On The Road Again

Wake up call, 6:00 am. Michael, Mark, and I all rose before the shine to catch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean on our last day in Mombasa. Michael decided to go for a morning jog along the shoreline, while Mark and I jumped into the water one last time and swam out to sea as far as we could before the sun peaked over the horizon. The water was magnificently calm from the protection of a distant choral reef allowing Mark and I to float just above the water, even with the imperceptible point where the ocean and sky meet.

Following an excellent continental breakfast of African cuisine, we set off back to Coast General Hospital (CGH) for the first half of the day before our flights. Prior to entry, we all took the time to write personalized thank you notes to the nurses, doctors, and staff who were gracious enough to host us and answer all (and I mean all!) of our questions. I spent the first half of the morning in Labor and Delivery on rounds with the other interns and students. Michael and I left to pursue answers in the Maternal and Child Health Center and Records departments, while Melissa and Pankti stayed behind to watch 9 deliveries! 

With our questions answered, a lust for adventure, and a smidgen of free time before our departure from CGH, Micheal and I ventured off in search of cold drinks and the ocean that lies just behind the hospital. After walking through the alleys and over the craggy dirt road, past metal workers and fiscal automobile repairmen, we not only found the ocean, but also a shipwreck graveyard. The men on the shore worked diligently to dismantle the hulls for use in construction, while the children practiced back flips and played stick-ball in the sand. 

Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy their company for long because we had to get back to the group and depart for a quick stop at the local bazaar. We were lucky enough to have a guide and professional negotiator (our driver’s wife) to aid us in our quest for souvenirs. Lindsay shopped in the fabric boutiques, I ran around to 8 different shops looking for anything that would even fit the members of my family (Only 1 store I found with a size that fit me), and Michael performed his now infamous disappearing act and made some friends with the locals.

With our shopping done, it was off to the airport for our trip to Kisumu through Nairobi. The flight between Nairobi and Kisumu was a total of 20 minutes and making the longest leg of our journey the odious 3 hour layover in Nairobi. Although short, the flight from Nairobi to Kisumu earned Melissa and I special treatment from the flight attendants (extra baggies of mixed nuts and drinks), and for the first time in my life (and likely the last) my luggage was the first around the carousel (followed promptly by Melissa’s)!

After a small drive to our hotel, we set off to find some grub and wanted to sample the local cuisine. We courageously crammed ourselves into a van of the public transport system, and ventured into the night in search of something to satiate our hunger. Satisfied, but still looking for full immersion into the Kenyan culture, we took tuk-tuks home to prepare for what awaits us in Bondo.

PS – Foods I have tried in Kenya to date that I hadn’t prior to this trip:

·        Ostrich

·        Ox Balls (not the meatball kind)

·        Crocodile

·        Chicken Gizzards

·        Lamb Liver

·        Ugali and Chapatti

·        Kale, Arrow Root, and other local veggies (also some unnamed fruits)