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Report on our 2019 Project Journey to Kenya — End of Voyage

Office of Foerderkreis Kenia Freudenstadt e.V., Germany. Translated version. Original version first published December 1, 2019. Page 6/6.

Monday, February 18, and Tuesday, February 19, 2019: Baharini — Lamu

Dhau near Lamu.

Lamu.

Visit to Malindi.

Historic Fort Jesus, Mombasa.

After having had breakfast together and snapping some group photos we learned that the vehicle we had booked earlier had already arrived. After loading our baggage onto the car we bid the sisters and their staff farewell, saying "Kwa herini", the Swahili expression for "goodbye!" We were heading to our next destination: Lamu island with its historical old town. Upon arriving at Mokowe harbour, a small laguna settlement in the labyrinth of numerous mangrove islands, we were greeted by a friend of many years who picked us up with a speedboat. After a twenty minutes ride we arrived in Lamu, the main island of Lamu archipelago, situated northeast of the Kenyan mainland, which is a great and amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site practically devoid of cars. Following a maze of narrow old town streets on foot, porters toted our baggage to a small hotel built the traditional coastal style using construction materials like mangrove timber and corals with a roof top consisting of palm leaves. We were greeted with fresh lemon juice and then moved into our rooms that were equipped with traditional furniture — we immediately felt at home again. A first visit to the old town and a homely dinner at the harbour was followed the next day by a trip to Manda, the neighbouring island with its historic sights.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019: Lamu — Malindi

On this day we said goodbye to Lamu and the hotel owner with his staff. After a short ride on a boat to the small airport on neighbouring Manda island, we boarded a small 36-seat propeller plane that took us back to the coastal town of Malindi, where we were welcomed again by a local friend who brought us back to our hotel.

Thursday, February 21, 2019: Malindi

Today we visited an acquaintance who lives with his family in a small village near the Sabaki River, a dangerous place due to the wild animals roaming that area.

Friday, February 22, 2019: Malindi — Mombasa — Train to Nairobi

Leaving Malindi
On the 22nd we said farewell to the society's project coordinator, who remained in Kenya for a few additional days. The rest of us boarded a rental car whose driver taxied us all along the coast to Mombasa. Situated on a coral island off the coast and now the second-largest city in Kenya with approximately 1.2 million inhabitants, it was once the seat of the British colonial administration before the country gained independence. Mombasa is East Africa's most important port and trading center looking back to several thousand years of history, including maritime trade using sailing vessels between Africa and Asia.

Train to Nairobi
After an impressive guided tour of the historic fort, our driver took us out of town to the Madaraka Express station, a state-of-the-art train linking Mombasa and Nairobi. Since 2017, this new line has been available as a replacement for the outdated Uganda railway; the railway ride on a high dam and over numerous bridges took us also through part of the well-known Tsavo National Park. The futuristic railway station, architecturally akin to an airport terminal, the train, the engineering facilities along the rails, were built with modern Chinese technology. After a security check, similar to those at airports, we entered an air-conditioned train compartment and enjoyed the slightly over three-hour-ride to Nairobi with a speed average of about 55 miles per hour. In Nairobi, there was also a highly modern railway station where our chauffeur picked us up and drove us to the KELC compound. Having already prepared dinner, the cook there awaited us and we spent our last evening in Kenya.

State-of-the-art train station in Mombasa.

Train station in Nairobi.

Driving back home.

Saturday, February 23, 2019: Nairobi — Journey Back Home

Before noon, we had a round trip through the capital where our driver showed us some of the city's attractions. Highlights were two stops at the Massai market and the municipal market hall. After having had dinner, our journey's last leg started with our late-night departure from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport towards home, packed with impressions and experiences of an amazing and very harmonious project trip.
All our thanks go to the society's project coordinator for the excellent preparation and organization of the journey!

View back to the East African Rift Valley.

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Foerderkreis Kenia Freudenstadt e.V., Germany; E-mail of our office: foerderkreis.kenya.freudenstadt@web.de