MOMBASA
We were all awake at first light and took up positions at the windows to watch the green coastal hills, dotted with multi-hued tapestry of bananas, coconut trees, and crops, pass by alongside the tracks. All along the line, children came running from huts and tiny villages to screech for things to be thrown from the train. We ignored them, but some of the wazungu in the more upmarket section of the train didn’t, which explained the presence of all the screening brats – it is obviously worthwhile!
The air was hot, sultry, an almost tangible thing, as the train crested the hills above Mombasa and began the descent to the town, with the azure blue of the Indian Ocean stretching away into the thunder heads beyond.
After departing from the train, we walked up into town and stopped at the first hotel we came to – The cosy Hotel, which, due to the severe water shortage in Mombasa, smelled like an open sewer!
Later on however, when the water came on, and with a plentiful supply of cold water from the fridge, the place became almost comfortable. We contented ourselves with lying in the coolest room for the rest of the day.
CurseOfTheTraveller 