Mombasa

Rooftop view of a busy street in Mombasa

On Good Friday, after boarding our second Akamba bus at 9:00AM, Ryan and I, now with Sandy and Arielle, were on the road to Mombasa. The road was incredibly smooth compared to the one leading to Nairobi and in the morning we could see spectacular views of golden grassy plains with mighty Baobab trees. We finally arrive in the city around 6PM.

Golden grassy field on the way to Mombasa

The mighty baobab tree

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya after Nairobi. It was the first capital of Kenya under British rule. Mombasa is a port city on the Indian Ocean that was founded by Arab traders in the 11th century and it quickly became the most important trading center of East Africa, mostly exporting ivory and slaves. Due to it's foundation by Arabs and past involvement in the trading of thousands of slaves, some Kenyans refuse to recognized the city's former glory as the capital of Kenya. Some Kenyans even refer to Mombasa as "the third city" even though it is Kenya's second largest.

A mosque on a busy street in Mombasa

Mombasa seems as densely populated as Nairobi only the climate is much hotter. The city is predominantly Muslim and contains many large and ornately decorated mosques. The call to prayer can be heard, five times a day, anywhere in the city starting at 4AM. Muslim women wearing the black cover-all "bui-bui" are also very common and can be seen walking on the streets and in the marketplace.

*According to my guide book, there can be some anti-Western sentiments among some Kenyan Muslims in Mombasa and hostile graffiti and Osama bin Laden T-shirts and demonstrations against Israel and America are increasingly common.