Day 16 - Monday 20th April 2009

Mivumoni, Mombasa, Nairobi

A not altogether welcome visitor in our wash basin this morning.

Now the rain has come, they are ploughing - but not keen on being photographed.

It's time to leave Mivumoni - the luggage is loaded in the truck.

We bid farewell to Charlie, Willy, Lucy and Joe (and Luke who took the picture)

In fact, Lucy is coming with us to Mombasa, and Charlie and Luke to Ukunda, so it's only Willy we're actualy leaving in Mivumoni.

Waiting for the ferry - there are 2 German and 1 Spanish frigates in port, helping to police shipping past Somalia.

Lucy wraps her friends suitcase in a kangah - so that it can be carried on her back. The kangah is undoubtedly the swiss army knife of women's wear.

We parked the truck at the Cathedral and took a tuk tuk to Fort Jesus (built by the Portuguese - see plaque further below).

In the museum

Lamu and Zanzibar doorways

Two cycads - an early type of plant that's been around for 200 million years.

Geckos abound.

View from Fort Jesus across to North Shore (Nyali)

You can see where they raised the height of the walls (the Portuguese were short apparently!)

Lucy descends from a lookout.

Views around the fort.

An old form of public transport in Mombasa - a tram car pulled by humans.

The Flame tree - produces the Thuri Thuri seeds used in shakers.

Last view of the fort.

A bit of history, as promised above.

A sign of Christian influence (the Portguese) although the interior is more Muslim - the Omani effect.

We took another tuk tuk to a nearby restaurant.

Here we enjoyed mutton biryani at just over £2 each for a massive plateful.

Joe took us on a drive around the coastal road to take the view - this is looking across to Shelley Beach / Likoni

A huge baobab.

Looking down to the docks from the causeway to the mainland.

In the airport cafe we met a friend of Joe's, John Kanyali, who won the recent 4x4 Rally event in his Unimog - their bigger size won out over the Land Rovers in the deep water.

Final "kwahere ya kuonana!" then onto the flight to Nairobi. Here it's very wet, and a bit cool. We're already missing Mivumoni...