Mombasa

Here is one for the bucket list:

Take a ride through Kenya to Mombasa on a lime green and yellow local bus company called RAQUIB.  WARNING: this is only for the incredibly daring, you will fear for your life 90% of the time. 

I opened my eyes and found myself looking straight out the window to the red clay ground of Kenya.  I closed and opened my eyes again and the bus had moved to the other side of the road allowing me to see the sky this time. The bus had been going from side to side of the semi-paved roads making the bus tip at a 45 degree angle which made it seem rather likely that we would tip. Holding my breath eventually got old and the herds of elephants we saw in passing easily distracted my mind. When we first noticed the elephants the rest of the bus laughed at our excitement. One word of advice if you do embark on such a journey: be weary of what you eat and drink- stopping en route does not exist and neither does the concept of overbooking- there is ALWAYS more room to squish on a bus. The 10 hour ride of ups and downs (literally speaking) of course was well worth it.

Tide pools

Mombasa was yet another stunningly beautiful city, similar to that of Zanzibar with its Arabic influences. We got a chance to walk around Old Town (a lot like Stone Town) and see Fort Jesus- it was actually designed in the shape of a man on a cross by the Portuguese.

The beautifully intricate door frames begin like this

One of the days we had the amazing opportunity to see a school in the Mtepani village that a friend of mine is deeply connected with.  It is a primary school in the process of expansion and its growth has been phenomenal. While being there, we met many of the families of the children who attend the school, one of which appropriately initiated me .... what a better way than to be peed on? Also while being there, the term 'community' fully showed itself to me.

Classroom

The mango tree where classes were first held

THIS IS COMMUNITY