Prague 30th December to 5thJanuary
We left from the station in Lund on a very cold day and were wrapped into lots of cloths. When we landed in Prague late in the evening it was equally cold. We were dressed in some old rags, jackets, inherited from friends, which we intended to leave at the last airport in Europe.
On our feet we had thick shoes. I had a pair of socks of wool and we wore gloves (mine were double) and scarves. All these things we planned to “forget” at the airport of Zurich, which we also did. However, the wrapping was badly needed also in Prague, where we stayed for six nights.
We did not do anything there, just went to the pubs we always go to and enjoyed our time. We lived in a very nice hotel at Karlovo Namesti and the breakfast buffet was very abundant. The hotel was excellent and also cheap, something we did not mind.
Leaving Prague for one night in Zurich
We left Prague late afternoon the 5th of January and flew to Zurich where we had to spend one night in a hotel when waiting for the flight to Nairobi. The place where we stayed was not nice at all, but clean. The prices were like a nightmare, but after all, we were in Switzerland.
Early Thursday morning, on the 6th we headed for the airport by taxi and checked in for Nairobi. All together we had something like 38 kilos despite we had bought a new suitcase in Prague. We got very comfortable seats at the plane and the service was good. I sat next to an Italian man – a farmer – who was on his way to Tanzania to help in a project there ran by the church.
After a flight of seven hours we finally arrived and at the airport we had to pay money to get a visa for Kenya. We had booked a hotel room in advance and took a taxi to get there. The room was terrible but we thought it would be OK for one night.
At this place we met two Swedish students who travelled the world around for seven months. We gave them some good advice where to live in Cape Town, with Robert Stockli in Green Point.
Mombasa. Diani Beach the 7th of January
Early Friday morning we took a plane from Nairobi to Mombasa. We arrived there before lunch time and at the airport were our dear friends Vivienne and Peter Gericke from South Africa waiting for us with a driver and a comfortable car.
We went for sightseeing in Mombasa, a very chaotic town with heavy traffic. It must have been difficult to drive there. I would not even dream of trying.
We went to see a work shop which was outside under cover where wood carvers were making beautiful carvings. They were very skilled and it was interesting to see them work.
Thereafter we were taken to Fort Jesus, the most famous building in Mombasa and to the old town, with narrow streets and houses with wooden carved doors; the same kind of doors as in Lamu Island. We were shown around by a good guide who knew what he was talking about. What he did not mention was the slave trade, which was a bit disappointing. However, we had read a lot before we went to Kenya.
Finally we ended up in a restaurant called Tamarind, a lovely – but expensive – place close to the sea. We all had what pleased us most and I took as always a plate of oysters, 12 pieces, and I dare say that they were delicious. Also the tuna fish was excellent.
All of a sudden we had to rush to get back before the tide would destroy the trip from Mombasa to Diani Beach. The ferry gets stuck in the mud when the tide comes. Mombasa is situated on an island so to go to the mainland you have to go by ferry.
Due to the traffic it got late but finally we arrived to Coral Beach cottages where we had booked a very nice cottage close to the sea. We sat at the balcony watching all the beautiful flowers and trees. Especially the bushes of white hibiscus were amazingly lovely to see. The cottage was situated in a big park and we saw vervets in big groups jumping around. Another day we saw a flock of baboons. Vivienne told me that they are very dangerous because they have such long teeth.
Saturday and Sunday we spent in good company with Vivienne and Peter at the pool at the hotel they stayed called Leopard Beach Resort. At this hotel there were a lot of restaurants and also shops. It was very nice and there were many tourists from Europe, also Swedish and Danish people, as we could hear from the language. However, we were in such nice company so we did not care to talk to other people.
Vivienne and me had great fun studying what we called “male beasts” and watch their behaviour. One reddish man, probably British, around 65, brought his family to the pool, a black woman of 35 and two small children who were his children since they called him daddy. Another rather fat man – still young – was beating his wife since we saw that she had spots all over the body which proved that she had been beaten. That beast was sleeping in his chair and did not even look at their son, a little boy of ten. Finally we got tired studying the objects and read a good book instead.
The sea was not good at all because of the high waves and the sea weed at the bottom. The tide also made it impossible to swim for hours. However, people were walking in the sea and on the beach many people rode camels.
I have not yet developed my pictures for the blog, but will do it within a few days and will then let you see the photos of the camels as well as some pictures from Diani beach. But to be quite honest it was a place that we would not go to because we found it very touristic. It was like being in Europe and not in Africa.
When you are enjoying yourself in good company time passes very quickly and soon it was time to say good bye to Viv and Peter. They were leaving for South Africa on Monday and we were leaving for Lamu Island the same day. The last night we had a lovely meal at an Italian restaurant and after that we said good bye.
The trip to Lamu Island – Monday the 10th of January
We went by taxi to the bus station of Mombasa from Diani Beach but before that we took out all the winter items from our luggage, and left it where we had stayed, but who needs double gloves here? I just wonder. And who will appreciate woollen scarves and sweaters? After all the temperature is 35 degrees Celsius most of the time.
At the bus station in Mombasa we took a shuttle with ten seats. We were heading for Malindi and from there we planned to fly to Lamu. Altogether it is more or less 500 kilometres from Mombasa to Lamu. The road to Malindi, about 150 kilometres, was quite OK, and when we arrived we found out that there were no seats in the flight for the next day so we agreed with a man to take us to the ferry to Lamu. The distance is 350 kilometres.
What we did not realize was that the road was very bad and bumpy so altogether this trip took more or less five hours. The man did not even stop once for a visit to the toilet. There are lions in the savannah along the road he said. Even if so I needed badly to visit a toilet with or without lions so I asked him to stop when it was dark already.
Finally we arrived to the port of the ferry and there were of course no ferries at that time of the day. The driver suggested that we take a speed boat over the strait to Lamu, which we did but we had to pay for that as well, hundred Swedish crowns per person.
It was quite a small boat and I told the young men – the captain and his friends – that we do not like speed boats, we prefer to go slowly, which is “pole pole” in Swahili; a word we have learnt here when we came and it is necessary to know that word. After half an hour we were at the island and the young men helped us to find our way to the place where we have rented a flat, Subira House, and that is where we stay now
About Lamu and Subira House I will write soon. So this is what has happened from December the 30th until January the 10th.
We wish the readers of this blog a Happy New Year!
Finally we want to tell you that we have a spare room with a bathroom in our flat and if somebody feels like coming you are most welcome.
There is space enough for four people because the flat is very big and has even an atrium yard and a living room as well as a kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a living room. We are living at the ground floor of a palace but that I will be writing about in a near future.
Mombasa
Lamu Island
Lamu Old Town (Unesco.org)
Subira House
Odyssey through Global Kitchens 