Mombassa Day (collin)

Today we got up early to travel to Mombassa and spend the day in the city. This was a really exciting thing to do because there are several things I have always wanted to check out in Mombassa, but I have never had enough time there. I LOVED the city. I'll talk a bit more about it in a minute, but first I'll discuss the business that took us into town.

We went to the city to pick up a few things for Pamoja Children's Center, the Infant Care Center, and the Vocational Training Center. The Kwale market is wonderful, but there are certain things that you just can't buy there. We found everything were looking for, in the markets in Mombassa, so that was great.

Also, while we were in the city, we were able to get together with the pastor of a vineyard church in Mombassa. His name is Gary Sampson. I felt very privileged to get to spend some time with him. He moved to Kenya from South Africa several years ago (about 13 years ago I think) and started his church in Mombassa 8 years ago. His church is in a posh neighborhood on the coast and targets well educated, upper class people from the city. It is a western style church (music, teaching style, service structure etc...).

Our purpose in meeting with him was to explore the possibility of having our church partner with his church in some way as we continue to work with the Digo People. His vision for his church and his goals are different enough from our goals for our work with the Digo People that I doubt our church will really do very much with him (also, mombassa is a couple of hours away by car and a world away in terms of culture). However, it was nice to spend some time with a kind person who has relocated to Kenya and is very successful in what they set out to do. Plus, you never know what will happen in the future. Terry was with us at the meeting and we talked at great length about her community development projects and all of the positive work that she is doing the region. He invited her to come to his church sometime and said that at some point she can speak to his congregation about what she is doing. Maybe there will be some caring people who take an interest in her work. Having some semi-local people from an upscale area notice this work and take an interest in it might wind up being a good thing.

Now a few words about the city of Mombassa. First of all, just getting there from the south-coast is a total adventure. We took the matatus so that we wouldn't have to worry about our bike getting stolen in the city (it isn't the most crime free place in the world :) Getting on a matatu in the first place is quite an experience for an American. As you approach the city however, the experience changes. The number of people in the beat up old van went from around 15 to about 25. The streets went from hectic to something almost unrecognizable as a road. There are SO MANY people hauling stuff to and from the city, that the road is a sea of people, bikes, and carts all loaded beyond belief with wares of every type. 

The matatu dropped us off at the ferry (mombassa is on an island) and we boarded on foot... along with literally thousands of other people. I have never been in a crowd quite like that before. It was like a standing room only concert, but rather than standing, everyone is jostling and rushing for a spot on the boat before it pulls out.

The city itself is incredibly beautiful. It is a very international city (a port city) with people from all over the world. Historically, there was a tremendous arabic influence there, so the architecture and the culture has a definite middle eastern flavor. There are beautifully ornate mosques all throughout the city. In some parts of town, there are parks and plazas with beautiful flowers and benches in the shade of palm trees. In "Old City," many of the streets are too narrow for cars. The markets spill out of the old stone buildings onto the sidewalks and roadways so that there is barely enough room to walk between the rows upon rows of vibrant fabrics and luscious fruits. Many of the women are in full burqas and the men wear long, flowing white robes. Everywhere, there are pungent aromas ranging from freshly fried samosas to the leather of custom made shoes for sale by the hundreds. All of the smells are nicely wrapped in the warm salty air that comes rolling in from the postcard-like blue waters of the indian ocean. Of course, in the mix with everything else is the hustle and bustle, the noise, and the... other smells, that are so often associated with a city in a developing nation. The combination of it all was intoxicating. If you ever have a chance to visit this fabulous city, take it.

In other news, Linds isn't feeling tip-top. We think that she got a stress fracture in her foot. She got some wicked blisters from a pair of ill fitting shoes and a 7 mile walk and then spent the entire next day compensating for the blisters and walking in such a way that put a lot of pressure on a different part of her foot. The outside of her foot is now swollen and black and blue. We have had stress fractures before (marathon training and backpacking can do that to you) so we know it will get better soon, but it still hurts for the time being. In addition to the foot pain, she has a sore throat. It is nothing life threatening and she has still been able to have a fabulous time, but it would be nice if she could feel better soon.