Low Tide and Trust

Other than pure relaxation, the last couple of days have not been particularily eventful. We swim, we sleep, we have good food, and we enjoy the marvelous views on the Indian Ocean. It is the perfect break from our rather hectic and demanding experiences in Nairobi.

Today the tide was EXTREMELY low so Kevin and I walked nearly 200 yards out on shallow water which is normallydeep sea. Two Kenyans walked with us, pointing out sea urchents, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, and other sea creatures that we had no idea existed. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone a little, as the coast was very far yet we were walking on what was normally the deep sea. It was almost as bizzare as when the drunk English man tried to explain what Oxtail soup was to us on that overnight train.

Trust is nearly non-existent here in Mombasa. Nearly every human who approaches you here is exclusively interested in your money, even if their actions and words seem to suggest otherwise. They will walk you out during low tide and give you a tour you never asked for. They will jack up nearly every price, shorten nearly every activity, and guide you in any direction they can where you will wind up spending more money that you asked to. None of this is surprising. A lot of these people are very poor, and any extra shilling they desperately need. Kevin and I are both respectful and mindful of this, and so we compensate all of these individuals when it is so rightly deserved.

Since trust is not a value held highly here, we too use this for our advantage - yet purely from a humorous perspective. We constantly give out fake names to the aggressive beach vendors. One moment I was P.J. The next I was Dennis. At night by the bar I was Vincent Pageworth, even though moments before he forgot my name was Dan. Kevin has been Clemson, Andre, and my personal favorite - Lloyd Wright. We both thought of the hardest name for the Kenyans to pronounce. When he introduced himself as such, the Kenyan vendor laughed and said Lloiyye Wryyy...Loyee Rye....to which he then said, "That is very hard to pronounce." Mission accomplished.

I hope nobody finds us to be insensitive. We are simply overwhelmed with the aggression and dishonesty before us sometimes, and so it is extremely tempting to bite back a little. I have always believed in the saying, "When in Rome."

Tonight Clemson and I are heading back to Nairobi on the overnight train. On Thursday we are going on a safari! We will be sure to update you as much as possible! Thanks again for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Dennis