Good-bye to Mombasa

I'm posting photos from sunrise on our last day, April 9th. I set the alarm and woke up at 5:30 in order to hit the beach before the first light of dawn. It was a cloudy morning, but I still enjoyed the hour. As the sun rose above the ocean on the horizon, a few other individuals showed up to run or swim. Igor from St. Petersburg came to swim. We had become endeared to him through Beach Volleyball. He was tall and athletic, with a great personality, and a great serve in VB, someone you would always want on your team. His wife was a tall brunette beauty, who didn't spend much time on the beach, but I did see her playing in the waves one afternoon. That morning, he offered to take my photo with Tam's camera. Then he invited me to swim out in the early morning high tide. We swam past the buoy boats anchored there, and kept on going. When I felt timid about swimming to the second reef, I told him to go on, and I swam back. It was an invigorating way to start my real birth day!
The photos of Mombasa "Old Town" were taken by Tamara, Ellie, and Laney on the Saturday two days before, our first full day at Tiwi. That was the day the girls hired tour-guide Fred and saw the sights they had read about in the Lonely Planet guide book. (I chose to spend that day at the pool and beach, just relaxing, reading, and playing with Mercy and Jael in the afternoon.) They said they adored their guide Fred, who even took them to meet his family on the way back to the hotel. The town looks colorful and intriguing. Notice the rich spiritual heritage in the dress of the people and the architectural shots. You will see an ornate Hindu temple, a Muslim prayer tower, and a couple shots of Fort Jesus on the beach. Mercy says the various religions in Kenya coexist side-by-side peacefully. The elephant tusks are a famous landmark of the city. The gang also visited a crafts center for the handicapped, named Bombulu, from which they bought my turquoise birthday necklace/bracelet set. Another stop on the tour was a well-known spice market, hence the colorful spice jars.
Finally, I've added a few shots from Monday afternoon, just before we said "Good-bye" to Mombasa. I discovered that I don't have Paul's moon shots from Easter evening yet, sorry. Also, note that Mercy and Jael left early Monday morning by bus back to Nairobi. Fortunately, we flew both ways, leaving Friday at 5:45 am and returning at 8:30 pm Monday, which gave us more days on the beach. Enjoy these!