Wed 19th May – Mombasa Old Town

Before we left home, I had read on one of the online customer reviews of the Voyager Beach Resort that it was possible to have a taxi take us into Mombasa and transfer us to a walking guide. So I made arrangements at reception yesterday for taxi-man Mau to take us to Old Town for a walking tour.

Mau’s taxi was very clean and smart, unlike many taxis here! As we drove into Mombasa the traffic got slower and slower. At one point when we were at a standstill, next to a matatu, the driver said something to our driver through the open windows. Mau gave a sheepish laugh and we asked, “What was that about?”

“Oh, he asked me why I was looking so miserable when I was driving Wazungu (white people)! He says if he had a job driving Wazungu he would be very happy!”

Mau dropped us off at Fort Jesus where Ahmed, our walking guide was waiting for us. He started by showing us around the outside of the fort and helpfully drew a map in the sand. Apparently it represents the body of Jesus, so as we walked round it, he would say, “and here’s the elbow, and now we have the leg, here is the head.... etc”

The fort was designed for the Portuguese by Jao Batisto Cairato, an Italian architect, and is one of the finest examples of 16th century Portuguese military architecture, which has been influenced and changed by both the Omani Arabs and the British. The fort quickly became a vital possession for anyone wanting to control Mombasa. Between 1631 and 1875 the fort was won and lost nine times by the nations contesting control. When the British colonised Kenya, they used it as a prison until 1958, when it was converted into a historical monument.

It was right beside the old port which was now used as a bathing place.

As we went around the Old Town we were struck by how narrow and confusing the streets were. “Two reasons,” said Ahmed. “Firstly, in a city where the sun is overhead for a large proportion of the day, there is always some shade. And secondly, it is meant to be confusing – that puts the locals ahead of any strangers!”

There was a lot of architectural interest from the various occupiers over the centuries: British windows, Indian balconies, Portuguese doorways and engraved Swahili-Koranic phrases. Many of the streets were dirty and littered, similar to Kibera. Yet there was lots of life too – people preparing food and trading from stalls and barrows. I asked before taking photographs and was refused permission a couple of times, (by a women preparing samosas, and a man mending shoes).

It was distinctly more Muslim than we had encountered in Nairobi, with some Muslim women in full burqa with just their eyes showing. Most though simply wore a headscarf.

Clearly English football has a strong following here as we saw several wall posters supporting teams – Chelsea was mentioned quite a few times.

In certain places, cats seemed to be rather plentiful!The tour finished at the Spice Market where we bought coffee, vanilla pods and lemongrass.

The Lonely Planet Guide Book had a map for those wishing to take themselves on a tour of Old Town Mombasa but I wouldn’t recommend doing this on your own. Guides charge 300 KSh an hour which is less than £3, you learn so much and most importantly, you stay safe in a culture and setting which is so very different to ours.