12 August -- Mombassa (by Roger)

Already getting a little stir crazy in our family resort here, so David and I had Martin pick us up sort of early in the morning, and we headed into Mombassa to see the Fort Jesus and the old city. Changed money just outside the fort and ended up with a guide who seemed a little on the dicey side but knew the fort well enough.

It was a so-so visit to the fort. The history of the place is interesting – built in 1593 by the Portuguese and taken over by various armies until now. It reminded me a lot of the old fort in Cartagena and, to some extent, the fort in Savanah. The base of it was carved out of the coral of the coast right from the ground, like the churches in Lalibela, and the rest of the fort was built on top of that base with coral. I wonder who organized this work effort, who did the labor, and under what conditions it was built. I have visions of the Portuguese beating Africans into doing the work, but that’s just speculation. There was such an advanced culture here that they might have actually paid for the labor. In any case, I was also interested in learning that the Portuguese had been here as well as further up the coast in Africa; I think they had designs on the whole of the coast – all of East Africa for that matter. I’ll have to look up some info on Vasco de Gama and Portuguese trade and imperialism in the Indian Ocean when I get back home. The Portuguese had their work cut out for them here because they had to fight the Arabs from just up the coast in Oman as well as well as the locals, Swahilis whose culture and trade had been developing for some 400 years before the Portuguese intrusion. Mombassa, Malindi, Zanzibar and Lamu were all centers of Swahili culture when the Portuguese began their efforts here. We were really surprised to learn that the Swahilis had such a developed culture here. They traded regularly with the Arabian Peninsula, India and China. Virtually all the Swahili historical sites are full of artifacts from these places as well as from Europe. We saw an interesting exhibition, sponsored by the Chinese mission here, on the pre-European trade with China; the display had a lot of information on one particular Chinese explorer who was Moslem, and the show made me realize how much today’s China is trying to develop links with this part of the world by building on anti-western sentiment and its own history.

After we visited the fort, we went a short way into the Old City of Mombassa. Although it’s not as authentic as places like Cairo or Marakech, it reminded me of both. There were some very elaborately-carved doors along the narrow streets, and many houses had old, wooden balconies for, I seem to remember, women to sit in and look over what was happening in the street without being out in the street themselves. David bought a cool little hat here, and I took pictures of an old mosque. In contrast to the Chinese show in the fort, we learned that the European Union had spent millions to pave the streets of the Old City of Mombassa. As for us, the US is sponsoring a triathelon tomorrow that includes a swim from Mombassa Island to the mainland, a long bike ride, and a long run. We saw people practicing the swimming part from the fort.

Since we didn’t particularly want to get hassled all the way through the Old City and because we didn’t want to get lost, we just had Martin drive us the rest of the way through. I think it’s interesting that Mombassa’s Old City isn’t just a historical site but also a living environment. The market was in full swing as we went by, and everyone was out buying and selling everything. I liked seeing all the little muslim caps the men were wearing, and there were women dressed in colorful, traditional Swahili garb, modest black attire, and even full burkas. Some men wore the white dishdash you see on the Arabian Peninsula. There was a huge range of color and style.

After we got out of the Old City, we stopped by to pick up our repaired reading glasses and then went to Nakkurmat. This warehouse-size department store chain is the Target of Kenya, and you can get most anything there at a reasonable price. I got a suitcase to stow all of David’s souvenirs in, and we picked up things like gin, tonic water, and regular bottled water, which was outrageously over $2/bottle at our resort. While we were there, we also ate at a small, nearby restaurant. We invited Martin to join us, and I almost immediately regretted it. Coming from Nakkurmat, we’d come upon him praying with someone in the taxi, and over lunch, he offered to pray with David about work. I listened politely to his explanation about god’s role in the world for a while, and then, in my ever-discrete way, I told him to change the subject

As we’re getting into the habit of doing here, we had a big ole nap during the afternoon. Then I called Henry in Nairobi to confirm some travel plans, and it was time for coffee by the pool with the coconut trees swaying in the sunset. Our hotel here, the Voyager, is Cozumel-in-Kenya, and if we’d had margaritas, it would have felt perfectly appropriate.

We walked some along the Indian Ocean after that and changed for dinner. Tonight’s entertainment was a small band playing a cruise ship hit list. I was happy to hear “Pata Pata” on the list, though, as well as the classic I’d sent Caroline and Linda before we left the States, “In the jungle…the lion sleeps tonight.” Oh, there was a (non)stirring rendition of “Hakuna Mata,” too.