Day 493 - Down By The Ocean

Nothing can compare to the sounds of waves crashing on the beach and a cool ocean breeze on a lazy Monday. Sitting with chai on the veranda with a gorgeous ocean view…this is almost perfection.

If you have spent anytime with me, I am sure at one point you heard at least one tale about how my arrival in a new place has gone not as planned.  My arrival in Mtwapa, last night was a typical Caryn arrival. My flight from Juba was delayed. I had one hour in the Nairobi airport to get my visa and get to the domestic departures. I got off the plane and was escorted across the tarmac and to the visa counters by one of my airlines employees to ensure I would not miss my flight. I wait impatiently in the visa line. My flight leaves in a half hour. I finally receive my visa, it is put onto the 3^rd last page I have remaining in my passport and I rush off to find my gate. After the hurried short trek to domestic departures, I of course leave my phone and iPod in a basket at the security check. Thankfully I did get them back like 5 minutes later thanks to a lady who found them and gave them to an airport employee. I rush to the gate to discover that my flight to Mombasa has been delayed. The rush was for nothing. I sat and waited under a blaring TV until they called for the boarding of my flight.

After a quick take off, thirty minutes later we are in our descent. I wait for my luggage and it comes rolling up to me sitting half opened. Thank you airport staff for caring that my bag was sitting half open; so kind. You would think that seeing this someone would take the thirty seconds it would have taken to zip it closed. Thankfully nothing was missing. I meet my taxi driver and we start the trek to Mtwapa. A quick stop at Nakumat, a wonderful proper super market with everything someone coming from Juba, where selection of groceries is severely limited and off once again to my destination. Driving through Mtwapa, seeing the sights and then off onto a road reminiscent of Juba roads, we reach My Friend’s house where I will be staying at for two weeks. I find the watchman who is supposed to have the key for the house, and to my dismay he does not have the key. I then proceed to try and call The Neighbor whose number I was given to find that I dialed a complete stranger who most certainly was not The Neighbor. I end up walking to The Neighbor’s house, in the most polite way possible bang on the neighbor’s gate while yelling, “HELLO! WAKEY WAKEY! [The Neighbor]! PLEASE HELP THIS POOR MZUNGU!” A groggy Neighbor emerges, with a smile, and hands me the key.  I cart my bags to the door and of course, I cannot get the thing unlocked. It is an old door with an old fashion lock and old fashion key to match. With no success The Neighbor ventures over and within seconds has the door open and I can finally breath. I had made it. The house is gorgeous. Very much a beach house. I can hear the ocean but cannot see it through the darkness.

I get ready for bed, put down the mozzie net, which to my dismay I cannot tuck under the mattress, only to half a cockroach the size of a mouse scurry out from under my bed. Eww. I was tempted to sleep with the lights on to deter the nasty creature from emerging again but decided I was being ridiculous so I turned off the lights, put my music on and tried to block out the thoughts of being attacked in the night by insects.

I wake up to a beautiful breeze, sans any sort of bug near me nor my bed :) The house lady, a wonderful Kenyan woman, heated water and had everything set up for a morning coffee or tea for me, after she opened the backdoor (which in my mind is actually the front due to the location of it) for me because I could not get it unlocked. I will really have to figure out how to lock and unlock the door today, otherwise I will never be able to leave.

I whipped up some porridge, grabbed my book, coffee and took to the veranda, which I have decided is one of my favorite places in the house, aside from the actual beach and a perfectly placed seats made of concrete and rock, on the edge of the hill over looking the beach.

There is nothing better than a relaxing day on a beautiful beach to give peace of mind for someone who has a lot going on up there :)