Random Observations from 2 Weeks in Kenya

For the first 2 weeks of August, I traveled to Kenya with my family. Even though I have traveled worldwide, it was my first time in East Africa. It did not disappoint. Here are a few random observations.

Kenya is a beautiful country. I will admit that the capital city Nairobi is on the chaotic side, but it is set in a geographically beautiful spot, at over 5000 ft amidst rolling green hills. North of the city is the famous Rift Valley (which we, unfortunately, did not get to). Our 6-hour train ride from Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa allowed us to see the countryside in the southeast. For some reason, I had not expected to see so many mountains. Tsavo National Park, where we did our safari was stunning, as was Diani Beach. And for bonus points, we got to see Mt. Kilimanjaro from the plane when we flew back to Nairobi. I look forward to returning someday to see more of the country.

There are very few Western brands. I have spent the last few decades traveling around China and Southeast Asia, where Western brands are ubiquitous, from coffee to soda, fast food to fine dining, candy bars to clothing, and hotel chains to big box stores. Their absence in Kenya was noticeable. Yes, Coca-Cola was in abundance, but absent were MacDonalds, Starbucks, and 7-11 Stores. I did see a sign for KFC, and there were a few Western hotels, but that was about it. To be honest, it was kind of nice for a change.

It’s probably easy to live there without learning Swahili. English is the official language (used in government and business) so it is widely spoken. I was proud of my niece and her ability to speak Swahili. She has been there for 12 years and could have easily not bothered to learn the language. Way to go, Liss!

Kenyans are friendly. I realize that a statement like that is a generalization, but every person that we interacted with was friendly and easy to connect with. It’s part of what made our trip so enjoyable.

It is a land of churches. According to Operation World, more than 82% of the population is Christian, with nearly 50% of that being evangelical. There are churches everywhere. Catholic. Anglican. Coptic. Orthodox. Pentecostal. Baptist. Methodist. You name it, and a town or village, no matter how small is going to have at least one of those. We drove through a fair number of small towns and villages and I don’t think we saw a town with fewer than than 4 churches.

I particularly liked the coastal city of Mombasa. Because it has been ruled at various times and in various centuries by Oman, Zanzibar, Portugal, and England, it is a melting pot of cultures. The city is dotted with old mosques and old churches. A key historical site is Fort Jesus, built by the Portuguese in the late 1500s to guard the entrance to the harbor. The cuisine is fabulous — lots of biryani, curries, and samosas (thanks to the South Asian traders).

The beaches south of Mombasa are world-class. With its miles of white sand, clear blue water, gorgeous resorts, and fabulous beach-side restaurants, Diani Beach can compete with some of the best beaches around the world. Unfortunately, it is just so too far away to be a beach destination for North Americans. I’m so glad we had the chance to experience it.

Monkeys are mean and nasty. In Western imagination, monkeys are cute little cartoon characters. This is not true! In Mombasa and Diani, monkeys are everywhere, and they are petty thieves. Leave a door or window open and they’ll be inside grabbing things. One made off with my brother-in-law’s pencil sharpener as he was sketching on the veranda one morning. Another morning I woke up early to my niece yelling from the living room, “DAD! A MONKEY IS GOING THROUGH MOM’S PURSE!” I’m not sure what she thought he was going to do about it!

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have visited Kenya and hope to get there again.