As the last stop of our safari, we asked to be dropped at the Mombasa train station so that we could book tickets to Nairobi for the following week. We arrived there at 1:30 pm. But Mombasa, like Egypt, is very Muslim. It was the last day of Ramadan, and as a result the buses weren't running on a normal schedule and the train station was closed until 2:00 pm. Joseph and David offered to drive us wherever we wanted to go, but there was a German couple waiting, as well (if you can believe it - a GIS guy from Kaiserslautern, where Barry had lived for awhile!) so we chose to wait and said our farewells and gave tips to both David and Joseph, hoping it was appropriate thanks for all they'd done. Joseph hopes to start his own business, www.tropicalbreezesafari.com, so perhaps we will meet again.

After the Gametracker crew left us, we were immediately approached by cab drivers telling us what we wanted to do. We flashed back to our Middle East experiences, and became suspicious and vague about our plans. We then found out the Train Station Master was gone so we couldn't book our train tickets. However, one of the drivers phoned the station master (we were very suspicious at this point!). When he arrived, he was very sincere and nice, took down our information and corroborated the cab drivers' stories that there were no buses. So we became more trusting, and used our prior knowledge to negotiate a taxi ride to Kilifi. Here's how it went:

"4000 to Kilifi."

"4000? Too much! We can get a hotel and take the bus tomorrow for less than 4000!"

"Yes, but you must eat and take a taxi around the town."

"We don't need to eat. We are Canadian. We are full from our safari and can wait. No. No deal. Also, we have errands to run before we leave."

"I will drive you around Mombasa for your errands and take you to Kilifi for 4000."

"Ha! We have six errands! 2000."

"Not enough. 3500 and I drive you around!"

"Actually, we don't have to do all our errands. We really only have 2 important ones - grocery store and internet - and Kilifi for 2500."

"No, 3500."

"You said 3500 for six errands and now we only have 2 errands. We are in Kenya. You must negotiate! 2800."

"3200."

"Family huddle!"(we did a huddle and decided on 3000.) "3000, but just take us to the Nakumatt" (an incredible chain of stores that has absolutely everything) "and then we can do all our errands there at one time."

"It's OK."

"OK!"

Off we went to a strip mall that had an internet cafe and the Nakumatt to get some provisions. Our trip to Kilifi was about 45 minutes long and bumpy, but our driver turned out to be fun and we had a great visit the whole way. He had done a variety of jobs and explained a lot about Kenya to us so it was great. We had a bit of an adventure finding "Sunset Villa" (the place we had rented), and because of this we felt bad about the hard deal we had struck. Especially after we found out from the villa staff that 4500 Shillings was an average price just for a transfer between Kilifi and Mombasa! But we took his name and number and might use him to go back rather than take the bus - mostly, because he was so fun.

As we neared the villa, a small, smiling man waved to us. It was Said, our "gardener and program planner." He happily welcomed us and jumped on board our truck. We entered the gated yard and immediately drew a collective gasp. The property from the www.homelidays.com web site was much, much more than any of us had expected. A beautifully manicured yard awaited us, showcasing a vast variety of local trees, shrubs and succulents. The veranda had a living area, dining room and morning nook, looking out over the yard to Kilifi Creek, an estuary of salt water, free from waves and, Said promised, no crocodiles. Inside, the house was cosy and clean, the bedrooms huge and, apart from a toad that had made its way into Tessa's room, very welcoming. We will be very happy here!!

That night, we went out for supper at Makuti Villas, after deciding that we would go shopping for food in the morning. Our week in Kilifi was off to a great start.

October 14, 2007

Barry, Connor and Muramba, our cook, went shopping and came back with a great assortment of meat, vegetables and drinks. They went to two "supermarkets", a fruit and vegetable market, a butcher, and a fish monger. Muramba made us a beautiful supper that night of fried chicken, spicy rice, and a vegetable medley. We spent our day, reading, relaxing and enjoying our time here at Sunset Villa.

October 15, 2007

Another glorious day at Sunset Villa. We firmed up plans for the week with Said and, again, spent the day, enjoying the pool, and lovely equatorial sunshine. Life is good! Our second wonderful supper was beef bourguignon, and evening found us playing cards and reading.

