Tuesday 19th

We arrived in Mombasa at 6.30 AM. Honestly, since being in East Africa I've smelt the strangest smells of my life. And I didn't made any of them. Generally in the countryside it's alright, but as you drive through towns or cities you catch the most awe inspiring whiffs of nastiness. Your mind immediately begins to wonder what hellish ingredients went into making such a profoundly repugnant smell, but you must fight to control your curiosity, for knowing the truth would undoubtedly drive you to hold your breath until the smell passes, and that would more often than not end in death by voluntary suffocation. (I just read this to my housemates and they didn't laugh. But i'm pretty sure it's funny because I wrote it).

By the time we got to the hotel we were knackered, so we checked in and slept till lunchtime.

That afternoon as we sat by the pool, several camels passed by on the beach. Karyn had never seen a camel before so we decided to investigate. I asked a guy at the hotel how to arrange a ride and he said "just ask the african guy standing by the camel if you can have a go on it." The romantic in me liked to think that the average Kenyan travelled around all day on top of these toothy beasts, and that we would would just be asking a commuter to catch a lift with him on his way to work. Of course this was made less likely by the fact that we were at a beach resort on the edge of a thriving trade town, not in the middle of the Syrian desert. True to form the camels were with their money grabbing handlers, men more adept at ripping off tourists than understanding the subtle nuances of desert survival. But tourists we were and shell out we did and it was totally worth it. Not because camel travel is particularly exciting, but because it made us feel like we were on holiday and we got some awesome photos.

On the beach we met a Masai guy called Lenny who, like everyone else on the beach, insisted that we buy something in his shop. Seeing a photo opportunity, we willingly obliged.

And apparently Tesco has expanded it's borders and opened up a metro store in Mombasa. I think i'll apply for a transfer!

We got a really good deal on the hotel, about 26 pounds a night including buffet breakfast and dinner. And the food was great, with three of four meat dishes, curries and vegetables and a whole fish.

Well fed and content, we slept very nicely.