Mombasa Island

Background was that I had sold a headrest that I bought in Nairobi Market in 1990 for £300. I visited WTM using my fake Khao San Road Press Pass to get into WTM, and while there I saw Hayes and Jarvis were offering £90 package, including flights and a week in a beach hotel. I bought the package but added an extra week. £90 return!

Flown in down the Rift Valley. Right along Turkana, then cloudy to Naivasha, Crescent Island, The Steam Power Stations, Hells Gate Gorge and Longonot all very apparent.

Well its great to be back in the land of ‘Hello my friends’, hassling store men & shopkeepers, and beggars.

Someone actually tried to arrest me yesterday morning for changing money on the street. The fact that I hadn’t and he wasn’t a policeman didn’t seem to bother him.
Getting off the plane was like stepping into the proverbial sauna, Dam hot. After 2 quick bus rides I went to the station and purchased myself a 1st sleeper to Nairobi (551 sh) + dinner (160) + breakfast (100).
Got waylaid in the PM by a very well educated allegedly ex-journalist, who explained to me all about the ECU and EMU. He asked me why we had so much racial tension in London (EG Brixton Riots) and how much we heard about Kenya at home. Then I got the pictures of his family, details of his new business, stories about why all of his friends were in jail for supporting Democracy. He then asks me about what I thought of “Shaka”. I was non-plussed as to why the Zulu king was relevant until it became apparent 5 minutes later that he meant Linda Chalker, UK Foreign Aid Minister at the time. She had recently threatened to cut off all aid unless Kenya gets it act together. However I began to wonder when he offered me a residents permit, and eventually after 2.5 hours hard socio-political and economic debate, he got down to the real nitty-gritty. Could I lend him 300 Shillings? He had played a blinder, and I suspect everything he told me was true, but he’ll have to do better than that to get me to cough up 300 shillings.

Went to wait for my train and was approached by a very good looking black girl, with a Deep South Georgian accent (USA not Falklands) who was having problems getting on the train. Someone had offered to ‘take her luggage’ for her – Shades of Clouseau – “May I take you coat and hat sir?”.
Then things got out of hand. A couple got onto the train and into the next door compartment. Andre, a dealer from Portobello Road (Who wasn’t traveling on KR) and Christine, who had worked for Anita Grey for 5 years, so had a long chat about the world of antiques over dinner. Sadly also had to put up with the as usual uninspired Aussie/Canadian contingent over a Tusker or two.Read more