We had a great (but short) time in Mombassa last week. But, the trip started out precariously in a manner that we all take for granted! Driving at night here is not only difficult, but very dangerous. We left last Sat at 5am and so drove in the dark for about 1.5 hours. There are no street lights and no lines on the "roads." The pot holes are so big you could get lost in them! And, to add to that, practically every car you encounter flashes you with their bright lights supposedly to warn you that they are there! This blinds you so that you temporarily can't see the pot holes that you fall in or the edges of the road that you drive off of! This was my first time driving some distance in the dark and I hope it is the last. It is amazing to me how we in the states have such a good infrastructure that we take it for granted.
The drive to Mombassa is an adventure all in itself! We managed to get past Nairobi before the traffic was too bad. Right after you get past the airport, the tar mack road south kind of ends, and turns to dirt for a while. Is there any warning of this? No of course not. Is there any warning that the 2 lanes you are moving in are turning to single lanes with oncoming traffic? No of course not. You just kind of figure it out with the rest of the cars.
We stopped at a place called Hunter's Lodge at about 7:30. It was tucked behind a gas station on a little river and had a good bathroom (something not to be taken for granted!) We continued on and got to Voi around noon and had some lunch. About an hour after Voi, we finally reached our turn that we had been waiting for all morning. We turned right onto a dirt road that did not look in the least that it would go anywhere. But Garmin (our GPS) said it was the right road and that we should continue. We trust Garmin (sometimes) so we did. After 75 kilometers and 2.5 hours of driving, we made it to Shimba Hills Lodge in the Shimba Hills National park. Thank goodness we traveled with some friends so that the thought of breaking down or having a flat tire out there in the middle of nowhere was not so daunting. But, the highlight was the heard of elephants that we saw. They were just off the road in a clearing. It was amazing to see them. So, the long, bumpy, dusty road was worth it for sure!
We went into the park the next day and saw some more amazing animals. There were buffalo (very aggressive), sable antelope, a martial eagle, a fisher eagle, a wart hog and another herd of elephants.
Buffalo
Sable Antelope
Martial eagle
The Martial eagle was very cool. Trevor spotted him in this tree. Later, we drove back by and he flew out of the tree onto the ground near us (maybe after some prey). He had the largest wingspan I have ever seen! I guess they are getting pretty rare, so it was definitely a treat to see him (her?)
Martial eagle on the ground
Fisher Eagle
Wart hog
Elephants in the road
The elephants were very cool and a bit scary. These are the forest elephants and we were told that they are a bit more aggressive. The main idea is to not get between a mother and a baby, etc! We think this is a great idea, so we turned around and went another way.
The next day we drove the fairly short distance to Voyager. It is a very posh hotel right on the coast that caters to mostly the British and Indian vacationers. It was really nice in the heat to have the swimming pools and ladies to bring cool fruit juices when you wanted them!
Sallie and Timothy
Trevor and Mom sailing
Sallie and Becka building masterpieces
While there, Tracy and I had a great adventure taking a Matatu (a taxi van) into town. When we left the compound the gate guard gave us his phone number and said he would wait for us (something to be nervous about??) We caught a Matatu straight away, and told them to take us to Biashara Street (where we were told there were shops). We will brave any danger to go shopping! While there, a "friend" found us. He wanted to be our guide. He actually was very helpful. He led us to a small curio shop where I found this gourd to purchase. The bargaining here is part of the "game" to make the buyer and the seller happy. This shop owner and I went around for about 10 minutes and settled on 1100 Kenyan Shillings (about $13). He was very happy and so was I. That is the goal and the fun of it!
I think I will turn it into a lamp, but not sure how to get it home safely.
We headed home on Wed morning trying to make it home by dark. We missed by about 30 minutes, not too bad. On the way, there were the amazing Baobab trees (The Tree of Life). They look like they are dead but are very much alive. They have huge trunks and very tiny leaves, if any leaves at all. We have seen them in pictures but not in real life. Apparently, the wood is very spongy and not good for burning which is the only reason they are still around.
We also saw some amazing termite mounds. Some were taller then us. We made Timothy get out and stand next to one:
We made it home after the 10 hour drive and were glad to be here. Work started again in earnest the next day.
It was nice to get away, but nice to be home again!
In His Hands,
Jullie T.
PS - Blogger has a gadget that has a slide show. I will try and get this going later with all the pictures from our outing.
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