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.
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.
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.
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