Beach time, Kenya style

This past weekend, I went to Mombasa (well, to be specific, Diani Beach) with a group of 4 other folks.  The group was comprised of 4 ADP-ers and one of the other ladies that’s part of the larger group of folks that I spoke of in earlier posts.

Mombasa is east of Nairobi - about a 45 minute flight.  We took Kenya Airways - it was nicer than American Airlines!  It was also my first air conditioning since I’ve been here!  We needed it, because it was HOT when we got to Mombasa - about 31C, and it was 9pm. Very similar to summers back home, but odd to have such warm temps when Nairobi is always so temperate.

We stayed in a lodge right on the beach.  Upon check-in, we were greeted with fresh coconuts, complete with flowers and straws!  So much fun.  We immediately dropped off our bags and headed next door to 40 Thieves Beach Bar - rated one of the top 20 beach bars in the world by folks who are fit to judge such things.  Had a great night - dinner, drinks (Tusker, yeah!), and dancing - goes without saying that I will be putting together a new Kenya mix, b/c there are certainly some songs that you hear over and over and over again - love it!

Saturday was a relaxing day - we had a great breakfast at the hotel (the staff made omelets...I thought I had died and gone to heaven) and headed out to the beach.  It was beautiful - white sand, warm clear water, and camels!  I can now officially say that I’ve been in the Indian Ocean.  We sat in the sun, played cards (I now know a few new games), drank Tusker, talked, and in general had a great time.  There’s something about sitting at a beach bar, with sand in your toes, drinking a beer, and listening to the ocean - so relaxing, especially after the hustle and bustle (and smog) of Nairobi.

Saturday night, we went to a great restaurant called Ali Barbours - the restaurant is actually in a limestone cave.  The cave is underground, and the ceiling is open, so you can see the stars.  The food was incredible - we did appetizers, mains, flambe desserts, the whole nine yards.  Saturday night was another 40 Thieves outing - stayed up waaayyy too late, but much fun was had by all.  There may even have been some night swimming involved :)

On Sunday, we decided to have a bit of an adventure.  The water at Diani is actually quite shallow b/c there is a reef right off the coast.  We paid one of the local fisherman to row us out to the sandbar - I’m sure a lot of you would be impressed that I got on the boat!  It was really nice - there were lots of starfish, and Amos (he’s the guy who owned the boat) brought them up for us to look at.  We had a bit of a photo shoot at the sand bar - it was so beautiful, we couldn’t help it.  I’m still amazed by the beauty of Kenya.

We headed home on Sunday night - exhausted, but it was well worth it.  Now on to another work week!

40 Thieves at night!  The power only went out a couple of times!

 The inside of Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant - the ceiling was open to the outside, so we could see the stars.  It was an incredible view.  The desserts were amazing!

 Getting on the plane to go to Mombasa - hilarious to be walking around an active taxiway!  There are "footsteps" painted on the ground for you to follow - they look like Sasquatch feet!

 Fresh coconut drinks upon arrival!

 My view for Saturday and Sunday....can't figure out how it gets much better than this.

 Anyone for a camel ride??? I'll pass - they make strange noises and smell kind of funny.

 The breakfast nook at the hotel - omelets for all!

 Poolside bar at the hotel, with Mike, our friendly bartender....yes, he's with us

 Amos, the man who took us to the sandbar - he told us all about the area and the fishing they do, etc

 Lidia and I looking at the starfish...so colorful!

Hard to see, but there is a monkey in this picture - we were walking from the beach to the hotel and it ran out in front of us than ran up the tree!  Terrifying!