MOMBASA

I spent a few days in Mombasa (Kenya) last week for a World Relief Communications Summit. While most of the hours were spent in a conference room (and luckily, it rained, making the hours indoors more bearable), we did get a chance to explore Mombasa town. Beautiful! An exotic mix of white sand beaches, Indian spices, seafood, Arab architecture, and Swahili culture.

The highlight of my week was an evening exploration with Dan and Tambry Brose and colleague/friend Myal, from Rwanda. We piled into a Mutatu (small bus) and cruised into town, getting dropped off in Mombasa center. There, we walked and explored, checking out the waterfront, viewing Fort Jesus, and just taking in the sights and sounds. Tried our first sample of ginger tea (oooh... strong and sweet!) and then crowded into a little tuk-tuk (pictured here) to try to find a seafood restaurant. We settled on a little hole in the wall place, a bit reminiscent of a chinese restaurant in the US... complete with pinky/peach decor and chairs covered in plastic. We were the ONLY patrons in the place and were a bit sketched out, Myal saying that it could be a front for the mafia, ha! Our server / restaurant owner was an eager little Kenyan named Omare who asked me, "Do you know garlic?... It is like onion." I laughed out loud. Do I know garlic? Am I married to SETH CHASE? Those who have visited Seth and I know that, yes, WE KNOW GARLIC! I said yes, and proceeded to order shrimp with garlic sauce. I have to say the quantities of garlic that were in that garlic sauce surpassed my normal weekly consumption. YUM!

Overall, the meetings were interesting, Mombasa was fun, and now... it is good to be back home in Burundi and with Seth.