The Magic of Mombasa
w. 9 | Owen the hippo and Ramadan on the Indian Ocean
In early January, I booked a ticket to attend the Jobtech Alliance Summit in Kenya taking place in mid-March. Malawi has direct flights to Nairobi on certain days, but with my online teaching schedule I decided to turn a one-day summit in the middle of the week into a Saturday-to-Saturday, week-long adventure.
I thought I would spend the whole time in Nairobi until the week before my trip when I listened to this podcast featuring an American who now lives in Kenya’s capital city. In the episode, he described a train trip he took with his family from Nairobi to Mombasa that had me intrigued. That afternoon, I booked my ticket (through a friend who lives in Kenya since you can’t buy train tickets directly from the train station outside of the country) to head to Mombasa the morning after I arrived in Nairobi and started watching videos about the train journey and city.
I didn’t have that much time to plan the details of my Mombasa adventure beyond booking my Airbnb so I waited to fill in the details until I got there. It felt uncomfortable not having everything mapped out, but it was a good exercise in letting go and following the recommendations listed at my Airbnb and what Google Maps suggested (a reminder that I need to go back and leave Google reviews for the places I visited since the ones I used were so helpful!).
I am a train lover through and through and this six-hour journey from Nairobi to Mombasa did not disappoint. The station in Nairobi was easy to navigate and the ride itself was smooth, on time and took me through two national parks where I saw a pack of camels, elephants, zebras, warthogs, and more! I was lucky to get a first-class window seat so I had plenty of room with a view. My one-way ticket was 4,500 Kenyan Shillings (KES), ~$34USD. For reference, economy class tickets are 1,500 KES, which is ~$11.45USD.
Check out the short video below to get a feel for the journey:
Arriving in Mombasa, I felt the heat everyone had been talking about as the sweat trickled down my back, sticking my linen travel outfit to my skin. Luckily, my Airbnb host had connected me with a taxi driver to pick me up from the station so I didn’t have to barter or try and find the Airbnb on my own. As I exited the station there was a sea of men waving signs with passengers’ names on it, but none with mine! I knew my driver hadn’t arrived yet because no one matched the WhatsApp photo of the female driver I’d been in touch with.
The crowd started to thin out and as I looked around expectantly for my driver, one of the guys looking for his own pre-arranged clients asked who I was looking for. I showed him the number of my driver and he called her on his own phone since I didn’t have a SIM card/WiFi to call her myself. I had this expectant feeling in my stomach like, oh, this guy is going to try and get something out of me for doing this kind gesture. But, as soon as he hung up with my taxi driver, his own clients arrived and he waved me happily away as Anne pulled up. Travel showing me time and again the beauty of humanity.
Check out the futuristic architecture of the Mombasa station in the gallery of images below (along with some other favorites of my time in the city). What views!
After I unpacked at my Airbnb that is just across the creek/channel from UNESCO World Heritage site, Fort Jesus, I took a look at the restaurants around me on Google Maps and made my way to the Englishpoint Marina just a short walk away from where I was staying where they were setting up for live music Sunday - lucky me! I made it in time to order a mojito and see the sky change from daylight to sunset and then early evening as the musicians plucked away on their instruments and Ed Sheeran covers serenaded me.
On Monday, I started my day by visiting Fort Jesus by taking a tuk tuk I hailed from the side of the road. I had saved the Google map of Mombasa on my phone to be accessible away from Wi-Fi and that’s how I spent the rest of the day moving from one cute restaurant and shop to the next based on Google reviews. Linking my favorite spots at the end of this post in case you’re curious :)
After teaching online from 5:30 AM-7:30 AM, I spent most of Tuesday at Haller Park visiting the animals (giraffes! crocodiles! big ol’ tortoises! butterflies! and a hippo among other rescued animals :) with a new friend I had only previously been in touch with through LinkedIn. She’s also American and lives in Kilifi, which seems like a fun beach town. I’ll plan better next time and try to make it to Kilifi or Diani beach, which I hear are both great places to visit.
Have you heard of the (true!) story of Owen and Mzee? It’s about Owen, a hippo (the one pictured above) and Mzee, a tortoise, becoming friends following the 2004 tsunami in Sumatra where Owen was abandoned. Owen was moved to Haller Park as part of an animal rescue operation and thought the tortoise looked like another hippo (awwww!). My cousin-in-law knew exactly who Owen was when I shared a photo on Instagram, but I’d never heard of him before. I should do a better job of knowing my heartwarming hippo stories (especially since they’re the “deadliest large land mammal on the planet”)!
On Tuesday afternoon, I unloaded the treasures I bought at City Mall Nyali and negotiated a guided kayak ride at Englishpoint Marina. I’m holding my breath now thinking about the cascade of calls to prayer that surrounded me as I skimmed my little kayak over the water in Tudor Creek just off of the Indian Ocean as the setting sun marked the beginning of Ramadan in Kenya.
Wednesday morning, Anne (my taxi driver from day 1) picked me up at 2:30 AM so I could take a 4:30 AM flight to Nairobi to attend the Jobtech Alliance Summit. The flight was one hour and $60 one way for those curious about comparing travel costs and time with the train. Next time, I’d fly to Mombasa the night I arrived and then take the train back for fun and to avoid a random night in Nairobi, but this worked great for my wonky schedule this time around. The more you know!
I’m savoring this trip through my Substack-writing reminiscing and it’s making me want to book another trip to Mombasa. Who’s coming with me??
Joyfully Linked
Below are some of my favorite places I visited while in Mombasa:
Airbnb Room in Mombasa, Kenya
Also! George Kalukusha, a musician friend in Malawi, is raising money to fund the Kulenga Artist Residency. If you like music and/or Malawi I hope you’ll consider donating!
How are you and how are things in your corner of the world?
With love and lemons,
Jennifer
Oh Jennifer, I loved everything about this - your narrative, the video & the pictures! I’m so impressed how you navigate your travels, yet still have the time & energy to “bring us along”. You are amazing! Keep the goodness coming! Love & miss you, Paula❤️
Love the video !!.. unbelievable room you had !!!!