Kenya - day 8 - 10 Diani Beach, Mombassa

Spent three days relaxing, sleeping and enjoying warm weather. Who would have thought a safari was so tiring? The water is super warm, the beaches are empty. Mami and I were learning how to windsurf, until she fell onto a black sea urchin (papaya milk is the local remedy). Painful!! Went on two dives. Visibility not as good as Koh Tao, but we saw some large turtles, a school of baracuda, clown fish (nemos), an angel fish, a parrot fish and a lot of dead coral.

Mombassa - well I wouldn't make the effort to go to the old town. Not that interesting and too many tourist shops on a 300m long stretch . And it's a good 45 minute drive from Diani (all that lost beach time!). I preferred the old San Juan in Puerto Rico.... We did hit a great kanga fabric store - Mali Ya Abdulla on Biashara street - who apparently initiated adding Swahili sayings on the prints. I could have stayed there hours and bought so much more...


Road to Diani


soap facade to Diani


le père et son ami


Diani Ferry arrival


Full make-up and fashionable wear under the niqab (she took it off while waiting for the ferry to arrive. i can see the niqab's utility for the dust in mombassa.)


Useful information:
- Mombassa hotel (part of package) - Indian Ocean Beach Club - like all resorts in Diani, it is isolated from the town and is meant to be all inclusive. You can't walk out to dinner, but you can get a tuk-tuk to go out to the stores, etc. Hotel was excellent, food was pretty decent and always plentiful.

- Diving in Diani - most serious place was the Diani Marina - our hotel ried to make us dive with them but we later found out that you would have to go about an hour's drive before getting to a boat, etc. We did two dives right off the shore on the coral reef. An experienced diver said it wasn't worth goign to Pemba because the cost was so high and the fish were about the same as in Diani.