Mombasa

We have been without internet access for the past week while we have been on the coast at Mombasa. This has been a very different view of Kenya and a different perspective for us – that of tourists and not as volunteers. We will try to capture the week day by day and post it as a block upon reaching Nairobi on Friday.

Saturday – Kijabe to Mombasa

A Kenyan gynaecologist and his family are moving into the house that we have called home for the past month. They will be bringing their own furnishings so all of the appliances and furniture from the house need to be moved prior to his arrival later today. In an effort to “get out of the way” so they can work in the house, we asked to be picked up at 9am and hoped to find something to see or do along the trip to the airport.

A steady rain accompanied the fog that blanketed the hills from Kijabe to Nairobi. The Chinese President is scheduled to visit the Tea Farm at Limuru so armed police are posted in the rain along the highway in anticipation of his visit at 10am. We traveled with ease to Nairobi, but the traffic of the city was at a standstill in many places and it took almost 2 hours to reach the Jomo Kneyatta Airport. Our driver unloaded the suitcases and a very helpful “local” loaded them onto a cart and headed to the pre-screening x-ray area. He was most apologetic after spilling all of the bags trying to climb onto the sidewalk, but still was most eager for “a small tip” for his efforts. Though he was willing to accept any currency, the Canadian money we offered was returned in exchange for a 10 Shillings (about 3 cents) local currency.

We struggled with checking in. Despite only a few passengers ahead of us, we encountered a very junior check-in clerk who struggled at each step. We were unaware that the limit of local flights is 20kg per person, not the 44kg per person we had been allowed for the international flights. This generated an excess baggage of charge of over 4000 KSh (about $80). The bags had already gone down the belt, so we were committed and weren’t going to see them again unless we paid the fee. The bright MasterCard symbol at the desk didn’t help process the fee any faster, any eventually we had to abandon that transaction for VISA, which proceeded effortlessly (remember to take BOTH cards!)

We had an uneventful flight to Mombasa and collected all of our (now even more valuable) luggage. Once all of the bags were on the belt they shut off the power to the carousel and you had to walk around to collect your remaining pieces. They were well prepared for us in Mombasa. Our travel agent had arranged for a ride who was there with the sign to greet us, as well, there was a driver from the resort prepared to meet us. Always nice to have options…

Traffic is WILD… I am glad that someone else is dong the driving. We stopped at the Nakumatt (grocery superstore) on the way to the resort and we stocked up with a few staples for the condo for the week. I felt so bad for the young porter that had the job of carrying our overweight luggage up 2 floors to our unit. The sweat was pouring off of him once the last suitcase was delivered. We have a very spacious 2 bedroom unit with air conditioning (good), mosquito nets (very good), satellite TV (not so good), daily housekeeping (much appreciated), and a well equipped kitchen (great for impromptu meals and snacks).