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!