a WILD RIDE

 I agree --- I should get bonus steps for every foot of altitude gain. You know what? Its OK. We don't need to be so steeped in goals that we aren't flexible to change them if we need to. I'll figure it out when I get home. I don't even know how to find the steps from this new app and will figure it out later. It's not my priority at this moment and it'll all work out. 

We had a bit of a lazy morning and I sat on the balcony and read my book after breakfast. Then we were off to downtown Mombasa. We stopped at a restaurant called the Blue Room which has been around for many years. On the way there, we took an Uber, which was about one hour. Road conditions, traffic and anything else was a deterrant to go the 40 kms quickly. 

Just before arriving at the restaurant, I was a bit concerned because the area can change from nice to not so nice in a block. We were trapped in the traffic in a no so nice side street and I was wondering where the heck DH was taking me for lunch! It turns out this restaurant was quite nice and I had a banana chocolate crepe for lunch. I know!!! Life is too short - eat dessert first or in this case, I only ate dessert. Yes -- I will need to get back to somewhat of a routine when I get home. Walking more and less food! 

Then we hopped in a tuk tuk to take us to Fort Jesus. This is a historical site that DH had never visited as a kid, even though he had been to Mombasa on many occasions. More slave stories and people fighting each other. But it was the thing to do and is still around in many countries. We hired a guide --- you cannot do anything without a guide it seems or someone to protect you from getting barraged with all sorts of people. 

It's everywhere. When we were at that Oyster Bay place the other day with DH's cousins, I was shocked at how many times we were approached by the locals trying to sell us something. Since the children were with us, many items were related to them, but food, jewelery or whatever - there is someone to sell you something. Even when you are in the car, people walk up and down the roads BETWEEN the cars to sell things. It's non-stop. They approach everyone.  Locals and tourists.  I'm not a fan.

I wonder if those people work for someone else or work independantly? It must be someone else because much of it has the same flavor or look. I should say look, since we have not bought anything from a road vendor. 

At one point we passed a large market and well, I cannot imagine what the inside of this market looks like. The outside was incredible and I wish we could have stopped to take some pictures. The roof is made of multiple layers of whatever material could be found when  repair was needed. Plastic bags, fabric, tin or whatever. It looked many layers thick. And every inch inside was piled or strung with things for sale. Insane!!!!!! Apparently it goes deep into the block, but we only drove past several times 

After the visit to the fort, we were in touch with another cousin who came to pick us up. She is 84 and drives a car in this crazy city, although this city is not as bad as other places, or so I thought. Wait for it. They live in a compound of three houses in the middle of the city. I'm sure the property is worth a lot of money. 

And how would our construction workers back home live without their cranes. All apartment buildings are assembled by hand from the inside!!!! No cranes, no scaffolding. 

We had a nice visit with several cousins. Of course, they want to ply us wth more food, but we were already full from lunch. It was uncanny timing because one of the cousins had just received an autobiography on DH's great grandfather (I probably got that wrong) and so we got a copy to keep. They had just received it. 

Because the nature of the family relationships, I'm so confused. Back in the day, it was not uncommon for a man to take on multiple wives and so the number of cousins and second cousins is pretty extensive. I have no idea how they keep up with it. I certainly can't. 

It was 6:30 when we left and time to get home. The days (daylight) are pretty much 12 hours long and when the sun sets, it's dark immediately. So we walked from the compound to the end of the alley to a restaurant to await our Uber pickup. He arrived in relatively short time frame - less than 10 minutes, but not before we had swarms of tuk tuks asking us if we needed a ride. We have a LONG drive ahead of us and I was NOT taking a tuk tuk!!!

Keep in mind several things as I relate this story. Our car is tiny. While it's a four door it's not a big car. There is barely any trunk room and I swear the engine is vertial to save space. By the way, there are NO North American cars here. I would say that Toyota has the market on cars, and then any other Japanese or Asian brand. But Toyota? Number One everywhere we've been. The car models are completely different here than back home. 

But if I said our car was the size of an Echo -- that would be about right. Small!!!! Oh --- did I mention that is was dark now and guess what? There are NO street lights. None --- nada!!!! We must have gotten into the evening rush hour because at one point, we were stuck in traffic and DH got a message from Uber asking if everything was OK!!!! 

He really needs to learn to relax because I swear he watched that Uber app the entire way home. Good lord ---- just relax. Go with the flow and enjoy the ride We had to cross a big long bridge at one point, and he completely missed that and asked me if we had crossed the bridge. that's a problem!!!

