Blogs from Mombasa, Coast Province, Kenya, Africa - page 18

Only a few days have passed since my last blog but they have been so fun packed, today especially i felt the urgent desire to tell the entire about them. Also, my mind is kinda like a big information sieve at the moment, days are flying by so fast, i am finding it hard to remember stuff from a few days back so i thought i would joy it down to remind me as much as anything. So, after another mildly sunburnt day at the beach i retreated back to the homely surroundings for games of cards which got everyone slightly too exciteable than is natural for pieces of numbered paper and then retired to bed for well earned resty. So, to Mondays fine happenings, of which they were many, and shall tell you now through ... read more

Wow. I have a birthday this month, so does Chelly. After weeks of scraping by on borrowed money, chasing after visa info on slow computers and crackling phone lines, banging heads with awful embassy personnel, and riding busted buses on broken roads, we might actually get to enjoy them stress-free. It has really been fantastic, though--most of the time. We've balanced the unparrallelled headache of of the visa process with lots of quality family-and-friends time. Chelly has relatives scattered all across the Coast Province. We have a room at Dad's house in Mombasa's Mshomoroni neighborhood. We also have a bed at Auntie's house in town, where 7 sisters, brothers, and cousins share a small apartment with us. When we go to the family home in Voi, Mom puts us up with a whole house to ourselves. ... read more

Good- Falling asleep at 5.30 like a child Dormans Coffee Shop Passionfruit Frappe Best Toast Ever in the Morning People Thinking im a Rasta Teacher in the Centre Calling me Loddy but a Two Year Old Child getting it right Free lifts to avoid matatus Standing up for National Anthem at Start of a film Having a dickensian-esque break in the middle of a film Falling asleep in Bars Falling Asleep in Reggae Gigs Falling Asleep Watching Football Bad accent impersonations Bartering BAD things- Falling Asleep too much Growing a Mosquito Bite Extra arm Smacking my Head on Matatu Roofs Smacking my Elbow on Matatu windows Too Many Cockroaches People INSISTING Wales is in England Kenyan people understanding me ,dutch and english people not?? Being offered drugs by Beach guys BECAUSE i have a dreadlike mop ... read more

Had an awesome weekend since the last one, ain't been a quiet day yet, Friday we went to a reggae concert, me grace amy and emily. It was good, we went for drinks before down the Castle hotel which is like the poshest hotel on Moi Avenue.Pretty standard but comfy. Anyway i was pretty dehydrated and i feel asleep for most of the concert, alongside some random dude who was also sleeping.The girls enjoyed though, it was more a dj event rather than live music, not a load of people there so it was nice and chilled. Nice to have a day off saturday, the placement can get fairly tiring and draining more than anything so a break is good. Went to a market in bombolulu in the day, it was cool cos it was a ... read more

I'm sitting in the very back seat of the bus, gasping for air and waiting for it to leave for Mombasa on the coast. A veiled Muslim girl is seated next to me. She is dressed in the complete black full-length gown with head covering called bui-bui. Her entire face was covered...everything except a slit for for the eyes, but she had taken that part off for the bus ride. I start chatting with her but then it occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't be talking to her as a single male to a single female I don't know. In some Muslim cultures such interaction is strictly controlled. Even in Turkey some buses will seat unmarried girls with girls and guys with guys. I asked her outright if it was okay that we were seated ... read more