Kenya - trip accounts

Before I get to the monies, may I just reflect on the trip and leave may opinion on Kenya:

• I would highly recommend Kenya as a tourist destination. There is plenty to see and do and Kenyans understand that tourism is their 2nd source of income and will try their hardest to provide you with a good experience.
• Although armed policeman and military are seen everywhere, they seem to leave tourists alone and I did receive a Jambo! and a smile from the majority of them.
• You will have people trying to sell you stuff but nothing that comes even close to Moroccans or Egyptians. They do get the point if you are direct and will leave you alone.
• Don't expect the same level of facilities in the accommodations as you are used to in Europe. However, all of our accommodations were clean and so was the linen. The beds and pillows were all comfortable.
• African Breeze Tours has provided a good service. The safari accommodations were different from the ones we originally agreed however they were all at the same level as agreed (budget) with the requested facilities. I would recommend them if you want to do a trip in Kenya.
• Felix, our guide, was absolutely amazing and I would definitely recommend him! I do not know his surname but he works often with Cate from African Breeze Tours and he says he does safari tours all over East Africa, not just Kenya. We're keeping that in mind for when we go chasing gorillas in Rwanda!
• Kenyans will accept US dollars but, if you can, take Kenyan Shillings as you'll lose out if you pay in dollars. E.g. the boat trip in Lake Naivasha was KSh1500 ($14) but if you pay in dollars they will charge $25. Take small denominations if you can (KSh500 or KSh200) as notes of KSh1000 can be difficult to shift and Kenyans avoid giving change.
• We have used Aquapure Traveller (water purifying bottle) to purify tap water and none of us got ill. I would highly recommend this bottle as it is one of the best in the market and also because it will immensely reduce the consumption of bottled water and the production of plastic waste it involves.

• I have had a secret companion on our safaris which has been extremely useful and hasn't failed me. I would highly recommend!

Currency exchange rates:

KSh 1=£0.0078

KSh 1=€0.0088
KSh 1=$0.0096

PRICES ARE PER PERSON.

Transport:
• Flight (London - Nairobi, direct): KSh74,891 (£580.36, $721.33, €655.66).
• Taxi hotel - Mombasa city centre: KSh1000 (£8, $10, €9).
• Tuk-tuk Mombasa city centre - hotel: KSh500 (£4, $5, €4.5).

Visa:
• Single entry visa: KSh5,191 (£40, $50, €45).

Tailor made trip:
• African Breeze Tours - 13 days tour: KSh202,476 (£1,569 / $1950 / €1,773).

Food:

• Cheapest meal was at Fayaz Bakery in Mombasa (sodas, samosas and 1 chocolate Swiss roll):    KSh192 (£1.5, $2, €2).

• Dinner at Hotel Clarion in Nairobi was KSh1000 (£8, $10, €9).

• Dinner at Easy Hotel in Nairobi was KSh834 (£6, $8, €7).
• 3-course lunch menu at Nyali Sun Beach Hotel & Spa was KSh1500 (£12, $14, €13).
• Water and bottled drinks range from KSh100 (locals price) to KSh300 (price tourists pay in safari lodges).

Atractions/Activities:
• Boat trip in Lake Naivasha: KSh1500    £12    $14   €13.
• There is an entry fee to every National Park. These were included in the tour price. The only entry fee we paid was to enter Lake Elementaita: KSh2000 (£15.5, $19, €17.5).
• Mombasa Marine Park entry fee: KSh1,765 (£14, $17, €15.5).
• Fort Jesus in Mombasa: KSh1200 (£9, $12, €11).
• Snorkling boat trip in Mombasa (includes Marine Park entry fee): KSh3435 (£27, $33, €30).

