...Lion Cubs Playing & Feeding...

The Lovely coast town of Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, It's Located in the Southeast of Kenya, and it has the most beautiful white beaches and coral reefs in Africa !! With lot's of hotels on the beaches...It is along the North and South coasts Mombasa a great place to see.

Mombasa has the most beautiful white sandy beaches and coral reefs in Africa With lot's of hotels right on the beaches...It sits along the North and South coasts town, Mombasa a good place to visit.

The introduction of the Uganda Railroad stretching from Mombosa to Lake Victoria in 1901, left Lamu somewhat isolated. Lamu is one the city-states founded by Arab travelers was located on the island just off the northern coast of modern Kenya, called Lamu. While there were certainly earlier settlements on the island, the present town site is not likely to be much older than the 14th century Mombosa became the main seaport of the East African coast, relegating Lamu to a minor role as a small local harbor.

WE Arrive in the Ancient port of Mombasa. Built on a coral island facing the turquiose blue waters of the Indian Ocean, sunbathing on the white sand beaches,exploring the maze like streets of the Arab influenced old town,shopping in old ancient bazaars full of wares brought in by dhows from the Persian Gulf.in the evenings we found ourselves in the city's sophisticated nightlife.

...Winston Churchill, for instance was typically eloquent in 1908...

The aspect of Mombasa as she rises from the sea and clothes herself with foam and color at the swift approach of the ship is alluring, even delicious.' 'But to approach all these charms, the traveller should arrive from the north'.

... Famous Horns in Mombasa...

...We took this train and really enjoyed it...the staff was kind and the food was fine.....

The most scenic way to travel to Kenya's Coast through Tsavo National park. Dinner and breakfast are served on board and beddings are offered. Accommodation setting is two beds, and a sink in every cabin. A great and relaxed view of the coastal approach!!!

...Departure Time Arrival Time Days .....

Departure Time Arrival Time Scheduled Days Price USD Nairobi 19.00 Hrs Mombasa 08.30 Hrs following day Every Monday Wednesday and Friday

Mombasa 19.00 Hrs Nairobi 09.00 Hrs following day Every Tuesday Thursday and Sunday the cost includes USD 20 for administration fee.

...The night train Mombasa-Nairobi -Mombasa is the best regular train in entire Africa. .....

The Train is well maintained, safe sleeping compartments, three-course dinner and English breakfast. Highly recommended. Try the sleeper train Journey which is Easy, comfortable at the lowest fares in East Africa Rail Travel
Train Check in Time - recommend from 6pm Train Nairobi-Mombasa operates on Every Monday Wednesday and Friday Train Mombasa -Nairobi Every Tuesday Thursday and Sunday

There is no bridge between Mombasa Island and south coast, instead the distance is served by ferries!! So we were to take one ..However, it broke down so we had to take the local ferry with people,pigs, chickens, ducks..ha You name it.. Of course I was sure it would sink as we were packed in like herrings..But We Really did get to the other side to the island..With My Eyes Closed!

...FORT JESUS. .....

...Fort Jesus Ruins . .....

We were able to visit fort Jesus which is located on the edge of a coral ridge overlooking the entrance to the Old Port of Mombasa, it was built by the Portuguese in 1593-1596 to protect their trade route to India and their interests in East Africa. And was designed by an Italian architect, Giovanni Battista Cairati. Mombasa became Portugal�s main trading center along the East Coast of Africa.

...Fort Jesus Building and Cannons... The Plaque ...

We Liked Mombasa alot..except for the ants! ha...and the kids trying to sell you everything and anything...Found some neat figures and got a great tan!!!!

Before we left Somehow..However, I can't quite remember the Name but we got to a casino in a hotel...and spent the rest of the night gambling and eating..soooo much food was brought out chinese and very good or maybe we were just hungry the casino was dark and dingy...with a ceiling fan.. but it was a neat experience! However, It might have been stupid walking around in the very dark of night ..I REALLY WOULD NOT SUGGEST IT!!

...People and there donkeys...

Lamu, Kenya's oldest living town, was one of the original Swahili settlements along East Africa coast. The port of Lamu is at least a thousand years. Lamu's economy was based on slave trade until abolition in the year 1907

The Swahili culture and style of Lamu are a mix of East African, Omani, Yemeni, Indian, and some Portuguese and Victorian influences. Of all the old Swahili towns of East Africa, Lamu is one of the very few remaining intact.

...Lot's Of Donkey's On Lamu...

The town was founded in the 14th century and it contains many fine examples of Swahili architecture. The old city is inscribed on the World Heritage List as "the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa". Once a center for the slave trade, the population of Lamu is ethnically diverse. Lamu was on the main Arabian trading routes, The population is largely Muslim. Due to the narrowness of the streets,cars are not allowed in the city is easily explored by foot, bicycle, or, as many locals favour, donkey!!

.....Houses In Lamu.....

Lamu retains an almost entirely unspoiled 19th. Century appearance and lifestyle. and is the most exotic place in Kenya , it is an island where the ancient Swahili culture is mostly unchanged by incursions from the West or for that matter anywhere else.

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There are several museums, including the Lamu Museum, home to the island's ceremonial horn (called siwa) there other museums that are dedicated to Swahili culture . Other buildings in Lamu town include

Donkey Sanctuary.. Since the island has no motor cars, transportation and other heavy work is done with the donkeys.

...This Figure Is Not Real But Wax!..In The Museum ...