October 16, 2007

We woke up and got ready for a special day. Said had ordered us a driver (named Pastor Oscar), who had agreed to drive us around for the whole day for 5000 shillings. First, we went to Watamu Marine National Park & Reserve to go snorkelling in the Indian Ocean, which we truly enjoyed, especially when the kids on the boat threw bread into the water and a myriad of fish from small black and white ones, to medium blue and pink ones, to massive silver ones (and a multitude in between) were suddenly swimming all around us. It was great! We shared the boat with a British couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary who had flown their son and daughter, spouses, and grandchildren to Kenya for a week on the beach. They were very nice to talk to. Afterwards, we went for lunch at the Turtle Bay Restaurant. It was good, but not as good as Muramba's cooking!

From there, we drove to the Gede Ruins, a mysterious set of ruins built in 1209 by some Arabic peoples. We had an outstanding guide who explained that there are four theories as to why the place was mysteriously abandoned in the early 17th century. We enjoyed the mystery as much as discovering how the science of archaeology uncovered their way of life and the array of travellers from around the known world who had been there.

Finally, we headed for Milindi (Kenya's Little Italy), but we didn't go for pasta. Instead, we visited the Milindi Falconry and saw a huge turtle, a dozen or more snakes (most of which were highly venomous), several eagles, owls and hawks and even a monkey, baboon and bush baby. It was a lot of fun to see these creatures close up.

We got home late, but Muramba had a beautiful spaghetti supper waiting for us which we enjoyed immensely. After a game of cards, we went to bed.

October 17, 2007

After sleeping in, we had a quick breakfast and headed to Said's village of the Giriama people. We went to several homes to see the range of building styles and the varying levels of poverty. Many women are widowed and are not allowed to remarry because of the AIDS epidemic so they have a hard time eking out an existence. It was interesting but sad to see beds where four people sleep. It is easy to believe that the people don't know they are poor, but that is a lie. Hunger, malaria, AIDS and a lack of money for education are all very real to these people and they are working hard to improve their standard of living.

After the village, we went to the primary school where the children were very excited to see us. The teacher teaches 82 children ranging from 2.5 to 8 years of age! The resources were very, very limited and it broke our hearts but the people here are determined to get their children educated and are working very hard to achieve that goal. It was very special when the children sang some songs for us and demonstrated their English.

We then went to meet the Women's Club. They had decided to start a project to help their people; they are building 4 huts in the traditional Giriama style to showcase their way of life, demonstrating all of the traditional work of the women, such as pounding corn, grinding this into flour, weaving thatch, etc. Their hope is that tourists will pay to visit, much like with the Masaai. We participated in some dancing and traditional chores, and enjoyed hearing about their project. At the end, we contributed 3000 shillings which isn't near enough, but they were grateful.

Back at Sunset Villa, it seemed strange to enjoy a pool and all the luxuries, but we worked on the blog and the kids did schoolwork, all of us grateful for the lives we have.

That night, Muramba made us an African meal of lobster on rice with a coconut curry sauce that was delicious, though bittersweet considering the struggling people who live down the road.

October 18, 20007

Barry had not felt great this week, but by Thursday, he was weak and exhausted. The day had dawned rainy and we thought it was a great day to go into town to check E-mails. Unfortunately, when we got to Kilifi, the speed of the computers was far less than we needed to do most of our tasks. We checked a few messages but decided we would wait until Nairobi or Mombasa to update our site and deal with the other tasks which we've fallen behind on.

By the time we got home, Barry was truly dragging. Even Marumba's delicious beef stroganoff didn't revive him and he went to sleep by 9:00 pm, only to awaken in the middle of the night in a drenched bed from his fever. We agreed that no matter what, he'd see a doctor in the morning. His symptoms included aching joints, a tight chest and a liquidy, rattling sound when he breathed. We didn't know if it was malaria or pneumonia so it will be a doctor's opinion we seek.

October 19, 2007

This morning, Marguerite and George (the owners of this beautiful villa) arrived from France. As they went to bed to recover from their lengthy voyage, Barry went to the doctor, returning with a pneumonia verdict. Luckily, we had medicine with us, prescribed for us at home, that the doctor said would be perfect, so hopefully, he will be fully recovered before we head for India!