Tips:
• We avoided giving tips by carrying our own bags. The online community advises KSh100 (£0.78, $0.96, €0.88).
• We gave KSh1500 (£12, $14, €13) to the guide of the boat trip in Lake Naivasha, corresponding to KSh500 each. We were generous because it was really good.
• We gave KSh1000 (£8, $10, €9) to the guide of the walking safari in Lake Naivasha. This was for the 3 of us.
• We gave Felix, our amazing guide, KSh10500 each (£81, $101, €92) for the 7 days he spent with us, corresponding to KSh1500 per day (£12, $14, €13).

Money spent in Kenya:
• This is the money we took with us and spent in all the food, extra activities, taxi/tuk-tuk and visa: KSh35,220 (£273, $339, €308).

TOTAL:
Flight + Tour + Money spent in Kenya: KSh312,587    £2,423    $3,012    €2,738.
Flight aside, dividing the expenses (tour + money spent in Kenya) for the 13 days we were in Kenya, the daily expenses come up to: KSh18,284  £142   $176   €2160.

Kenya day 13: The return home

Pick-up at 12pm so we have the morning to chill out. We spend the time seating outside, looking at the sea. Bye, bye sea!

Again, we arrive at Mombasa Terminus train station early. Same security measures. Station as grand as the one in Nairobi but without windows. Natural air-con. The only statue if of Zheng He, a Chinese navigator and diplomat that visited Mombasa in the XV century. No statues of Kenyans... remember the Chinese built the stations?

Again, 2 shops. Same menu but half of the items aren't in stock. Less drink options. One shop has a fridge but it's only for show, no cold drinks available. There is no seating area for the food so we eat in the waiting area in makeshift tables.

Again, train departure and arrival are on time.
I started reading Fifty Shades of Grey yesterday. That means I can't stop reading! I finished it half way through out train trip and had to download the 2nd book, Fifty Shades Darker, and keep reading. I have read them before, this is the second time. The sex attracted me to the book but it's E.L.James ability to write dialog that makes me keep reading. She's so good with the witty talk and the mental talk. The sex gets a bit nauseous by the second book and it's too much by the third. I would recommend the first book. Like with any trilogy, it's usually the best.
At Nairobi Terminus we are picked up by a driver. He seems surprised when we tell him we're going to the airport. Oh boy, another one that doesn't know what he's doing...
Nairobi airport is busy. Security checks done but less thorough than at the train station. It's 3h before the departure time and the flight is already marked as 'boarding'. Seriously?!? Well, not before we have some food. The Food Court at the airport is... poor... options were few and we ended up having really bad burgers.
Flight on time, a night flight. Flight attendants spray insecticide in the cabin before we depart. So that's how they keep mosquitoes travelling from one country to to another!
We slept, neither me nor Jorge had food as we were sleeping, Manuel woke up for it though. I like night flights, they go faster and although sleeping seated is not great, at least one can sleep. Flying north to south or vice-versa has the advantage of no jet-leg. A bliss!

Kenya day 12: Snorkelling

Last day in Mombasa.
Finally we have the tropical sunny weather I have been longing for. No trace of clouds. Better one day than none!
We arranged a boat trip for snorkelling at the coral gardens near Nyali & Mombasa Beaches. They are part of the Mombasa Marine Park. One of the porter's of the hotel arranged it for us.
The boat picked us up from Nyali Beach, just in front of our hotel. How convenient! Jimmy is the Captain and Ali his right hand man.  The boat ride is worth it as one can see Mombasa coastline, dotted with hotels along the beach. In some parts there is a small cliff instead of beach and big houses on it, so close to the edge it's scary. As the water continues to erode the rock, these houses are going to eventually disappear. They look great and have an amazing view but I wouldn't want to live in them.
The boat has a glass bottom so we can see some sea grasses and the bottom of the sea when it's not too deep.
Ali picks some star fish and sea urchins for us to see.

A spearfisher hunts octopus near our boat. He shows me he has already caught 2 and takes them out of his bag to show me. Luckily I am used to cleaning octopus before cooking them or else it could be quite an alien experience. Their skin is slippery, their head is squishy (one of them leaks blood from the spear hole on his head) and their tentacle suckers still suck to one's skin. Wonderful picture, isn't it?

