94 – From Lamu to Nairobi

28th Feb, On  a bus, Kenya
Woke up in the morning, bade farewell to the lodge staff, and made my way to the jetty. As usual, the boat was packed to the rafters before setting off. The TSS bus on the mainland, despite being the more cramped 5 seats in a row, instead of Tahmeed’s 4 seats, was actually more comfortable. Since i had a window seat, and the bus was one of those huge coaches, it was heavier and better equipped to traverse the poor Lamu-Mombasa. It was less bumpy and i could read my book throughout.

Reaching Mombasa, i had 3 hours to kill. So i went down to the Old Town, which was by the beach, and did a loop around, stopping by Fort Jesus (did not enter, but its 800 KSH here). Most of the shops were closed on this Sunday evening, but the locals were out at the park located along Fort Jesus, on a cliff by the seafront.

I made my way down to an indian restaurant for dinner. There was a large indian population here. Their features are anything but african, but these Kenyans have lived here their lives and are as local as can be. Still, walking down the streets of old town, i could mistake it as a little india from back home. The buildings in the Old Town are another sight to behold. Typical of the old buildings along the Swahili coast, they are all clustered together alongside narrow alleyways. National Museums of Kenya has done quite a bit of conservation here, and many of the buildings with their balconies have been restored.

After dinner, hanged around for a bit, before taking the bus from Mombasa to Nairobi (700 KSH).