Watamu, Malindi and the train to Nairobi

It was our last day in Watamu and while we’d had several days on beaches recently, we wanted one that we didn’t involve a lot of activities.  So we moved slowly and finally decided where we’d go the next day.  While our anniversary wasn’t for another week, we would be on a tour so we wanted one night ‘away’ to celebrate.  We walked around the town and gave the fabric I’d recently bought to a tailor to have more items made.  There was another stop at the store and then we went for a walk along the beach.

We followed the shoreline back to Coco Beach.  It was low tide so we walked out to an island with a massive rock on it.  Many of the places we’d looked at for our getaway said they were close to ‘Nice Beach at Low Tide’ and we assumed they were referring to this one.  We fought off the touts and even had one pick up a starfish and bring it over to show us.  He finally got the point and left us alone.

As the tide started to come back in, we moved through the knee-deep water back to the beach.  We crossed over a section that looked like an algae-covered reef.  There were fish in the small pools of water and Tico spotted a small lion fish.  We chased it around as it tried to avoid us, but managed to get several good views.

By this time, it was already past 4 pm so we walked to one of the many restaurants and ordered a mixed seafood platter.  It would serve as our lunch and dinner as time had gotten away from us.  Once we finished, we followed the road back to our hotel.  We passed fishermen that were washing and weighing their daily catch.  They had a swordfish and one of the sharks that we’d seen the day before.  We watched as they prepared them and they even had us feel the shark’s skin in both directions as one way it was very smooth while it felt like sandpaper going the other way.  Back at the hotel, we watched part of an Indiana Jones movie we’d gotten lucky to download and ended the night.

We had our last breakfast on our cozy patio and then packed up.  We told a tuk tuk where we were going and agreed on a price.  He turned left out of the town and we stopped him to clarify our destination as we should have gone right.  We drove down a dirt road that was poorly maintained and when we reached Jacaranda, the driver asked a security guard for directions.  After that point, the road had sections where large pieces of coral emerged from the dirt.  It meant a slow and bumpy ride as we swerved around the large chunks of rock.  During all of this, we also realized that the GoPro had been left in Watamu.

The road turned to sand and we finally saw a sign that read Malaika Beach Villas.  We stopped outside and knocked on the door.  When no one came, Tico climbed up to have a look inside.  There were stand-alone rooms that were under construction and the sign next to the door said there were lots for sale.  Fearing that we’d again made a reservation at a place that didn’t exist, our driver called the number on the sign.  At the same time, Tico walked around the walled fence to see if he could find someone.  The manager answered the phone and while he wasn’t around, he said he’d call someone to open the gate.

It turned out that we were trying to enter through the back door as most people arrived using the asphalt road on the other side of the property.  We were immediately given welcome drinks and cool towels to freshen up.  These things were so far from our norm that we didn’t know what to do with such luxuries.  We were assigned our villa and ordered lunch to have on our private deck.

We knew it would take some time so we walked down to the beach while we waited.  The pictures we had seen made it look much more impressive than it was.  There was algae although nothing compared to Watamu.  As there was a pool at the hotel, we weren’t overly worried and made our way back up.  Lunch was ready when we returned and we were again overwhelmed with the service.

We spoke with Eddy from the hotel in Watamu, thanks to Lee for saving his number, and he’d found the GoPro and was holding it for us.  The rest of afternoon was spent relaxing at the saltwater pool and doing nothing.  Our villa had a kitchen and we had brought food to cook, but as the owners of the hotel were from Italy, we gave in and went to the restaurant.  We couldn’t pass up quality pasta and sauce and figured we could splurge for our anniversary.  As we were the only guests, we got a bruschetta appetizer on the house and then enjoyed the delicious meal.

We woke up for the sunrise as we hadn’t seen one since arriving in Kenya.  It looked overcast, but we walked down to the beach anyway.  We were late, but still got to see the sun before it was too far away from the water.  Then, we went back to our cottage to make breakfast.  We had a lot to do that afternoon, but we took the morning to relax by the pool before our tuk tuk came for us.

The road wasn’t as bad as it was the day before as we were headed to Malindi, but it still wasn’t good.  The first portion was on a dirt road, then we went on a pothole-covered tar road before we reached the good road.  The driver dropped us at the bank so we could make our deposit for the upcoming tour.  I’d purposely called my bank the night before to make sure the process would go smoothly this time, but that wasn’t the case.  I immediately called the bank to clear up the situation.  I then managed to empty the ATM and had to move to one across the street.  That one wouldn’t accept my card so I walked to the one next door.  I managed to get what I needed, but on my last transaction nothing came out.  After speaking with a woman inside, I was reassured that the money wouldn’t be credited from my account.

Now it was time to make the deposit so I waited in line at the first bank before handing over a large stack of bills to the cashier.  We finished just in time as the tuk tuk was waiting for us and didn’t want to waste any more time.  So after almost an hour, he drove us to the matatu station.  We got the front seat, but had to put our packs on our laps.  Since it was a short ride to Watamu, we didn’t complain.