At 4:00 pm, Marguerite and George came over for a visit. They were staying in their guest house until we left. They had first started coming to Kenya in the 80s and bought property in the late 90s to build their beautiful home. The yard is unbelievable and we couldn't believe how lucky we had been to have gotten to spend a week in paradise. Our last night we played cards and read after a final Muramba meal of pork chops. We will miss both Muramba's company and his skills when we leave.

October 20, 2007

So sad to say goodbye. Kenya and Kilifi have been wonderful! We awoke, packed and Margaret took a last walk around the grounds with Muramba which was very nice.

When the tuk-tuk arrived, we piled all of our luggage in, as well as us. The poor tuk-tuk had to work pretty hard because they are really designed for only 3 people. James, our tuk-tuk driver, got us to the bus station, but just barely. When we arrived, a mass of people started yelling at us to take their bus and trying to grab our luggage. Thank goodness for Egypt, because we all stayed cool in the face of the insanity. We told everyone not to touch our luggage and then we took James aside and asked which bus and how much. James then walked us to a bus, quietly explained where we should sit, where they would put our bags, and how we should pay. His advice was perfect and seconds later, we were happily seated and ready to go. Except Barry. The hot, bumpy tuk-tuk ride and ensuing pandemonium had left him dripping sweat and exhausted. He got off the bus moments before it was ready to leave in order to get some water. The bus revved up and we all yelled to the driver to wait. One bus attendant got off and found out the water vendor had no change, so he bought us our water and took Barry's 1000 shilling bill, saying he would give us change in a while. Barry wondered if he'd ever see his money again, but happily, it was all on the up-and-up. Our trip only cost 100 shillings per person but our bags took up two extra seats, so we agreed to pay for them as well. It was pretty cheap when compared to our 3000 shillings cab ride to Kilifi from Mombasa.

However, the ride was wild. The bus attendants rode hanging out of the doors, banging for the bus to stop whenever they spotted a passenger. Then, they would bang to start again when passengers were on board - not seated, mind you, just on board! One man left the bus before it had even slowed down enough and hit the ground running. We thought he would flip, but the bus attendant grabbed his arm so he stayed upright! We were the only non-Africans on board, but everyone smiled at us and was nice so it was a good choice.

When we arrived in Mombasa, we took a cab to the Castle Royal Hotel (recommended by Lonely Planet) only to discover it was quite expensive - one room cost 2.5 times what a stay at the Parkside in Nairobi would cost. However, we made a family decision to get Barry a good night sleep to fight his pneumonia. It was a gorgeous hotel and we paid extra for in-room internet, but our laptop has begun to misbehave. We work for a while and it shuts off. We don't know if it's the fan (overheating) or a bad hard drive. We had a huge lunch at the hotel patio restaurant, and then settled in to watch movies. Barry was still not feeling well so when we went to bed, he was exhausted once more.

October 21, 2007

The Castle Royal included a free buffet breakfast with its rooms so we took full advantage of that, checked out, stored our bags, and planned our day. A city guide showed us the way to the Catholic Church down the street with an 11:00 service and also pointed the way to a great Internet café.

The afternoon passed quickly and we decided to eat at the hotel before catching our train to Nairobi. The cab ride from the hotel to the train station was only a few minutes long, so we got to the train in plenty of time. The reservations that we had discussed with the Station Manager the week before were waiting for us, so that was good. While waiting in line, there was a sudden flurry of activity. A young thief burst free from the crowd and ran with lightning speed for the gate. The security guard at the gate tried to stop him and was quickly joined by the railway police. It took some tricky darts through traffic, but the railway police caught the young man and marched him, none too gently, back into the station past all of us. During the chase, we were horrified, but the Kenyans seemed less than surprised, even laughing at the young man's evasion tactics. All Margaret could think of was that his moves would be impressive on a Canadian high school football team but here, they were wasted on thievery and ended in an arrest. Very sad.

Finally on board, we settled in for the 14 hour train ride to Nairobi.