Sunday

Sorry for the delay and photo issues. I cannot figure out how to improve the photo situation on the app that I'm using... But I promise to fix things and post more pictures when I get home!

Mombasa Day 3

Woke up again to the call of prayer, I'm getting used to it and fell asleep quickly there after. No school on Sundays for children so no alphabet either. The roosters were still giving it their all but my jet lag was no match! Mom called about 8:30 so I finally got up about 9. Jen was up working on her computer, we made some coffee and had some fresh fruit. Did I mention the fruit here is fantastic! The bananas taste so so good and the mangos, oh goodness, the mangos!!

We lazed around for the morning and tried to make lunch reservations at a restaurant called Monsoon. They said they would call us back if we could get a table. We has planned to go to a place called Jumba Ruins for the afternoon which the restaurant is located near but the drive is significant so we wanted to make sure we were in before calling Frank, Jens taxi guy. The restaurant finally called back and gave us a reservation at 1:30, which was perfect for our pace of the morning!
Jens water still wasn't working, so, for a few days we had been taking a cold bucket shower. It wasn't bad really because it was so hot outside it made for a refreshing moment. We really developed our bucket shower skills and could even get in a pretty good hair washing! Jen tells us the showers are normally very nice at her house with great water pressure...supposedly the plumber, Mohammed, is coming tonight.
Taxi Frank picked us up dressed to the nines. It was Sunday and everybody in Mombasa had their church best on. The ruins are north of Jens house so we took off through fantastic suburbs with everyone outside having just left church. It was great!
There was a long bumpy dirt road from the main road out to the ruins. This was the first time we really saw how most people live in Kenya. Shanty houses close together in some parts and mud clay dwellings with open space in others. Kids playing everywhere and men and women sitting on the ground relaxing.
In order to get to the restaurant you have to walk through the ruins of a 600 AD village that is reduced to stone and giant Bilbao trees. It feels mystic wandering through with a giant canopy and faltering walls. You come out on the path at the restaurant sitting on the beach. It was out of a postcard. The palm trees, white sand, warm breeze. So dreamy.
It was an Italian restaurant with fantastic food! (meg- the proprietor reminded me exactly of the guy at the fondue place in Paris! He was a charismatic character that was getting a little romantic on our friend Jen!) The restroom was a little stroll on the beach to a shack that was built out from a coral cave, best bathroom ever!
After stuffing ourselves on food and drink we walked on the beach near a marooned ship. The beaches here have tons of shells(gma- you and I could spend hours beach combing here!!). It's illegal to buy or sell shells in Kenya, though the beach boys try to sell them to you they will be taken away by customs. We wandered back through the ruins, which came down to the beach. You could make out different buildings but there were no markers to tell you what things were. We taxied back home.
I had taken another malaria pill after lunch and was feeling pretty sick.
No puking but I couldn't move without stomach agony. I spent the rest of the day lying in Jens living room trying not to puke. We will go to the pharmacy (aka "chemist" here in Kenya) and get something else tomorrow. Apparently the prescription rule here are pretty lax.