Diani

Once again, behind in my updates. Incredibly busy time these past few weeks. Will pick up where I left off.

I spent much of February in Somalia. It limits the amount of things I have to recount that might have taken place elsewhere and things that don't have to do with work. We were, however, able to squeeze in a trip to the coast so I’ll start with that.

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I was last on the coast last September, so not that long ago. But we hadn’t been as a family for a long time. May 2022 to be exact. For us that’s the longest stretch of not traveling to the coast since we’ve lived in Kenya. There have been a number of reasons. One is we’ve opted to go to other places, including the trip to Paris last year. We’ve also needed to tighten our belts financially a bit as we were finishing the building of the house in Idaho.

So it was at last time to head to the ocean. The girls were on holiday at the French school for a couple weeks in February so we used one of those weeks to travel. Still needing to watch our finances, we opted on taking the train.

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The Train

Rail service to the coast has existed since the late 1800s when British colonialists built what was then called the Uganda Railway, named after its ultimate destination. The narrow gauge (or meter gauge) train maintained a certain popularity in the early 1900s (before the time of the airplane) as it transported tourists from the port of Mombasa to the interior of Kenya as exotic safari excursions grew in popularity. Theodore Roosevelt raved about his travels on the train in 1909.

early morning at the modern-ish train station in Nairobi

After independence, however, the railway gradually fell into disrepair and eventually was dubbed the “Lunatic Express”. In summer 2016, a reporter for The Economist magazine (someone I knew during my time in Burundi) took the train from Nairobi to Mombasa. He wrote that the railway was in poor condition, departing 7 hours late and taking 24 hours for the journey. Its last run was in April 2017.

The new standard gauge train began service the following month, in May 2017. The route runs parallel to the old line and passes through the transportation corridor between Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park. Viaducts and embankments elevate the track above ground level, with underpasses allowing wildlife to pass safely underneath (allegedly).

 

 

the ticker says 42 C. (107 F.) outside; it was hot but not that hot

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We took an Uber to the train station the morning of our trip. Unfortunately, the station is a considerable distance from central Nairobi and it’s the same at the other end in Mombasa. The world, including the US, needs to learn from our European counterparts and make rail service more user friendly.

on the ferry in Mombasa

I will say that I was impressed with the efficiency of the operation in general. Sadly, security is super tight and annoying, but I suppose it’s necessary. We were told that the train leaves exactly on time and it did, both leaving Nairobi and leaving Mombasa at the end of the week. It was also clean and the service was good. If you have the time, I think it’s a more enjoyable way to travel than the plane. And we were able to see some wildlife along the way.

hard to see in the photo but lots of zebras as we sped by

Unfortunately, I would be working remotely for the week. I’ve done this before and, to be honest, it wasn’t a huge problem. It was sad not to be out playing with the kids at the beach during the day, but it was manageable. There are worse places to work.

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Diani

Diani Beach has been our preferred coastal destination. The beaches are the best that we’ve experienced on the Kenyan coast and there are loads of child-friendly places to stay. I will say, however, that we are slowly graduating out of such locations. I suppose that’s a good thing, in a way, in that it gives you hotel options that don’t involve kid-specific amenities. But imagining doing these things without the girls is a sad thought. It has been an important part of their childhood and has created some of our most precious memories. 

ah, good to be back at the beach...

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Given the need to work during the day, I was obliged to tap into the early morning for my exercise. Though Priya and I normally do our workouts in parallel (more or less the same day/time), we don’t normally do the same activities. This week, Priya decided to join me on the dawn runs on the beach. When we first became a couple back in the Tanzania days, we would often run together. But running isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and over time she migrated to other fitness routines. It was nice this week, to share the experience, feel the coolness of morning, watch the sunrise, take a post-run dip in the ocean, etc. I can’t think of a better way to start the day, especially since I’m unable to sleep in.

running at sunrise

yeh, we did that

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One hesitation before we went was the expected heat. We are at the hottest time of the year and, according to the BBC, the hottest year on record. But the excessive heat is more manageable when you’re at the coast. In the end, it was uncomfortable at times but not a big deal. It was a nice break from Nairobi and a breather before the subsequent few weeks which would be busy and at times arduous.