Tourist Once Again

When we wake up, we're still about an hour outside of Mombasa. The scenery is similar to other parts of Kenya, especially the houses and shanties built close together and children running along the track waving and asking for money. Nearing Mombasa, the industrial buildings increase and though it's an ugly part of capitalism, the huge buildings and earth moving equipment speak to me. We don't see many of these things inland. It drizzles as we glide into the station, then it pours. Tom, a fellow VSO volunteer, meets us. We wait under shelter until the rain eases up then take a matatu to a nearby store owned by Tom's friend. The owner graciously lets us store our luggage in the back while we explore Mombasa. When we're drinking Arabian coffee and eating bahjia (Indian fried potatoes), Tom tells us about a ship docked in Mombasa, something of a traveling bookstore selling new books at greatly reduced prices. "Books?!" I exclaim. Yes, books. So we head to the harbor before we go to Fort Jesus, Mombasa's most famous landmark. The Doulos, which means "servant" in Greek, is an old passenger ship sponsored by a German organization. Built in 1914, The Doulos is now the oldest, active ocean-going passenger ship in the world (she's even in the Guinness Book of Records). But what makes her story even more remarkable is her benevolent mission. Run by a Christian organization, the Doulos travels the world, docking in port cities for two or three weeks and inviting the populace aboard. The store is manned by 300 volunteers from all over the world. They sign on for a two-year mission and go to ports the world over. What a fantastic way to spend two years. There's more info on their website at www.mvdoulos.org. Though there is a large religious section, the bookstore also carries books on history, philosophy, art, architecture, gardening, hobbies and cooking. And lots of music. The floors are dark wood and fans keep us cool as we browse. There are journals and pens and note cards and games, all the things found in a Western bookstore. I am in heaven. In Kenya, books are printed on inferior paper, almost like newsprint, and they cost way too much. To stand before shelves of gorgeous books printed in full color on quality paper moves me immensely. The Doulos has a clever pricing system. Each book is marked in units. Upon arrival, they convert the units to the local currency. For instance, I bought three books priced at 200 units each. 100 units is 160 shillings, so each book is 320 shillings, totaling 960 shillings. These are books on architecture, impressionism and modern art originally priced at 8 pounds, or approximately $14 USD, each. At 320 shillings, they cost approximately $4 USD each. Just thumbing through the books brings me joy as I glimpse Renoir, Degas, Kandinsky and Dali (which reminds me of touring the Salvador Dali museum with my son James and Mama in Tampa!!). Oh, the glory of being able to look at paintings and cathedrals at will. Such luxury books simply don't exist in Western Kenya. We exit the ship and head to Fort Jesus, a fortification built by the Portuguese between 1593 and 1596. Nearly a hundred years before, Vasco da Gama sailed to Malindi, north of Mombasa, where he received a warm reception and set up a base. From this base in Malindi, the Portuguese attacked and burned Mombasa four times before the town finally gave in. After a hundred years of occupation, Mombasa was overtaken by the Arabs of Oman in 1698. Mombasa's Arab influence is strong to this day. Of course, the Imperial British East Africa Company took over administration of Mombasa in the late 1800's and abolished the slave trade, which reversed Mombasa's steady growth, ending a period of great prosperity. Walking through Old Town Mombasa offers sights of buildings influenced by Arabia, India and Britain. All these influences mesh into the Swahili-style house found along the coast. These include flat roofs topped with thatched or tin-roofed kitchens (so the smoke goes up and not into the house), long, narrow rooms opening on to the next and beautifully carved wooden doors. Also part of the Swahili culture are baraza, couch-like stone seats built just outside the front door. This allows the man of the house to accept visitors without the women of the house being seen. It's important in the Muslim culture that women are not seen by men from outside the family. In some areas, a man will knock at the top of the door and a woman at the bottom so the inhabitants will know which sex is calling. Women inside can remove themselves if it's a man knocking. Mombasa is home to people from almost all communities in the Indian sub-continent. Indian merchants settling on the coast contributed to the architecture. Kiswahili and English are the official language, but we also hear Arabic and many Indian languages. People of Arabian descent still consider themselves to be citizens of their ancestor's homes, even if they were born in Kenya. There is such a mix of people, African, Arab and Indian, that it's mind-boggling to sort them out. Add to these coastal groups all the indigenous tribes found on the mainland and further out in the bush. Kenya has such a variety of cultures within her borders. After exploring the fort, we visit Tom's workplace, called Bombolulu Workshops, which employs physically challenged people. The workshop employees make jewelry, clothing, shoes and bags. Most of the 100 people living and working at the workshop were handicapped by polio or malaria. Tom's job is like mine, to help Bombolulu Workshops market their goods, which they sell wholesale to companies all over the world. Tom has also arranged with local hotels to bring their clients to Bombolulu for a tour. The day we're there, three white people are in the cultural center dancing to drum beats with Africans in traditional dress. Turns out the guests are from Asheville, North Carolina! And though they're originally from Idaho, I don't care. It's so good to hear their accents and find out how things are in Asheville, only a three hour drive from Atlanta. They're visiting their daughter, Susan, a doctor who's conducting AIDS and Tuberculosis research in Mombasa. Ed and I take the official tour of Bombolulu Workshops, guided by Chris, who's from Kisumu. We are greatly impressed with the grounds, the workshop, the artisans and the gift shop. They've created life-sized homes from seven Kenyan tribes. Each home is made from mud or thatch or stone or coral rag, true to the tradition of each tribe. In addition to a Swahili house, they've constructed homes in the Luo and Luhya style, which dot the area we live in. Very impressive. Touring Bombolulu Workshops was worth the trip to the coast.