The Road to Mombasa

Wednesday morning we left Niarobi to come to Mombasa, a coastal town that is the second largest city in Kenya. On the way to Mombasa we saw zebra's, giraffe's, antelopes, buffalo, and monkey's all from the side of the road. I was amazed! Until Angela affectionately reminded me, "Adrianne, this is Africa. Zebra's and antelope are the like deer." I looked embarrassed, "Oh." and then slummed down and my seat and decided to put my camera away. No wonder no one else has there camera out. I am taking pictures of the ordinary. Since arriving in Mombasa I have finally taken pictures with the Masai (according to Wikipedia: The Masai are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known of African ethnic groups, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa. The Maasai population has reported as numbering 840,000 in Kenya in the 2009 census, compared to 377,000 in 1989 and 400,000 in 2000 .The Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, but the people have continued their age-old customs. Recently, Oxfam has claimed that the lifestyle of the Maasai should be embraced as a response to climate change because of their ability to farm in deserts and scrublands.Many Maasai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visits to their village to experience their culture, traditions, and lifestyle.) Check out my pics with the beautiful Masai women.

Thursday we hung out on the beach at this cool bar called "The Forty Thieves" and I put my feet in the Indian Ocean for the first time in my life. As of this moment, I will claim the Indian Ocean as my favorite ocean because it is so warm and blue. I love it. I then took my first camel ride across the beach. It was awesome and it only cost 300 Kenyan Shillings....about $3 U.S. dollars. My camels name was Thomas. He was sweet. He was brought to Kenya from Ethiopia. The camels owner, Ali, told me that Thomas was the best because he was a one-humped camel, which are usually found in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, etc...He went on to say that two-humped camels are found in Egypt, Morocco, Libya, etc...and they are not as good because they spit and are meaner. So, I was lucky to have Thomas and Ali.

Friday we went deeper into the Indian Ocean on a trip to swim with the dolphins. We did see dolphins, but we did not exactly swim with them. Oh, We saw these two dolphins mating and boy were they getting it in! It was awesome! Dolphins are one of the only mammals, like humans, who have intercourse for pleasure and not just reproduction. Very cool. No wonder they are such happy and playful animals. They really like humans too. The tour guide referred to them as the "dogs of the sea". I totally see that. They have a very pet like relationship with humans...too bad I didn't get to swim with them. But what I did get to do was equally as awesome. We went snorkeling in the middle of the Indian Ocean for about 2 hours. I didn't have an underwater camera so I have no pictures of the wonders that I saw under the sea. It was amazing! Glorious! By far, one of the most breath-taking things I have ever done in my life. I saw sea turtles chilling at home in the sea, starfish, the FISH! My god! The fish were so beautiful! It is so much better to see them at home than in a tank in some Chinese restaurant or aquarium. After that, I have to go to the Coral Reef in Australia (Seriously, I am going to be working on a trip to Australia soon. Join me!)Being in the ocean and seeing all of it's wonders made me feel so small. I thought a lot about the universe and it's creation and the wonders of the earth. It such a privilege to be alive and to have the opportunity to experience such things.