So, our first 2 days of contact with Africa was nothing less of a shock. Mombasa is supposedly one of the biggest cities in Kenya, with over 880000 habitants and boasting a colorful history as a portugese/british port town with numerous trade routes to Asia. With an age of over 450 years, you'd think they would have found the time to develop Mombasa into a contemporary city. Wrong. This is Africa at it's core, broken down shacks, sheet metal-supported buildings, dusty roads etc. etc... This is not a metropoly, and the only buildings not resembling a postcard from a south-african slum township are the ones in the core center of town. Things are dirty and in your face. In a way, it's strange to see some locals drive a brand new mercedes past a tuk-tuk filled with those less fortunate, and then seeing him park the vehicle to a hole-in-the-wall diner, because that's all he can afford to eat after buying the car.It's a strange mixture of old and new, poor and rich. That being said, I don't like Mombasa. Not because it's dirty or rundown, but because it's a town mixing big-city lifestyles with poor income. People are kinda rude sometimes, seemingly only willing to smile if you're ready to pay for their efforts. We've read about Kenya being a source of human kindness, so this comes as a bit of a suprise. Maybe we have a knack for drawing the wrong kind of people to us. We're continuing on to Lamu through Malindi, where we'll be staying for a couple of days. We'll probably fly to Lamu, since booking the bus to Malindi was a huge hassle. Millions of touts attacked from all directions, including aerially, while we tried to find a company that looked at least partially trustworthy. Big chance! These are smaller than you or me shacks which have a person writing your "ticket" on a dirty slip of paper, which is supposed to allow you board the bus. We'll see where we end up, hopefully in Malindi but if not...well... can't say we didn't begin our adventure by adventuring!

Footloose has to wake up 5.30 tomorrow morning to board a dirty bus, so leave us alone. Over and out :3