...And we're back - PART 1: KENYA dig it

Phew what a month! It's been a while since I last got to post as I found myself getting a bit of traveling in but not a lot of internet time - as it should be, I guess! I hope everyone had a great time celebrating the holidays..pretty crazy it's 2011 already and although there really is nothing quite like Christmas time (in NYC!) or with family and friends at home, I did enjoy myself over the holidays and got to do, see and EAT some things I might never have otherwise...

Mid-December I found myself in Kenya where I met Felicia in Nairobi. We stayed there for a few days to explore the city. I really liked it there; it reminded me of some European cities I've been to, most especially Rome! The streets are wide & tree lined, roads were a bit more organized, if not still chaotic - very different from the overcrowded, polluted streets of Kampala (and as I'd later see, the vendor-filled, dusty streets of Accra). After tasting some of THE best coffee we'd ever had, we hoped on Eastern Africa railways for a overnight train ride to Mombasa, on Kenya's Eastern coast. The train ride was definitely a experience.

Felicia on one of the couch/bed/seats

Checkin out the Kenyan landscape

Mombasa is on the Indian Ocean, which was really beautiful and the beach was peaceful minus the vendors that would attack the second you got to the sand. Some good humor and fast walking though usually did the trick. In the mornings, the tide would be so far out, you could walk along sand bars maybe a 1/2 mile out..

By 11 or so, the tide was back up to shore, crashing on the beach. One afternoon we found ourselves hiding in the room after a sneak attack by some hungry monkeys, and one wanting to plan our night for us:

Our new friend

We got to ride this crazy, pirate-like ship on the Ocean and another afternoon we took some jet skis out after a 1-minute crash course on how to ride them. Of course I freaked out the whole time as we were speeding and bumping along; exhilarating but not being able to see the bottom of the ocean made me nervous (my family can attest to this..when we were in Hawaii scuba diving I clutched onto my brother the whole time...)! Jet skiing was awesome, though. Another highlight was our camel ride on the beach!!

Alex, our trusty camel

We also were treated to delicious, huge meals and the swim up bar and Joseph the bartender kept us in good spirits. It was very refreshing to eat some real food (and not have to cook it myself, to be honest!). One of the last nights, we took a dhow ("canoe" of sorts) to Fort Jesus in old Mombasa town and had a cool historic show and dinner in the fort itself. Of course we both got steak which came with world's most delicious sauce ever. It was a GREAT, memorable vacation and a perfect way to start off my holiday in Africa!