The trip lasts for about 1h30 and we are left to snorkel as much as we want. Ali shows us the best spots. Although I am a scuba diver, I have not snorkelled before. Laughable, isn't it? It's ok but I keep wanting to go deeper to see better and flood my snorkel. As Manuel and then Jorge leave the water, I get that time is up and finally leave my preferred environment, the sea.

We are dropped off at the hotel. Apart from paying for the boat ride, Ali asks for a tip as well. First one asking for a tip! I think it's quite rude but give him some money anyway. The boat trip costs KSh10,300 (£80, $100, €90) for the 3 of us.
We decide to make the most of the day by using the swimming pool and working on our tan.

It seems the crows have decided to do the same!

As it gets to lunch time we leave the towels and head to the hotel's cafe. We're having a light lunch today so we have space for dinner!
I learn that pawpaw is the Swahili word for papaya and have a pawpaw smoothie which was quite good. The main fruits in the last days at the buffet are watermelon (which must be in season because that, along with banana, were the fruits we were given on the safari accommodations), pineapple (which has been tasteless in the last few days so surely not in season) and papaya (very ripe and delicious).

Yesterday, when I was scuba diving, Manuel and Jorge went to the beach and were on the sun for about 1h. They both got burned and I was making fun of them: white boys turned red. Today, as I decided to be on the sun without sunscreen, it was my turn to burn. My back hasn't seen much sun this season and didn't resist the UV's. Beware of midday sun in the equator. It burns!
We ended the day on the bigger swimming pool for some jumping in the water and messing about.

A walk on the beach before dinner to say goodbye. We haven't really used the beach much. Firstly it has too many seaweeds (No, it doesn't get cleaned like the European beaches!) and secondly, there are people trying to sell stuff during the day and they can be very annoying. They don't cross the little wood fence to the hotel so the tourists tend to remain inside the hotel, using the pools.

We discover small crabs on the beach, same colour as the sand. They seem to be active at sunset because we haven't seen them before and they are really small (about 1cm) and really fast. Later we find bigger ones. I think the biggest we saw must be around 5cm. They make holes in the sand, which must be where they live. The bigger the hole, the bigger the crab.

Have I mentioned that the sand is less like granulated sugar, as the majority of beaches we know, and more like icing sugar. So fine and so smooth!

Kenya day 11: Mayday! Mayday!

Our rooms are big, the bathroom is big and the balcony is big. There is air-conditioning. The beds are comfortable. The wifi is fast and it's everywhere, even at the pools. The balcony has trees in front and we do not have sea view but the green provides a very relaxing experience.  There is a shower and a bath, the temperature and the pressure of the shower are magnificent. Without a doubt, it provides the best shower we've had so far. The breakfast and dinner are buffet but there is enough variety for you not to get bored quickly. The food is excellent, although desserts and bread not as much (please bear in mind that Portuguese have extremely high standards in bread and desserts and are not easily pleased). Staff is very friendly and always keen to provide a good service and making sure all our needs are met. We are in Kenyan heaven!

