At long last, I have been able to upload a few pictures from my trip a few weeks ago to Mombasa. For those of you who don't know, Mombasa is on the coast of South-eastern Kenya, on the Indian Ocean. Actually the city of Mombasa is an island. From the mainland you have to go over a bride (in the north) or take a ferry (in the south) to get to & from the city. The first full day I spent at the coast, I went to Diani, which is a lovely quiet beach, south of Mombasa on the mainland. I relaxed & ate at a resort called Nomad. It didn't take long for me to burn in the very hot & intense sun. I had sunscreen on & within less than 2 hours of direct sunlight had a burn on my shoulders & back. That was over 3 weeks ago and my skin is still peeling from the burn (sorry to be gross). The next two days, I spent in the northern part of Mombasa near my hotel & downtown. I have a few pictures from driving around downtown. Mombasa has a very different feel from any other place I have been in Kenya. Unlike the rest of Kenya (except maybe the north east portions), Mombasa is largely Muslim. There is a lot of Islamic influence, even in the architecture of the city. I have never been to any part of North Africa but Mombasa feels like what it would be like to be in the predominantly Muslim areas of North Africa. I really enjoyed my time at the coast. It was a wonderful break & time of relaxation. I also had some of the best fish I have ever tasted! If you ever find yourself in Kenya, I highly recommend going to Mombasa. It is quite a unique experience. But be prepared to be very hot! I have never been hotter in my life. It is not only hot with intense sun, but very very humid. Wearning skirts is a must for ladies (shorts really are not appropriate, especially with the strong Muslim influence). Mombasa is also a great place to buy the famous kongas. These are large pieces of African cloth that are usually brightly designed and have a small saying on the bottom of them in Swahili. You have to be careful when buying a konga because sometimes the saying can be quite insulting even if the fabric is beautiful. Apparently it is popular to use kongas to express oneself to others around you, thus, if you are having an argument with your neighbor you would buy a konga with an insulting statement on it. I was quite amused by this. The konga is used in many ways. Many women have entire outfits out of matching kongas or the other popular use is for carrying babies. They wrap little children in them on their backs & tie it in the front. My favorite way to wear my konga is as a wrap over my bathing suit. I am the first person I have seen to do this though.

The beautiful & warm Indian ocean from my beach day at Nomad Resort in Diani.

A view of Nomad Resort from the beach.

Having lunch at the restaurant at Nomad, it was quite picturesque with the blue ocean, sailboats, and open terrace with billowing white curtains.

Self-portrait on the beach. Note - I had already put my shirt back on because I was getting so burnt.

One of my favorite pictures. This is a first for me - camels on the beach. You definitely don't see camels on the beaches in the US!

This was taken at my hotel. This was the private hotel walkway to the beach, lined with palm trees. And yet, upon arriving at the beach, I expected to find a peaceful retreat but found that the beach was lined with Kenyans selling their souvenirs to all the tourists. You couldn't set a toe on the sand without being haggled by them. So eventually I retreated back to the pool.

Here is the pool at my hotel. Quiet & peaceful.

This is the fish I had at a small road-side restaurant that John Kisamwa took me to. It was some of the best fish I have ever had! I have learned to really appreciate eating fish on the bones. I haven't yet been able to bring myself to eat the head though.

A view of Mombasa from the car. You can see the Mosque in the middle of the picture, it appears to be almost jutting out into the road.

Another busy street in downtown Mombasa. Notice how the architecture of the buildings has an Arabic feel.

Here are the famous tusks that line the road coming into Mombasa.