Mombasa!!!

Last week, Chris Yonan and I did something we’ve been dreaming about for years. We went alone on an adventurous journey to the coast of Kenya! We had no plans, no reservations, and no knowledge of the city we’d be visiting. What came from such a last-minute, disorganized trip? The most adventurous, exciting and memorable vacation either of us has ever had! Here are a few of the stories that came from this crazy trip to Mombasa…



We didn’t want to dish out money for a plane, couldn’t take a train, and had no transportation of our own. So we decided to take an overnight coach bus that would drop us in Mombasa 8 hours after leaving Nairobi! Our seats on the way there were right over the back wheels (so we felt every single bump!). Chris slept because he can sleep anywhere, but I only dozed off a few times. Good times!

We arrived dead tired in a city we've never visited, vague directions in our hands, knowing only that we'd be spending the night at the house of a sister of a friend of a friend. A year ago, I would have curled up in a corner and cried. Now, however, being lost in some strange foreign city is an adventure! I led a sleepwalking Chris onto a matatu, hoping that it would get us where we needed to go…

Needless to say, we found the place without dying. We spent the day exploring Mombasa… Buying red bananas at a crowded market, wandering through the winding streets of “old town,” and exploring an old Portuguese fort that looks out over the water. We ended up sitting on one of the high walls, drinking freshly squeezed lime juice, and watching tug boats sail into the Indian Ocean. And yes, it was just that idyllic!

The next day, we took two matatus, a crowded ferry, and two more matatus (about an hour traveling time), to arrive at Diani beach. Our amazingly complex plan was to get there, find a place to stay, and stay there. I guess it worked, because 45 minutes later, we were staring out from the porch of our beach-side cottage at perfect white sands being washed by the beautiful blue-green ocean. Because it was off season for travelers, there was almost nobody on the beach. The picture below doesn’t do justice to the beauty of where we stayed!



Swimming in the Indian Ocean, eating fresh lobster at a gorgeous restaurant only feet from the water, and soaking up the eternally perfect view… I’ll be honest. It didn’t seem real. Chris and I kept looking at each other and laughing. How in the world did we find this place??? Let’s just say Florida will never be as exciting as it used to be.



Before we knew it, it was time to leave. We had to get back to Mombasa to catch another night-bus back to Nairobi. As we were re-packing our backpacks, the most amazing thing happened!

We were in the bathroom putting our toiletries away, when a rustling noise came from our room. We both thought, “Why are they cleaning our room now? We haven’t even left yet!” I peeked my head around the corner and said “Umm…” Until Chris looked too.

There, in the middle of our room, was this huge baboon eating the rest of our Twizzlers! We were mesmerized as he downed these things like it was his job! I cautiously snuck over to my backpack for my camera. I started snapping away as the baboon began looking around the room for more food. I guess he was looking for a buffet table or something. Seeing nothing edible, he stared at the rest of the Twizzlers, deciding whether to finish them right then or save them for later. I guess he chose the latter because he grabbed the bag and bolted out of the room!



While we were still laughing about our amazing baboon friend, Chris noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The baboon was back! He knocked over our trash can, licking candy wrappers, and then went into our bathroom, simply unwilling to believe that we didn’t have any more food. Finally, after searching through Chris’ backpack, he left for good, content that he had found it all.

Quite an experience… let me tell you. We’re already planning to go back some day. Especially because we found this great Cantonese place in Mombasa (I’ll be sure to give you directions next time you’re in town…). It’s funny. Those of you that knew me back in Junior High and early High School… Would you have ever believed that this jittery little band-geek would grow up to become a world-traveling, baboon-befriending, Swahili-speaking adventurer?
Yeah. Me neither.