I visited Mombasa recently and I had a wonderful time while there. We were traveling at night and on your way to Mombasa, buses stop at Mtito wa Ndei for passengers to grab something to eat and to relieve themselves....
February night--
I get into a wrong bus
after a short call
 |
| Mombasa Shuttle buses rest at Mtito Andei at 2am |
 |
scotching sun--
a police patrol car parked
under a tree
When you arrive in Mombasa town, these four gentlemen welcome you..
We spotted a fruit that looked like paw paw shortly after arriving at the coast...little did we know that it was a coconut milk
This is a coconut milk. In Swahili, it is called dafu and Madafu in plural! Because a ripe coconut takes up to six months, farmers harvest them in their third month and as a result, they look like these. They are in abundant during the rainy season because few people are willing to take coconut milk when it is wet or when it is cold. One coconut milk is sold at 20 shillings.
 |
| My Friend Dj drinking a coconut milk. |
February--
he stirs a coconut milk
with a straw
This coconut vendor was very friendly to us. He told us many things about his business and the diseases that coconut milk cure, and its season...and allowed us to take him photos while he prepared us our coconut milk...
February--
a coconut vendor's
dusty shirt
February--
a madafu vendor sharpen
a spoon for me
He used a coconut milk peel to sharpen a spoon that I used to eat the soft coconut...
Find more about coconuts here:
We also found out that in Mombasa town there is a big market for fruits and veges called Marikiti, just like the one in Nairobi...
Marikiti Market--
a cart loaded with dusty
madafu comes out
Then we went to the beach....woooohooooooo!!!
There are many public beaches in Mombasa, but Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach is nearest from town.
Indian ocean--
the smell of salty water hits
our nostrils
Indian Ocean
feeling beach sand between
my toes
February waves--
I lie with my stomach
listening
sandy beach--
I close my eyes and think
of good times
February waves--
deep irritation of salty water
in my eyes
Indian ocean--
a Rastafarian man kisses
an old lady
In the coast, especially at the beaches, white women and men frequent visit intending to lure young men and women into having sex with them for money (prostitution) and I was surprised to see this very young Rastafarian man kissing a very old lady, old enough to be his grandmother. The people at the coast are used to seeing this but it was a strange thing to me and my friends...
a bunch of kids dive-in
in unison
bright February --a couple kiss while on their
floaters tube
February waves--
she swims with her son
on the shallow end
Jomo Kenyatta--
February wave knocks her off
her tube floater
February dusk--
two kids bury their legs
in the sand
Indian Ocean
February breeze rubbed the first
Kenya Saijiki
As we were swimming, a girl so something and she yelled so loud that we come out of the water running...
beach stampede--
each February wave brings it
ashore
Then we went to Likoni which is on the other side. To get there, both people and vehicle are transported by ferries free of cahrge. On our way, we passed Uhuru Gardens which is a public park, much the same size like Jeevanjee Gardens in Nairobi...
I remember asking a Mombasa resident, "excuse me, where are those big elephant tasks that we see on T.V located?" He smiled and directed us to go to a place called Docks...
There are two ferries, one is from the Island city of Mombasa to the Kenyan mainland town of Likoni while the other ferry is on the Likoni side coming to the island city of Mombasa...The ride takes approximately 5 to ten minute at most. Both people and vehicle load the ferry at the same time so that by the time one ferry is reaching at this end, the other ferry has reached the other end...almost at the same time...There is a shade where people from both sides wait for the ferry while cool music relax them...and announcements are made when to board the ferry....In this shade, sweets vendors and pastors use that chance to preach and sell to people before the ferry comes...and thieves too because at times people get congested in there
Ferry services--
a no filming sign written
in capital
February wind--
a tattered flag on a blue
old ferry
on the ferry--
my swimming short
still dripping
The water was not much and we walked at the Kilindini harbor for a while .....and after the ferry dropped us on the Kenyan mainland side of Likoni town, we took several photos..
In Likoni town, there were all sorts of souvenirs beautifully displayed on a stand...
February--
I rub a rough souvenir
repeatedly
Then we saw this thing and we had no idea what it was....
This is Fenesi, a Swahili word for Jack Fruit and a favourite to many Likoni residents. It is sugary and sticky. A resident reported that it is in surplus from November to early February and another one said that it is there all season so its seasonality is controversial.
February morning--
I unpack three jack fruit
seeds
I was shown how to bury the seeds in the soil so that the fruit grows into a big tree and I hope I will succeed.
1 comment:
This is a nice blog I stumbled upon! Love your haikus. Hope you post more in the future. I’ve definitely learnt a lot:D
Post a Comment