ruins in Malini, which is where Vasco De Gamba stopped and built a fort in 1597, then on to “Hemmingways” a famous resort, and finally a trip on a glass bottom boat and some snorkeling. I have no idea why it’s so famous as it’s not even clear that Ernest Hemmingway visited here. There is a possibility that his brother, Oliver did, but nobody mentions him.
At 7:30 in the morning a van stopped at the hotel with a driver and guide. I kept expecting them to take me to the tourist bus. It turns out there was just me and one other person, and they spent the day touring just two people.
On the long bone rattling journey, the guide tries to fill up the journey with interesting tidbits. Like the local pubah has 120 wives, including our guide’s sister. My question whether Sleepworld makes a bed beg enough for 121 people was met with gales of laughter. It appears that the father of the bride and the groom get together get drunk and work out a dowry in goats and cows. I asked about chickens - evidently nobody barters in chickens. In fact they didn’t even think about the possibility until the moment I brought it up. I suggested that if the bride isn’t that attractive the groom’s side could offer a chicken. Sort of like leaving a lousy tip after a meal. This again was met with gales of laughter.
Hemmingway’s was nice - a five star hotel, but I’m still not sure why I was dragged on a 300km journey over horrible roads to see it. I did get to go on the glass bottom boat and a snorkeling trip before the trip back to the hotel.
Tomorrow on to Tsava National Park.
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