And now back to the ride. I'm not even sure I can explain this to you and I would have loved to have a drone follow us. The buses here are smaller, yet hold 25 people and are  called matatoes. That is probably not the right spelling but the right pronounciation. Many of them are custom painted, their windscreens are so covered with messages that I wonder if the drivers can see out of them. But many of those that are custom painted, also have custom lights on the outside. Some are flashing, some are not, but all are very bright and colorful That just added to the atmosphere!!!

Some of the tuk tuks also have lights, but not as much.The head lights on the tuk tuks are not as strong, but who cares!!!!

And every vehicle can change direction on a dime, especially those tuk tuks which are three wheeled vehicles. Cars because they are short can also change direction on a dime. Every one is quick, alert despite they text while driving. Not always, but common.

We took a different way home -- when we got to that crazy market, we went left instead of right around the market and then we were in different territory. It seemed that the entire way home was filled with street vendors and after dark, they come out with a vengeance. They were everywhere and sold everything. It's like a crazy zoo of people. 

And the number of road vendors or people crossing the street right between the vehicles.  No reflective clothing.  Yet we never hit a single person. 

You must also remember that there are no curbs and no defined street. So if you think you can overtake the vehicle in front of you, then you do so. Oh by the way you can do that on the left or the right - whichever works best for you. Oncoming traffic, which was always there, will alert you that you are in their lane by flashig their headlights. 

So at one point, there could be three or make that four lanes going in one direction, and perhaps one or two the other way. They don't need those lane direction lights -- they just make it up and change as needed. And let's not forget the roundabouts. They are the craziest. You just go forward or around until someone is more agressive than you and you have no choice but to allow them ahead of you. No traffic control or film director could choreograph it better. Its like these drivers have a sixth sense and there are no accidents. 

Let's see - what have forgotten? Oh yes --- the speed bumps. To keep people under control, they have these massive speed bumps and if you do not slow down on any vehicle, it's not good. We were almost near the hotel when the driver went over one a bit too fast and crunch, the bottom of the car dragged across. He was so apolgetic and we said -- we didn't care, I was more worried about his car than us. 

WAIT --- I completely forgot to mention the condition of the roads. There is a lot of construction, expecially near the hotel where there are sort of "highways". The highways are under construction (election year!!) and the bypass roads are made of hmmmmmmm --- it seemed like cobblestone, but it was worse any of the worse roads filled with potholes back home. Even the gravel roads in Saskatchewan are way better than these bypass roads. You can't drive faster than 30 KM. You just cannot. It's insane. 

Could there be anything else? Oh yes --- of course. It's hot but no one opens their windows much because of the road vendors - most likely. They don't use AC, but at least it was night, so it wasn't too bad. But wait --- there's more!!! The dust in the air is thick - I bet I'm still coughing because of all the dust in the air from the roads. And let's not forget the smell of petrol. It's so heavy that I swear you could cut it with a knife!!!!

At one point, as we neared the hotel, and we were driving on this "highway" and bypass. There were lanes of traffic coming and going and I wasn't sure which lane we were supposed to be in. Traffic coming towards us on both sides of the car. It was like a circus!!!

And then at one point, we heard a siren and I wasn't sure it was police car or ambulance and it was behind us. But it was NOT for us --- it passed us on the right and our driver let out a little chuckle. I think there is a big conference at this hotel and lots of big wigs around. Who knows -- who cares!!! But it added to the excitement of that drive. 

At last after almost 90 minutes, we arrived at the hotel. The security checks all the seats and the boot to see if we are bringing anything suspicious in or if we are suspicious. We get to the front door and have to run all our bags through the X-ray. Both of those things are quite common here. Everywhere there is an X-ray machine. 

By this time, I was hungry or knew that I wanted to eat something before we went to the room. I sat out on the deck afterwards and finished reading my book. 

Am I feeling better? Well, my toes do not looked so infected, so that is good. I was quite happy about that and now that my anitiobitics are done, let's hope that everything continues to heal. Thank goodness for Eric (Mount Kilimanjaro guide) and Nurse Diane (back home who set up my mini medical kit) to get me through that. Now it's like a question of protecting the toes until the new nails come in. And the cough is still there and I'm still congested in the morning, but all is good. And the insect bites have lost their venim!!! 

I'm almost a real person again!!!! We have a very lazy day ahead of us today, which is good because we have something planned for all the remaining days and it'll be nice to just have a veg out day because the minute I get home, I have a ton of work to do and there is lots to organize. I don't think there are many things to make, but mostly just to get organized. But organizing can take a long time. Slow and steady. The nice thing is that all the events are related - the same topic, so once I organize for one, I should be good for the others!!!! At least I planned that right!!!!

And now I'm off to cough my lungs clear and then we can go and have breakfast!!!

Have a super day!!!!!

Pole pole!!!!!

Ciao!!!!