Today I went scuba diving with Tropical Diving Kenya, based at Bamburi Beach Hotel in Bamburi Beach, 9km north from our hotel. They sent a driver to pick me up.
It was all going fine, I was engaging in a friendly conversation with the driver (Mike) when we were stopped at a police check point. The policeman was talking to Mike in Swahili, pointing at the wheels. I couldn't understand the conversation but I understood the word 'complain' and 'police station'. The policeman got into the back seat of the car and, as usual, I smiled and said 'Jambo!'. He replied with 'Jambo', no smile. Mayday! Mayday!, my brain screams in silence.
We drove to Bamburi police station, 5min down the road. The compound of the police station is rectangular shaped with a lawn in the middle and plenty of buses and tuk-tuk parked around. I see we are not the only ones in trouble... A mother hen and 7 chicks walk on the lawn. I could see a few man around a table drinking. Mike parked the car and left with the policeman.
I thought it was a good idea to text Jorge and tell him where I was, in case I 'disappeared'. No phone reception. Shit!
10min later the policeman returns and asks me where the car keys are. As far as I remember, Mike took them with him. The policeman agrees with me. Mike is trying to deceive the policeman... not sure if that is a safe plan...
Mike's phone rings several times. I finally decide to pick up and realise it's his boss. I explain where we are. He's going to send another car.
10min later Mike returns. He doesn't think his tire's tread is worn out and need replacing. Unfortunately, the policeman does. He was offered to be let off by paying KSh3000 (£23, $29, €26) but he has refused to pay so he's leaving his car and we're waiting for someone else to pick us up. I am happy to leave the police compound!
Eventually I get to Bamburi Beach, late, but an Icelander is later than me as his driver had to pick us up before picking him up. He was to be my dive buddy, along with Joseph, our divemaster.
We did 2 dives, one at The Coral Garden by Bamburi Beach and another in Angie's Place by Nyali Beach, both inside the Mombasa Marine Park. Plenty of corals and colourful fish. Joseph has a trick for attracting fish. He carries a plastic bottle with bread in it which he releases under water. Fish are drawn to the bread and one is completely surrounded by them. I managed to touch a few. In The Red Sea this would have been forbidden, both the bread and the touching, but it seems all is permitted here.
The dives were worth it but make sure to take the exact money as I wasn't given any change. Cheeky!
Mike takes me back to the hotel. It seems he (or his boss) have come up with the money to pay the policeman and he has his car back. He complains about the corruption in Kenya and how Europe is perfect. I laugh! Europe is far from being perfect and corruption in Southern Europe can be as bad. We encounter no more police checks on the return trip.
We only have half board accommodation so lunch not included. I find Jorge and Manuel on my return and realise they haven't had lunch yet so we have an à la carte lunch at the hotel's restaurant. And a mighty fine lunch it was!

Crows are regular visitors to the restaurant. There are no windows and they know where the scraps are. The waiters try to scare them away but they are too intelligent to stay away for long.

Some showers. The afternoon was quite lazy. Sleeping and doing nothing. Ahhh, holidays!

Kenya day 10: Jambo!

Finally we are moving on from the budget part of our trip to the 4 star hotel.
For the next 3 nights we will be staying at Nyali Sun Beach Hotel & Spa, at Nyali Beach, near Mombasa. The hotel opened in 1946 and was built in the colonial style, with vast lawns and views to the Indian Ocean. A small wood fence is all that separates the hotel from Nyali beach.

Although it's hot the weather is unstable, plenty of showers on the forecast for today. Instead of staying indoors, we decide today is the Mombasa visting day.
We head out of the hotel intent in getting a taxi on the street. However, there are taxis at the hotel waiting for tourists so we took a very comfortable taxi ride to Mombasa for KSh1000 (£8, $10, €7).
Mombasa city is set in Mombasa island. The island has 3 entries:

• From NW: a bridge linking it to where the airport is.
• From SW: a ferry (Likoni Ferry) over the entry to Kilindini Port and Harbour.
• From NE: a bridge linking it to Nyali, over Mombasa harbour. It is in the NE that the Mombasa Marine Park is situated.

Within 20min we are at Fort Jesus and are 'assaulted' by guides. All trying to sell their services as guides for the Fort. It wasn't easy to get rid of them, particularly a very insistent guide who waited while we tried to read the inscription (in old Portuguese) on top of the fort's gate, to continue harassing us. I had to end up saying I wasn't willing to spend the extra money, which is not polite and he wasn't happy with, but it is the truth and it finally got him off our back.

Fort Jesus was built between 1593-1596 under the reign of Filipe I of Portugal (II of Spain) to guard the Old Port of Mombasa, when Mombasa was a Portuguese outpost.

