After leaving the Seychelles we had heard of Somalia pirates taking a ship near the Seychelles and our captain told us that he was taking a route to Mombasa away from areas of suspected pirate activity but it was somewhat tense around the ship until we were actually in Mombasa’s harbor.
Mombasa Harbor
The continuing story of the Mersck Alabama was on the CNN news that we were now able to get again on our cabin TVs. We were originally scheduled for 2 days in Mombasa but another one was added because we could not go to Madagascar due to the political unrest that had developed there.
By the time we left for our tour,“Mombasa: A Glimpse of the Past”, the air was hot and humid and the vendors off the pier were in full swing including a Maasai in tribal dress.
Vendors by the Ship
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle this area following in the footsteps of Arabs who had been taking slaves from this area for quite some time. The British took over Kenya and English is one of the national languages here even after Independence. Mombasa is a good sized port through which a lot of good from interior Africa and aid to Africa passes.
On our tour we entered the city of Mombasa passing under the 2 sets of metal tusks that were erected in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s visit.
Mombasa Tusks
Interestingly, our first site was a Hindu Temple to Ganesha in which we could take photos to our hearts content, but was very different in the way it felt and looked from the temples we saw in India. Less vitality and much less activity both in and around it, different alters for men and women but on different floors instead of side by side and very little by way of offerings visible.
Shri Cutch Satsang Swamniarayan Temple
Part of Alter for Men
Next our bus headed out of the city and we got to see a lot of countryside until we came to the Akamba Woodcarving Co-Operative.
An Aisle of Huts at Akamba Woodcarving Co-Operative
The carvers purchase their own wood and are provided with the space, knowledge and tools to carve what they want; animals, bowls, masks, etc. They set the price for their carvings and to have a showroom in a separate building to display up to 10 of their works for sale. It was wonderful to be able to wander among the carvers and be able to see their work and ask them questions and not feel pressured to buy anything. Their works were truly graceful and beautiful and you could buy animals in a variety of sizes from very small elephants to 6 foot giraffes.
Akamba Wood Carver
After spending some time in the showroom we boarded our bus to go back to the city and tour the Old Town, a maze of alleyways of old crumbling buildings full of people carrying on with their daily lives, it felt like we were intruders there with our large group walking through these narrow little alleys.
Old Town
Nearby was the old Portuguese Fort Jesus built in 1593 that has been allowed to deteriorate somewhat according to members of our group who have been here before.
Fort Jesus
Hot and sweaty we went back to the ship for showers and a late lunch. Later dinner was a great BBQ on an outside deck with delicious roasted suckling pig and the rise of a full moon followed by a great sunset.
BBQ on Deck 7
After an early breakfast on the second day in Mombasa, we went on the Shimba Hills Safari in a 7 passenger van with a Kikuyu Kenyan driver named Patrick. Since Mombasa is an island we had to use the ferry to go south across the harbor entrance to the mainland.
Ferry Crossing
Then we drove 90 minutes to a hilly wildlife preserve that is made of sandstone upthrust to a plateau. It was a bit cooler and breezier as we traveled through the outlying villages.
Village on the Road to Shimba Hills
It was even cooler in the preserve where the paved road turned to tracks of red dirt and dust and we popped up the top of our van to be able to see out and about better. Dad was happy to sit in the front seat so he could see well without having to stand up on these bumpy roads. Game was sparse especially because it was in the middle of the day when “only mad dogs and Englishmen are abroad” but we saw a few aminals:
Warthog
Antelopes
Sable Antelope
Male Sable Antelope
The closest we got to elephants was this.:
Evidence of an Elephant
There were also great views back to the Indian Ocean.
View From Shimba Hills Toward the Indian Ocean
We had a late lunch at a game lodge nearby <50488> that had a water hole with water lilies and a pair of fishing eagles that were fun to watch swoop down and grab a fish from the pond. Good food and a wonderful dessert of bananas in dark chocolate.
On our return through the reserve we saw some water buffalo and a buck buck but our search for a giraffe or elephant was futile.
Water Buffalo
Buck Buck
So back through the countryside to the ferry and back to the ship for a very late dinner. Here we are back at the vendors market on the pier with our driver, Patrick who was wonderful.
Hanson, Patrick, John, and Janice
There was a beautiful sunrise over Mombasa on the third that Hanson captured.
Mombasa Sunrise
We didn’t schedule an excursion for today and dad was content to stay on the ship and relax while Hanson and I took the provided shuttle bus into the Royal Castle Hotel in town.
Castle Hotel Downtown
Nearby we found an Internet cafe and Hanson and I tried to catch up on the blog and on our emails. The Internet in Mombasa was as slow as the ship’s but no where near as expensive. We did a little shopping and had a beer on the hotel’s veranda while we waited with some other passengers for the last shuttle back to the ship.
Pumping a Cold One In Mombasa
All aboard was at 3:45 p.m. We had hoped to be able to see the Maersk Alabama (the ship captured by Somali pirates whose captain was saved by the US Navy) sail into Mombasa’s port as we sailed out because she was to take the berth of our ship but we learned that she wasn’t due in port until tomorrow. So we just enjoyed the views of the city as we sailed out.
Goodbye Mombasa