Travel to Mombasa, Kenya in East Africa

Kenya is a country in East Africa, known for its multi-ethnic population and named after Mount Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa. The people are friendly towards tourists with a “Hakuna Matata” positive attitude (which when literally translated from Swahili means “there are no worries). I spent some time in Mombasa, which is the second largest city in Kenya, after Nairobi. I will always remember Its white beaches, rich cultural traditions and architecture.

Mombasa is a vibrant African city, also famous for its ivory tusks which symbolically represent the entrance into the town’s heart. The tusks spell the letter “M” for Mombasa. Visitors can choose from British, Chinese, Indian, Italian to Kenyan dishes in its various restaurants.

Fort Jesus

I also visited Fort Jesus, a popular tourist attraction in Mombasa. It is located near the OldTownand was built in the 16^th century by the Portuguese. The museum in the fort displays various artefacts of the slave trade era and has various torture rooms and prison cells where the slaves were kept before being traded. Canons were used to defend the fort from being invaded.

A couple of meters away from Fort Jesus is the Old Town of Mombasa. The architecture of the buildings in the Old Town in Mombasa reflects its Arab influence. The town is mostly inhabited by Arabs.

The Old Town has many narrow streets and can be explored by foot. An experienced guide can show you all the attractions. There are numerous curio shops where you can buy antique and other Kenyan souvenirs.

Old Town is best seen when explored by foot with an experienced guide, as the streets are too narrow to accommodate a large number of vehicles. The town’s inhabitants are mostly of Arab origin who’s forefathers once roamed the same streets of the town. Fort Jesus is located just a few steps away from where the town “starts”, thus a complete tour of the fort and the “Old Town” can be done in a single day.

The Masai (sometimes spelled Maasai) tribe’s jumbing dance was an experience. Each young man jumps as high as he can. The others stand in a circle and sing and the higher the jumping increases, the higher the voices of the men would get. The Masai tribe is one of the most distinctive African ethnic groups because of their interesting customs and attire.

I also sailed on a traditional Swahili Dhow (traditional sailing vessel) along the East African coast and was treated by traditional African acrobatics. The scenery along the African East Coast is amazing.

When I fondly think of Kenya, I also remember its music. The Swahili song, Jambo Bwana, by the Kenyan hotel band Them Mushrooms (now known as Uyoga) is still a favourite and I could not wait to buy the music.