Going Out East

Being from the Maritimes, I, of course, was anxious to see the ocean. So we took an overnight train from Nairobi to Mombasa: normally a 15 hour ride which can take anywhere up to 20 hours depending on circumstances (explanations are nebulous). Considering the distance between these two cities is only about 500 km, that works out to about 35 km an hour. Even Canadian trains are faster than that! But no matter. Taking the train was a goal in itself and turned out to be a highlight: the railway was built at the beginning of the century, and honestly, I don't think it has changed much since then! Time travel at it's best. We took a ticket with bedding and meals included. The dining car was incredible: pressed white table cloths (albeit with a few holes), waiters in black and white (o.k. - a bit frumpy), and authentic fifty year old silverware (with the silver slightly worn off). We had asparagus soup, curried beef, chicken and mixed vegetables, and cake with a custard sauce for dessert. Tea and coffee served from beautiful silver pots. Definitely the best meal I've ever had on a train! Not a triangular saran wrapped sandwich to be seen.

We spent one night in Mombasa, and then headed to Diani beach, about fifty kms south. We found a two bedroom cottage with a kitchen, for under $40 a night, three minutes from the beach. Beautiful white sand, palm trees, warm water, great waves, no jelly fish... and hardly a tourist. What more could we ask for? Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Monkeys swinging from the trees just in front of our verandah, and the occasional baboon. One day we went snorkeling (first time ever for me so I thought it was fabulous - I may still be impressed by the Great Barrier Reef) and one night we went to a trendy restaurant, with tables literally on the beach (where we broke the fussball table by putting the wrong coin in the slot, and played pool instead). But mostly we just relaxed, walked from one end of the beach to the other, built sand castles using our plastic Ikea cups and made our own meals with ingredients from the vendors who came by everyday with fresh fish, fruits and vegetables. Since this was the beginning of September, we decided it was time to start school: a few hours a day, between trips to the beach. Could be worse.
I myself realized on Sunday evening that I was truly on vacation, the "oh no, what am I going to do with my students tomorrow morning?" feeling was a distant memory. (Sorry, I just had to get that in for any of my colleagues who are reading this!)