Trains - Planes - Automobiles - Tuk Tuks

Well the train trip to Mombassa turned out to be one of the more "interesting" and TIA (this is Africa) of my times here - 25 hours after leaving our home we finally arrived at Watamu - 2 hours from Mombassa where we were staying. Taxi - train - taxi - plane - taxi - matatu - tuk tuk. I have now been on all modes of transort EXCEPT the motorbike and not sure if I am game enough for that - although I could have to do that to get back on Sunday. Why would I want to come home after experiencing all this FUN. Got to swim for the first time in a lovely bay and then a pool, the thin air is doing me good I think - and saw some awesome countryside - so much like Australia, the red dirt and cactus of the outback - how can I be homesick? Saw many different villages and people and ways of living as well as Mombassa - by the way, don't bother planning a trip there - the two rubbish dumps in the middle of town really don't do anything for those who can smell at all! Found a quiet beach far from everything the last night we were there - was absolutely beautiful - enjoy the pics, they will tell the story (sorry some are sideways and don't have time to change them now). And yes, saw my first snake - right next to the car - a big cobra - reared up at us. Amazing!

Yep a big cobra rearing up at us right next to the car. I was even excited and not scared!

Beach Babe - last beach we stayed at - was beautiful

At the train station - I think I was upper class!

Naa didn't even look in here!

Joy and I in our compartment ready to travel - excited as teenage girls on their first trip!

Got off the train after the 11 hour stop and had to have a look around. As you can see, the seat needs a few repairs

All Aboard - Boarding the train for the first time

All aboard again - BACK to Nairobi

And ... the train loo



Waiting - will this train ever move again???

I know you aren't supposed to do this but hey who could resist - had to watch all the animals, gazelle, wildebeest, zebra, etc - sooooo much fun

The slum areas right beside the train tracks



Tuk Tuk ride - reminiscing of our time in the tuk tuks in Thailand together

This hartebeest wasn't impressed I was walking in his territory and was snorting at me

Like a true Maasai (note the shuka over my shoulder) - looking towards Mount Kilimanjaro (I saw it behind the clouds)

My shuka was a great accessory as it was rather chilly in the early morning on the mountain

Elephants had passed before us

camping for the night - just in case it rained as we didn't want to put up the tent flys

Yep I went in the cave - then looked down and noticed all the animal footprints and realised lions and leopards LOVE caves - so I didn't go where it was so dark I couldn't see!

Slum areas beside the train tracks coming into Nairobi

Tuk Tuk stuck in the sand - I think we were a little too heavy!

More slum areas coming into Nairobi

ditto - notice the "shops" right beside the tracks

A very old part of Mombassa town - historical area - very narrow alley ways

And yes you have high level and low level toilets!

Could this be the Aussie outback?

Walking the beach - beautiful - but heaps of weed

Sunset looking out over the beach from our verandah - Tiki Beach

Will we make the bridge?

One of the two rubbish dumps in Mombassa - the smell from BOTH was totally disgusting!

Gorgeous little girl in the back alleys

Stop for lunch beside the road

Mangoes - $3.50 for the whole container full

Monkeys always turn up everywhere

This is how you carry your water on a motor bike and this is where you dump the gravel/dirt to fix the road, and leave it here for 6 months until you get more money to go ahead and fix it - fun trying to navigate through this - with vehicles coming in the opposite direction

In an old ruins of Gede - an ancient town mainly from the Arabians and Somalis - Muslim - in the early 1300's

Star fish I found - I even picked it up!

Sunset view from my window at Watamu

Yet another baby!

Couldn't resist putting this one on!

Only 1 day old! Just so cute

Beautiful tree - flame I think but they call the African Tulip the Flame tree! There are HEAPS of beautiful jacarandas now in bloom too - all the beauty of home here!

FIWAGOH ... the swim ,,, the end

Well am back now in the relative safety of the compound just out of Nairobi, but hear there have been some bombings in town and that Kenya is warring with Somalia. Maybe that was why when I got on the Matatu to come home today, we drove to a police station and they searched our bags and patted us down. The ride to Nairobi was enjoyable as I slept most of the way to avoid looking at the very close range of other vehicles to ours as we drove along and also vehicles coming from the opposite direction as we pass! I was "lucky" to get the front seat. Had a wonderful time at the orphanage - here are some final shots of the kids and also the wonderful walk to the "hot springs" where I proceeded to swim in the pelican and flamingo infested waters. Only a cold shower when I got back but it was better than no shower. Enjoyed my hot one this afternoon after arriving back "home". Enjoy the pics and captions.

The children having worship before starting class. The older ones take the younger classes each morning. It is a very good idea and the kids love it.

Fruit bought with donation - bananas, avocado, pineapple, mangoes. The kids were SOOO happy to have this as feeding 180 kids gets a bit expensive and you can't always give them these treats

I cut up a whole box of avocadoes

Florence (Mum) cutting the 30 pineapples into pieces

Benson (Dad) cutting the sugar cane - their favourite "sweet"

All the 180 plates are served individually for the children to come and collect so they are everywhere when they are dishing up. They had 3 buns and a piece of each of the fruit plus a whole mango which they eat skin and all.

Lining up for the sugar cane. They just love it.

Enjoying their supper

Washing water basin!

My Sabbath School Class on Sabbath morning. We sang new songs I had been teaching them - the electricity was off all day so no data projector so they just had to use the computer.

David came from America with 4 suitcases and 140 pairs of shoes - would you believe there were 5 pair that didn't fit any of the children. They were donated by soles4souls. Great idea.

The happy faces of the children waiting to try some of the shoes on

My journey to the lake begins - with 103 children + 4 seniors

There were many beautiful yellow billed pelicans there

The children always want their photo with you. And had two holding my hands for the whole 4 hours walking there and back! If one dropped my hand another one quickly grabbed it.

The "black" hole the shoe went down had to reach in and fish out - yuk!

The boys having fun on the way, thought about seeing if I could jump it but thought naa, I would fall in and make a real fool of myself!

We had to negotiate herds of goats, sheep, cows and donkeys. Lucky they are used to people although I saw the children scatter at one stage when a bull must have become annoyed with them and they aren't small bulls!

Yes that's the boys swimming in the "hot springs"

Please note the colour of the water!

Yuk squelch slimy (which I know is poo) under my feet, do I really have to do this?

I said I would go in so here goes!

Yep can still feel the slime - but I'm under

Yeah I did it!

Had to show them how to swim - breast stroke only as I wasn't puting my face in that water!

Glad to be out and dry myself off (could still feel the slime though)

The children had a great time

And look, you can wash in it!

The slime makers!

Beautiful sunset over the lake - my last night.