Road Trip to Mombasa

This weekend, I took a road trip to the coast. It was kind of last minute, but really fun. We discussed taking a bus, but Gordon found a good deal on a car rental Friday night and by Saturday morning we were off. It was me, Gordon and two of his friends, Jeff and Lucy. After a few flat tire issues, we made it to Mombasa in the early evening. I was so happy to see palm trees again.



Once we arrived, we picked up a friend, Eli, and headed to another friend's house. Her name is Esther. Esther's parents are both doctors and they have a nice, comfortable house in Mombasa. They are a wonderful, Godly family and were all gracious hosts. Esther prepared a delicious Swahili dinner. It was rice and a dish of chicken and potatoes. Along side, she served guacamole! I was excited about that one. Lucy and I stayed at Esther's house and Gordon and Jeff stayed with Eli. After a fun night of hanging out, we went to bed, eagerly anticipating the beach the next day.



Around noon, a group of eight of us went to the beach. It was so beautiful. White, soft sand, warm clear blue water, no crowds. It was heaven. I was so happy to be there. I really enjoyed floating in the water and just listening to the sounds of the ocean. While there, we saw camels available to ride. Lucy wanted to go, but I was a little hesitant. Fortunately, she persuaded me and we had a blast. Getting on and off was a little scary, but funny.



(Lucy, Esther and me)



After a few hours at the beach, we went back to Esther's house to freshen up. I went with Jeff and Eli to run errands and on the way home we went to Fort Jesus. It is a Fort built by the Portuguese in the 1500's. It was too late to go in, but it was neat to see the outside.





(Me and Eli)



Once we got back to Esther's we had another yummy dinner (chipatti and beans) and settled in to watch the World Cup. It was a tight game, but I was thrilled with a Spain win. It was my first World Cup and I loved it. Who knew soccer could be so entertaining? The game ended after midnight so we rested for a few hours before leaving by 4:00am. We needed to get back to Nairobi by Monday morning for the beginning of the work week.

I had a wonderful time. Because I came here alone and don't have a lot of money, I didn't think I would be able to go outside Nairobi. I'm so glad we were able to do this. I love road trips and had a blast. It reminded me a spur of the moment trip I would take with my friends. Gordon's friends were very welcoming. Esther and Eli were great and made sure all of our needs were met. I feel very blessed to have experienced Mombasa with new friends.