Indian Ocean, here we come!

Christy and I took our first trip last week. We went on a seven day cross country trip to Mombassa, which is on the Indian Ocean. Getting there was a two day event. We left Karungu at 6:30 in the morning and arrived in Nairobi around 4pm. Its amazing to see the soci-economic difference between the two places. We went from dirt roads and tin-roofed huts to skyscrapers and rush-hour traffic like an American city. It was the first time I had see paved roads and traffic lights in almost two months; a very welcomed sight! The next morning we made the 7 hour journey to Mombassa by bus. The drive was so beautiful. Along the roadside we saw monkeys, zebras, gazelles, and elephants. So beautiful!
We spent three nights at Diani Beach, just south of Mombassa. The Indian Ocean is beautiful, white sand and clear blue water. Our Cottage along the beach was home to many monkeys and baboons. One morning we were eating breakfast on our porch and had to run inside because hungry baboons showed up. They invaded our porch in search of food as we watched from inside. The area has such a high monkey population that the community has built rope ladders in the trees, across the roads, so the monkeys are hit crossing the street.
One of the highlights of the trip was riding camels along the beach. It’s a lot like riding a horse except it’s about 12 feet off the ground. The camel sits down, you get on, and then it stands up. Scary! The name of the camel was Obama, just like everything in this country. ( I’ll explain the “Obama mania” another time.) How many people can say they rode a camel along the Indian Ocean?! In the off chance you get to ride a camel, you should definitely do it!
It was exciting to see another part of the country but it’s also good to be back in Karungu. It’s starting to feel like home. All of our co-workers missed us and were excited to hear about our trip. People thought we had gone back to America when they hadn’t seen us for a few days. Leisure travel is unheard of in Karungu. Some people around here have lived in Kenya there entire life and never been to the coast. Many were just satisfied with looking at our pictures.