Donkey Sanctuary There are some 2000-3000 working donkeys on the island. Dr. Elisabeth Svendsen of the The Donkey Sanctuary in England first visited Lamu in 1985. Worried by the conditions for the donkeys, the Sanctuary was opened in 1987.[1] The Sanctuary provides treatment to all donkeys free of charge

Lamu Fort: Fumo Madi ibn Abi Bakr, the Sultan of Pate, started to build the fort on the seafront, to protect members of his unpopular government. He died in 1809, before the first storey of the fort was completed. The fort was completed by the early 1820's. Mnarani Mosque

Riyadha Mosque: Habib Salih, a Sharif with family connections to the Hadramaut, Yemen, settled on Lamu in the 1880s, and became a highly respected religious teacher.

Riyadha Mosque Habib Salih had great success gathering students around him and in 1900 the Riyadha Mosque was built. He introduced Habshi Maulidi, where his students sang verse passages accompanied by tambourines. After his death in 1935 his sons continued the Madrassa, which became one of the most prestigious centers for Islamic Studies in East Africa. The Mosque is the centre for the Maulidi Festival, which are held every year during the last week of the month of the Prophet�S birth. During this festival pilgrims from Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Zanzibar and Tanzania join the locals to sing the praise of Mohammad.

...We stayed at the Wonderful Peponi a small hotel on the island at the village of Sheila ...

Peponi is a small hotel on the exotic island of Lamu, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya, the very root of Swahili culture, which spread centuries ago down the East African Coast. The move of the Oman Sultan from Lamu to further off shore Zanzibar left Lamu dormant in a time warp for three hundred years. There is only one car on the island and the narrow streets of the old town are very much as they were...

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...Another Lovely View Of the Peponi Hotel ...

...Took A Dhow to the Beach Front of the Hotel ... Donkeys passing thru on the beach...

Peponi is still run by the Korschen family, who opened the hotel in 1967 and which still retains much of the character and charm that it had then. Small and personal, it is the perfect rest after a safari or a hide away holiday from modern life...

PEPONI HOTEL LAMU ISLAND "

We found out later the couple who owned this hotel was the sister of one of my clients at the time here in Philadelphia, pa. USA.. I really don't know if they still own it.. As has been some time since I last saw her...However, It was truly fantastic! and had some really wonderful yummy dishes!
As we sat on the beach watching the old dhows go out to the reef, and guys diving for lobster, of course you can guess what was for dinner that evening.

The approach to the town is still by sea usually by old creaking diesel powered launches from the road head at Mokowe or a jetty close to the light aircraft strip on Manda Island ,this is how we arrived by Air..On a Tiny Little Air Strip.

...We Arrive By Small Plane ...

...Out To The SandBar Simply Paradise! ...

Many of the buildings facing the sea are pillared or are in Arab/Swahili style and behind them is a maze of narrow streets no wider than the span of a donkey cart (which is the only haulage vehicle in all of Lamu apart from the boats.

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We just wandered through the streets, eating ice cream & yoghurt as the heat starts to shimmer on the the very dusty streets.

After a Time in Lamu and Mombasa the cares of the world have entirely dissipated and the idea occurs of us cutting loose forever. Flying out of this Scheherazade island was very painful--back to the real world wherever that might be!.

...More Photos in The Bush...

...Cute Monkey's...

...Interesting Facts......Kikuyu Tribe

Having migrated to their current location about four centuries ago, the Kikuyu now make up Kenya�s largest ethnic group. The Kikuyu people spread rapidly throughout the Central Province and Kenya. The Kikuyu usually identify their land by the surrounding mountain ranges which they call Kirinyaga-the shining mountain. The Kikuyu are Bantu and actually came into Kenya during the Bantu migration. They include some families from all the surrounding people and can be identified with the Kamba, the Meru, the Embu and the Chuka. The Kikuyu tribe was originally founded by a man named Gikuyu. Kikuyu history says that the Kikuyu God, Ngai, took Gikuyu to the top of Kirinyaga and told him to stay and build his home there. He was also given his wife, Mumbi. Together, Mumbi and Gikuyu had nine daughters. There was actually a tenth daughter but the Kikuyu considered it to be bad luck to say the number ten. When counting they used to say full nine instead of ten. It was from the nine daughters that the nine (occaisionally a tenth) Kikuyu clans -Achera, Agachiku, Airimu, Ambui, Angare, Anjiru, Angui, Aithaga, and Aitherandu- were formed.

The Kikuyu rely heavily on agriculture. They grow bananas, sugarcane, arum lily, yams, beans, millet, maize, black beans and a variety of other vegetables. They also raise cattle, sheep, and goats. They use the hides from the cattle to make bedding, sandals, and carrying straps and they raise the goats and sheep to use for religious sacrifices and purification. In the Kikuyu culture boys and girls are raised very differently. The girls are raised to work in the farm and the boys usually work with the animals. The girls also have the responsibility of taking care of a baby brother or sister and also helping the mother out with household chores. In the Kikuyu culture family identity is carried on by naming the first boy after the fathers father and the second after the mothers father. The same goes for the girls; the first is named after the fathers mother and the second after the mothers mother. Following children are named after the brothers and sisters of the grandparents, starting with the oldest and working to the youngest. Along with the naming of the children was the belief that the deceased grandparents spirit, that the child was named after, would come in to the new child. This belief was lost with the increase in life-span because generally the grandparents are now still alive when the children are born.

...Elephant In The Bush....Wart Hogs....

...Maasai Elders and their Beautiful Women...

...Gorgeous Giraffe....

...AFRICA TO BE CONT!! STAY TUNED...

... OUR JOURNEY TO ECUADOR CONTINUES!...

ECUADOR !..

TAJICAT'S HOME "OF PHOTO'S"

Photos By "Sherry Levitt"

1997