Night Bus to Malindi

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We left Kisumu on the Coast Bus at 5 PM and travelled all night to Mombasa - only 1550 KSH and the bus was clean and comfortable, with lots of leg room. The seats even recline. The stretch from Kisumu to Nakuru covered some very rough road, but the coach's good suspension was good and we relaxed. We weren't prepared for the many stops for police checks at barriers on the road. At one point, the police appeared, with assault rifles, and ordered everyone off the bus, men first. They frisked the men and searched their bags, then had the women get off. A female passenger was delegated the task of pat searching all the women. After this, the police boarded the bus and searched each seat with flashlights. I didn't know why such a secure search was necessary, but Larry told me he had read in the newspaper that bandits have been boarding buses, hijacking them and robbing passengers.
In any case, we proceeded on to Mombasa without any trouble. It is cold in Kenya at night! We didn't have jackets and the bus was breezy. A fleece pullover would have been handy.
Once there was a 15 minute toilet stop in Nairobi, and another halfway between Nairobi and Mombasa. We arrived in Mombasa 14 1/2 hours after leaving Kisumu and immediately boarded a bus to Malindi, another 2 hours further north on the coast. Now we are ensconced in the beautiful Italian Coral Key Resort on the Indian Ocean. You can walk out on the reef at low tide, collecting shells and observing the astounding array of starfish and other sea creatures. Tomorrow we plan a trip by glass bottom boat out beyond the first reef.
Malindi is a small but interesting town. The predominant group here is Swahili - mixture of Bantu, Arab and other coastal tribes. The religion is Islam - many mosques here. Women wear either colorful native sarong skirts and wraps, or are covered in black from head to toe, included veiled faces. Many men also wear the sarong type garment, or the floor length white Arab robe, with the round cap. Then, of course, the tourists from Europe wear their modern clothes, it's eclectic. Also there does not seem to be the intense poverty here that we witnessed in Vihiga and Western Province. Of course since it is a more affluent area, it is more expensive. The people here seem more easygoing, there is less desperation perhaps because their economy is better.
My command of Swahili is improving. I study a little each day and practice it on the natives. They compliment me so I feel good. It is often difficult for them to understand our American accents when we speak English, so a little Swahili comes in handy.
After we leave here next Monday, Larry and I will travel by bus to Lamu (further north on the coast, closer to Somalia). Then we plan to take the ferry to Lamu Island, which is picturesque. We will stay a few days there then return to Mombasa for another week, then on to Vihiga again to meet our travel group from Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church.
To all our friends and relatives, we are safe and healthy. We haven't been ill one time and we can eat anything they serve here without trouble.

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