Overseas Living: Kenya

The final lag of our Kenya trip was spent at the glorious whitesands and clear blue waters of Mombasa. It was the perfect way to end a rigorous and exhausting safari at the Mara. I had two regrets though, 1. We should have stayed in Mombasa longer: 2. We should have stayed at the Whitesands hotel where there were waterslides for the kids. I always regret at least one of my hotel decisions per trip. It is par for the course. I have to talk my way through the anxiety every time (ie. 'It isn't a youth hostel with cockroaches. Get over it, Terah!').

Instead, we stayed at the Serena hotel, which was fine if you are an old fart. It was relaxing and serene (like its namesake), but I think the kids were thirsting for a little more action. The cool thing about the hotel was it was designed in the old Omani style. Oman used to occupy Kenya from 1806 to 1856. It is amazing how strongly Mombasa is still influenced by Oman. Many of the men still wear the Omani caps and traditional clothing, and Islam is the dominant religion.

Oman is our favorite Gulf country by far (truly, it isn't that hard to beat out the others). Axel LOVES the spearfishing and I periodically dream about going back to our favorite resort there. It was fun to experience Mombasa with Omani flavor. It made we want to go back to Muscat in the near future. Stay tuned...

While in Mombasa we engaged in the following activities:

1. We played in the most fine, powdery, white sand I have ever seen.

2. We took a boat to a secluded island.

3. We snorkled at the Watamu Marine Park.

4. ....while Sedona and Grandma (who forgot to wear her bathing suit??????) went to the island.

Sedona playing with her new best friend. She could not pronounce her name so she aptly named her Sarah.

5. We tested how many different ways we could jump off a boat.

6. We ate our weight in watermelon.

7. We collected shells, and brought a living one home just to smell up the house and introduce new bugs.

8. We waded in a natural pool, just to enhance our shoulder burns.

9. We ate the most delicious crab and lemonade ever (and whacked crab guts all over ourselves.)

10. We had a memorable trip with Grandma and can't wait for the next one.

Nearby the Mara National Park there are many Maasai villages. Axel and I wanted the kids to have a close encounter with the natives so we asked a few of Maasai people if we could see their village. The persuasive tool was money (and a lot of it) but the experience was definitely worth it.

All the men carry the lion beating sticks. They gave Xay one and, of course, wanted some cash if he wanted to keep it. I would have paid money to make sure he didn't have a sister, uh, I mean, lion beater.

Xavier collected obsidian rocks while walking to the village. To him, the pretty ones meant he was rich. That is why he quickly ran over to the kids and shared his wealth. It was a noble gesture, but I am sure they were thinking, 'Seriously? rocks?' I ended up buying plenty of their goods (and paying way more than I should have) to make up for it.

Dona was more than comfortable hanging out with the children. I don't know what to make of Dona and her ability to adapt. I think it is the fact that her name is easily spoken internationally. No matter what country or language one speaks, everyone can seem to say 'Dona'. As a result, Dona's name can be heard continually wherever we visit. Either that, or they are calling her a doughnut. She is jelly filled and sweet after all.

We were invited to look inside their cow dung and dirt homes. Not all of us fit, so we had to take turns. There was little light inside and we didn't realize that one of the walls was newly plastered. Let's just say, Dona and I brought a smelly souvenir home.

My mom and Axel stayed inside talking to the village leader's son. Axel said, "So you guys don't actually live in these houses anymore, where is your real house?" to which he replied, "You are sitting on my mother's bed". Then, Axel asked about the religious beliefs of the Maasai. Apparently the Maasai believe that they came from Sudan many hundreds of years ago and that the first Maasai man started their cultural norms for men and women. Basically, men get the young boys to go watch the goats and cows and the women do everything else--and I mean everything. When a Maasai man marries a new woman, she has to build her own cow dung home. At that point, I think I would be looking for a different culture to join.

The god of the Maasai is called En Kai and he is a spirit that lives in the sky. They have a shaman or holy man for all the Maasai and he lives in the Mara part of Tanzania. Any Maasai man or woman who needs to understand the will of En Kai must make the journey to go meet this man. They do not believe in a devil.

The women shared with us a traditional welcome song. The Maasai people are polygamists and you can tell the women hold a lot of power in the village. I would hate to be a Maasai man. Sure he doesn't have to do anything, but collectively, these bald-headed women are quite intimidating.

The first wife is a gift from the boys father, meaning the father choses the girl and buys her (it costs a standard 5 cows per wife, regardless of beauty, age or weight). After the man is married once, he is free buy his next wife, which we were told is usually the one he loves or was a previous girlfriend. The women do all the selling at the villages and on the road. In the olden days they were topless. And thankfully, they don't anymore.

Dona felt right at home. They all had the same amount of hair.

The men sported some seriously funky hair. Most of them had long, braided locks. They danced around in a circle and jumped up and down with very colorful clothes. Dona and Axel seemed to get into the cha cha line and did well with it.