I finally made my first trip to Mombasa, thanks to a work project
The iconic elephant tusks in Mombasa, a major tourist attraction port city, on December 2021. Tourists, both international and local, visit the tusks everyday for a photo shoot.
What you need to know:
- Mombasa has a big port, has vast beaches along the Indian Ocean with soft blue skies, rich Swahili cultures and histories, and historic sites.
- These features make it a popular destination for local and international tourists, and that is why it was scandalous for some people that as a Kenyan, I had chosen to deny myself these pleasures.
Whenever I told my friends that I had never been to Mombasa, the retort that came, in various combinations of English and Kiswahili and a cacophony of disturbed tones, was: “But Daisy, you have been out of this country!”
This article is the sign you were looking for if you are worried that you are the only one in your circles who… has never gone for zip-lining or run barefoot in the sand...
For a long time (I mean all my life), I was the only Kenyan I know who had never been to Mombasa. How did that make me feel? Nothing really. You do not miss what you don’t know. Well, maybe sometimes you are curious, but the bottom line is, as long as you are comfortable in your skin, the rest will work out when the time is right. Hii maisha haitaki mbio.
When you learn to manage pressures around you: Whether the pressure is for you to go on a girls' trip that you know you will be bored with before the end of the first day, or to watch that Netflix series everyone is talking about, half of your battles are won.
Until last weekend, I had never been to Mombasa. And there is no big reason really – there just never was anything to make me drop everything I was doing and head for Mombasa. I knew I needed to visit Mombasa at some point. It just wasn’t urgent. Of course, I was fascinated by the coastal Kiswahili I heard some kids speak at school – with long drags on Kiswahili vowels, or how their voices seem to come from a place behind them, not their mouths.
Some of my classmates tried to copy Kiswahili accents from kids who came from Mombasa and the result was comical. I never tried speaking that Kiswahili ‘ya’ Mombasa – I guess even as a kid I knew where my capabilities lay, and speaking the sing-song Kiswahili was never going to be one of my strengths. No point forcing issues.
Presently, the second largest city in Kenya, Mombasa was the initial capital of British East Africa in 1900 or so. The city has a big port, borders the Indian Ocean (think vast beaches with soft blue skies), is steeped in rich Swahili cultures and histories, has beautiful historic sites, and the list goes on.
All these qualities make it a popular destination for both local and international tourists, and that is why it was scandalous for some people that as a Kenyan, I had chosen to deny myself these pleasures.
Over the years, as I waited to finally visit Mombasa, I decided that I wanted my first trip there to be for something personally important – beyond visiting Fort Jesus or seeing a large water body. I am an idealist, so bear with me.
And…the dream of a significant first time in Mombasa came true!
Passion and career growth
I travelled to Mombasa for a work project I am very passionate about. I get energised by new challenges. I have a lot of energy (an age factor I guess) and so, I am happiest when converting that energy into something meaningful. This particular work project is also at the core of my career growth, and so it means so much to me that my first trip to Mombasa was due to it.
I got to learn how to be a better trainer by watching the skill with which my co-trainer handled his sections because he is a more experienced journalist (hey, Harry!) I also learned many transferable lessons about how to pre-plan for an offsite that is out of town.
Finally, I enjoyed a ride around Mombasa to see the town, ate some street food (which is insanely cheap and tasty), and took time to bond with colleagues in the Mombasa office and see the town through their eyes.
“I cannot imagine life in any other town,” a colleague who was born, raised and now works in Mombasa said when I asked her if she has ever thought of moving to another town.
Several decades from today, this will make a good story when I am encouraging my progeny to do things at their own pace. I am not saying don’t go to Mombasa, I am saying, if there is something you have yet to do and you imagine everyone else has done it, wait it out, eventually, you will get the opportunity to.
The writer is the research & impact editor, NMG ([email protected]).
