Day 24 to 49 Adjusting, Adapting and Going on Safari

Mombasa is certainly an interesting spot! We spend a lot of time on beaches, which is of course amazing, and sometimes it really feels like a vacation! The kids are still great, and I hope we can make a difference for them. The orphanage is not very organized and consistency is practically non-existent, which detracts from their chances at a successful happy future life. More than anything we want to give them a little respect for adults, each other, and themselves while we are here.

Going out in Mombasa was pretty similar to home scenes, with booths to hang in and music to groove to while you slug back a Tusker beer, or a Guinness. There is however a marked difference in the Guinness here, which is 6.2% and has an even stronger taste... If you can believe it!

Shayla getting her hair done by Dinah and co.

I have got to shout out to my cousin Raelen, who got me an amazing small speaker for Christmas last year. The kids love listening to new music, and even before this trip I have been using it on beaches and in common rooms. The older girls especially like my selection of Rihanna and Beyonce, though maintain that both belong to a special cult called the Illuminati, in which you trade your soul to the devil for fame or money or influence. Obama also ranks highly as a member. I have been careful to be clear that this is not a widely held belief in North America, but they're pretty sure we've all been duped as to the real truth.

Mama Beatrice continues to feed us amazing food, and I guarantee I'm leavin Kenya with a few extra pounds... Who'da thought? I'm determined to start a workout/stretching routine before bed, and to get right back to healthy eating when I reach Dubai! I'm looking forward to having my own space to cook in again!

Gamaliel and I on Shelley Beach.

I met a really interesting woman at the beach while hanging with the kids name Faith. She is studying to be an accountant, and we had a great comparing-cultures chat. Though Kenya is much more outwardly religious, it is still common and fairly accepted for couples to live together pre-marriage, especially those attending college. She also explained some of the stereotypes that men ascribe to, such as an inherent polygamous nature, which leads some to believe stepping out is normal. I was glad to hear that the women's empowerment movement has taught many to call out these attitudes, rather than dole out the expected forgiveness. Aren't we all glad this doesn't fly back home, eh? Of course this is a huge generalization, and many are far more enlightened.

We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family who have donated to the website we started for the kids at gofundme.com. If you would like to be part of that as well, just hit up the Internet and search for the Likoni Aids Orphanage on the site. After less than a week we are almost double our initial goal, and there is so much we want to accomplish here. These kids really need so much and their home could use a lot of fixing up to make it more livable. Even when I leave Africa in a few weeks, my co-volunteers have their work cut out for them!

We all need our breaks though, and for us 4 travelers the weekend was a welcome time. We didn't get to sleep in though, as we had to catch an early matatu to Shimoni, a town about two hours drive down the coast and opposite the beautiful island of Wasini. Here we hired a motorboat and we dolphin-watching! We were incredibly lucky, and saw a humpback and three bottlenoses! They swam right alongside us and treated us to some fabulous jumps. What an amazing afternoon! We had decided to stay the night there, and the Mpunguti Lodge was an excellent choice. At 600/= per night (roughly $7) we got a bed, and balcony with an amazing view of the water front. The tide there is quite different at low and high points, and where we had once walked up to the property was now 2 meters of water in which we went swimming! A great guy named George who works there took us around the predominantly Muslim area, an brought us to the Coral boardwalk, an awesome initiative to support the town women. It's a beautiful big area with a kilometer log walkway set up between these huge coral structures, and the whole area fills with water at high tide. It was incredible and we took so many photos!

Being the only 4 guests for dinner, the staff at the lodge went all out. Our table was festooned with fresh flowers and we were treated to young coconuts and delicious fare. The conversation went on for 2 hours unde the stars, and turning in to bed without 5 incredibly noisy dogs (not to mention the blasted turkey and geese) was most welcome. The next morning was lovely and lazy, and though we were cramped on the matatu home, we made it back to Mama's safe, sound and hungry! What an awesome mini-vacation though!

Lately there has been some drama in Mombasa over the killing of a man high up in a fundamentalist Muslim group. We have therefore avoided he city center, but it has proven no heat inconvenience since we can get most everything on our side of the ferry. The situation seems to be calming down, but I think we are all more comfortable playing it safe anyways!

Cobra loving the beach and the freedom!

I was sad to leave when the time came, but I've got so many souvenirs to remember it by, plus a host of pictures and memories. The night bus was just as bumpy as usual, but Mama ended up traveling with us and she was my seat partner... Meaning I had less space! Ah well, im getting used to sleeping in foreign situations, so I got it covered. Hopefully safari tomorrow is will also have good sleep opportunities, it's so important! Funny how true it is that you never realize how important things are until their gone, and lemme tell you, all of mamas dogs were making that impossible!

The kids were sad to see us go, but I'm so pleased with how much we were able to accomplish while i was there. I think I'll volunteer again on another travel, perhaps with adults his time... Can't wait for my birthday and my next adventure! More frequent updates to come!