Day 23 – Sunday, February 21, 2010
This morning we woke up at 642am. AhhH! We were supposed to be at the lobby at 615 for the safari! NOoooOOOoooo! We threw clothes on (I’m wearing a pink shirt and red sports bra, and yesterday’s pants…nice huh?) We ran out, and sure enough everyone was gone. I said a quick prayer to accept whatever was going to happen with grace, and then saw a few of our drivers down in the lobby.
There was a group of zebras by the water (which you could see from the lobby). Apparently one had given birth to a still born baby, and it was soo sad! The baby was sad and the mother wouldn’t leave it. There were two jackals circling for when the mom left, but she just stood there confused, licking the bundle for some time. In reaction to this and missing the safari my mom blurted out ‘well good morning to me!?!’ It was really sad but a little funny.
One of the drivers was very kind and offered to take my mom and I on the safari (after her comment). Yea! Private tour! We had a blast! We saw tons more animals, close to the vehicle, including a group of zebras, impalas, and giraffes, all hanging out together. We saw tons (haha) of elephants closer to the vehicle. They were colored red because they put the red dirt over them to cool them. Sadly we did not see rhinos, lions, or other big cats, so we have only checked off 2 of the big five. (Right now I’m in the vehicle travelling to Mombasa and Alana – one of the teenagers is journaling too!) Also on the way back to breakfast, there was a tortoise on the road! I didn’t expect that! Also it was great because my Mom and I got to chat for two hours. We haven’t been able to do that as we’ve both been so busy. We had a great chat!
We went back for breakfast and the poor zebra was still there. Someone had binoculars and you could actually see the stripes on the little baby on the ground. L After breakfast, we packed up and I had to say goodbye to my mom, and a few of our other team-members who were leaving. They will definitely be missed this week. As we were pulling away, I definitely teared up, and not because of the nice beds, beautiful view, amazing massage, or the calming pool, I realized I was leaving my mom. (They were staying on for a few hours before going to catch their flight in Nairobi). Not just leaving her to see her in a week, but I wouldn’t see her until Easter. L I hate this part of travelling with family. The vacation is a blast, but leaving is the pits.
On our supposed 3 hour drive to Mombasa, we had a gas leak in one of the combis, so we had to pull over, and put 4 extra people in each of the other two combis (where no seats were available to begin with!). It worked out okay as we hired a combi a few miles down the road to take us the rest of the journey. It was interesting though because along the drive, in addition to the goats, donkeys, and cows along the road, we saw tons of camels and even a few zebras grazing!
An interesting thing about the speed limit here is that combis, trucks, lorries, etc all have to go 80kph, whereas cars can go 110. So when we hear it’s a 3 hour drive, it turns out that is for a car, whereas it takes about 50% longer in a combi. One of the oddities of driving in Kenya is that the two-lane highways are used for passing quite frequently. I have never passed so many large trucks in my life, at going such a high speed, and up a hill! I don’t want to give you the wrong impression, the drivers are very able and quite impressive with their skills, but it has happened more than once that you can see a car oncoming (as you’re in their lane) and you cut across just before colliding with them (as they never never slow down any for you!). It’s crazy! Another thing about the combi drivers – the company we are using to get us from place to place has been incredible. Everytime something like an oil leak happens, we are displaced for 30 minutes at the most and on our way again. I can’t imagine trying to find our way over all these back roads without them! They have been most professional and courteous.
As we were entered Mombasa, it became clear this was a very large city. There are about 3 million people here, and that fact alone explains the dramatic difference between the other sites and here. First off, as we were driving into town, there were very large factories with huge prison-like fences on the outside, surrounded by the little shacks selling food. It’s hard not to think these might be sweat shops as they look so imposing and controlled. (this may not make sense to most of you, but aside from the cars, it kind of reminds me of how Detroit would have looked back in its hay-day, with large buildings and small structures everywhere else).
We arrived at Camp David where the clinics will take place and said goodbye to 5 more team-members, including the teens. It was very sad to see them go. Camp David is literally on the border of the slums. We set up for a few hours, and then we were pleasantly surprised with a pizza party for dinner! The pizza was fantastic, and since we had only fruit for lunch, as is becoming common on travel days, it was very welcomed! We went to our hotel, which is on an island within Mombasa, near a different set of slums but not in them, and checked in. Now you may not believe me, but we have air conditioning, fans, a bath tub, and even a patio! A toilet and running warm water are just a given now! (I feel so spoiled!). Tomorrow we have clinics then are visiting a local orphanage at night. I hear our team-members made it safely to the airport and should be boarding their flight any minute now!
Summary: Mombasa is a very large city that would probably remind you of Detroit….take that however you want.
Books read: 10 (finally done of the left behind prequels. Don’t read them. Whatever you do…don’t read them!)
Hours in a combi: 30 (about half of those was on a dirt road too rough for Texas)
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