They dropped us at the junction and it was time to run errands.  Tico stayed with the bags while I took the empty bottles back to the grocery, picked up a few things from the tailor and grabbed the GoPro.  A matatu pulled up just as we were ready so we jumped in even though it was empty.  It drove slowly around town looking for people, but only managed to get a few.  Thankfully, they carried on regardless and we reached Gede without too much delay.

Before we could get out of the matatu there were several people ready to get us in our next vehicle.  One guy tried to sell the matatu express and we clearly told him that no such thing exists.  As it was the only car, we said yes and were led to an empty van.  We weren’t happy to see that we were the first passengers, but there wasn’t much else to do.  So we listened to a techno remix of the best of the 90’s while we waited for more people.  It took some time for it to fill, but then we were off.  We reached Kilifi, which was the halfway point and pulled to the side of the road.  Another matatu was stopped in front of us and we were told to get into that vehicle.  It had some passengers already in it and then we drove the final section back to Mombasa.

We hit traffic on the outskirts of Mombasa and barely moved.  Several people got off as they knew they’d reach their destination faster if they walked, but we waited it out.  Finally, we reached the station and it was time to find a ride to Winnie’s place.  A tuk tuk offered us a price that we refused, but when we spoke with others we got the same ridiculous price.  After a good amount of arguing, we lowered the price a little bit.  The driver was quite unhappy with the price yet we later learned that it was still higher than it should have been.

There was a traffic jam with cars and tuk tuks in every direction.  The word disorganization doesn’t even capture the madness.  People were honking and those that dared tried to weave through the motorized vehicles that were all over the place.  Our driver went for it and managed to maneuver his way through it rather quickly.  When we reached a busy street, he went across as if there was no one there.  The cars realized that he wasn’t stopping and thankfully gave right of way to us as we weaved between them.

We reached Winnie’s apartment and went upstairs for tea.  Tico, who has never liked tea or coffee, thoroughly enjoyed her ginger tea and was excited to be served more.  To show our appreciation for everything, we cooked the meal we didn’t have the night before for all of us.  We filled her in on what had happened over the past several days and she did the same.  The next day we had an early morning so we made sure to get some sleep.

Mombasa to Nairobi by train

The alarm went off at 5 am as we needed to get to the train station.  Only months before, Kenya had opened a new train from Mombasa to Nairobi.  It was much faster than the previous version and would get us there faster than a bus as well.  We said our goodbyes to Winnie and then got a tuk tuk to the old train station.  The train leaves and arrives at new stations outside of town so they coordinate transportation from/to the cities.  We boarded a bus, which quickly filled as everyone needed to be at the same place by the same time.

They drove us out of the city and to the new station.  It looked almost like an airport and the security was even tougher.  We placed our bags in a line on the ground and 2 different dogs walked up and down sniffing.  Our assumption is they were looking for drugs and explosives although they didn’t advertise their targets.  Once we had cleared that stage, we were asked to put our bags through a scanner.  The path then led us to the building, where we went through another metal detector to enter.

We still had plenty of time before the train left so we watched as people made their way to their assigned seats.  As it was getting closer to the departure time, we cleared another ticket checkpoint and made our way to our seats.  Unlike much of the transportation we’d taken in Africa, at exactly 9 am the train started to move and we were off.  The atmosphere was different and people walked around making sure that the baggage stored above the seats was put away properly.

The smooth ride took us between the two Tsavo National Parks and we enjoyed the game viewing from our large window.  We saw elephants, impala, zebra, giraffe and baboons as we moved.  There was a marquee that announced our speed and the next stops.  Then, we heard the woman’s voice stating that our next stop would be the Nairobi station.  It was in the middle of nowhere so they had buses and a commuter train towards the CBD.

We opted for the train and realized what an upgrade the new train was.  This one was rickety and rocked as it moved.  Almost immediately, a security woman walked the aisle and raised all of the windows.  We’d be passing a slum that didn’t have toilet facilities and we were told that it was possible that a plastic bag with a surprise could enter the train.  The last stop was in the CBD and we got off and entered the madness that we’d heard about in Nairobi.

Our stay would only be for a night as the next morning we were off towards Lake Turkana.  We made our way through the packed streets towards our hotel.  Purposefully, we found a place that was within walking distance and close to the bus station as well.  We weaved through the streets and found Aden Bay City Hotel.  It was noisy, but would give us a place to rest our heads for the night.

Helpful tips:

• Of all of the beaches we saw in the Watamu/Malindi area, Garoda was our favorite.
• Malindi has a strong Italian influence and many expats can be found in the area.
• Buying the tickets for the Mombasa/Nairobi train must be done in person (at the stations) or by phone.  If choosing the latter, you will need a Mpesa account for payment.