Entry fee is KSh1200 (£9, $12, €10) and you get the ruins of the fort and the view to the harbour. There aren't that many explanations inside but there are a few artefacts in the museum. The view is worth the money. 

One of the guides in the museum was referring to a portrait of D. Henrique, the Navigator as Vasco da Gama. We were happy not to have paid for the 'guide'.

On the outside of the museum walls an artist was exhibiting his paintings. They weren't bad but I don't think they were worth the $400 and $1500 price tag on them!

There was a mural painting in one of the rooms, allegedly made by a Portuguese in the XVI century. It looked as if it had just been painted! It was hidden behind plaster for centuries which preserved them. However, the first thing one saw upon entering the room was this:

My first thought was 'What the hell?'. Then turning around I could see the paintings:

The heavens opened it's gates as we were inside the museum and we tried to wait but as the rain wasn't subsiding and I was getting bored, I decided that getting a bit wet when it's hot is not really a problem. In fact, as the rain stops, clothes get dry at a remarkable speed.

At a garden near the fort we pass a fully armed military man, riffle in his hands, ready to shoot. He looked like he was patrolling the streets. I have gotten into the habit of smiling and saying 'Jambo!' ('Hello' in Swahili) to every armed man I see. I think this is the safest way not to get into trouble. Look nice, innocent and relaxed. He smiles back and returns my greeting. Worst case scenario we use Manuel's phone. He's discovered a website with common sentences translated from Swahili to English. The first sentence is 'Stop! Do not shot!'.

We walked around Mombasa for the next couple of hours. Away from the fort, no guides to bother us. 

Mombasa looks like a colonial city. It's old colonial buildings still being used and plenty of shops on the main roads. 

We found the Treasury building and I took a photo because I didn't realise there were security guards seating at the entrance. They started signalling and I couldn't understand what they were trying to say. I didn't move from where I was, they didn't get up. In the end they made that unmistakable universal gesture that says 'Go away!'. That I understood and turned on my heels happily. In Kenya you cannot take pictures of government buildings.

Traffic in Mombasa is as bad as everywhere else.

Local taxis: tuk-tuk and the motorcycle taxi. In the rainy weather the motorcycle taxi has a very big umbrella to protect from the weather. Cool!

Pembe Za Ndovu, the Mombasa giant elephant tusks, along the very busy and central Moi Avenue, are a landmark of the city. The tusks were commissioned in commemoration of a visit to Mombasa by Princess Margaret in 1956 when Kenya was still part of the British Empire and symbolise the entrance to the city.

Near the tusks are the Uhuru Gardens. The gardens have huge trees and a fountain that, when functioning, is probably very pretty. The fountain represents the African continent and the water would represent the oceans around it.

What really surprised us were the hundreds of bats that were hanging from the trees. Hundreds is not an exaggeration. Majority were sleeping but some were flying around. Make sure you have your rabies vaccine!!!!

Lunch stop at a very good looking bakery, Fayaz Bakery, to rest our legs and a light lunch. It's not in a touristic part of town so prices are a lot cheaper.

I decide to take a back alley and go through the winding roads of the old city. Manuel and Jorge have reservations, worried it might be dangerous, oh well, a bit of danger sounds good! Houses are small, electric cables everywhere, narrow and unkept roads. It has a very North African feel. We can't see very old houses so we assume there has been some re-building going on without keeping the old ones. Maybe the old houses were slum-like and therefore not worth keeping. 

I want to take a tuk-tuk back to the hotel. Manuel is worried because they don't look safe and the drivers drive like mad. Jorge saw a few last night without lights but as it's still daylight he is happy to take one. A little push and here we go. I have a stupid smile on my face because I have not taken a tuk-tuk before.

Price is agreed beforehand, KSh500 (£4, $5, €4), half the price of the taxi. I am a bit disappointed that our driver seems to want to provide the tourists with a safe trip. He respects red lights and is a considerate driver. I see that the reckless driving is just for locals.