Kenya and Harrison, my personal guide

This leg of the cruise is quite long and has a ton of sea days.  It is a 19 night cruise and we are only in port for 8 of those days.  It makes for a very different dynamic.  We are seeing these passengers a lot and really getting to know them, which is great fun, but at the same time…they begin expecting all sorts of things and wanting new, special activities so this cruise we have had many events and special game tournaments, etc.  When we sailed from the Seychelles we had 2 days at sea before reaching Mombasa, Kenya.  It was bittersweet because I was excited to see the port, but I would not get to go on a safari like most cast members did because I had rehearsal that day.  I played piano for Brett (the other male singer) whose cabaret we performed that night after sailing away from Mombasa.  I was pretty bummed, but I decided to make the best of it and use what time I DID have in the port as best as possible.

Brett and I headed out via the shuttle bus into the city of Mombasa wehre we were dropped off on a main strip that was all banks, hotels, and souvenir shops.  This was a very modern, not too nice part of town, with people trying to sell things to you and stuff.  We weren’t too impressed, but after getting some money exchanged we headed toward the area known as the old town.  (It’s not particularly old, but it’s older…I guess.)  On our way to Fort Jesus, one of the main sights of the town we had all sorts of solicitors wanting us to buy from them, etc.  Then we were approached by a young guy who asked us our names and where we were from.  He wore a badge and said that he worked for the government and as I was trying to shoo him off assuming him to be another salesmen, he explained that he was a tour guide for the old town area.  I still was wary, but I decided we might as well let him help us get situated as far as what we should see and where we should go in the town.  He walked us to the Fort and we said we really didn’t have enough money to go in, but he explained that we should walk to the gate and look in because that wouldn’t cost anything, but we could still see the thing.  Along the way he explained all sorts of historical info about the fort and I realized he seriously knew what he was talking about.

Harrison (our personal guide) stuck with us and took us along the coast of Mombasa Island where we got to see slave tunnels, were guided through markets, handicraft stores, an ancient well, a grocery, and a fish market.  We also saw kids playing a local game (kind of a variation on pool in a miniature form) and were introduced to all sorts of things in the way of Kenyan life.  Harrison loved teaching us the three key phrases in the area, “Jambo” which means “hello”, “hakuna matata” (see Lion King), and “pole, pole” (pronounced pohl-eh) which means “slowly, slowly”.  They have a great sense of community here and are incredibly welcoming.  Harrison was seriously such a lucky find for Brett and I because he knew those streets like the back of his hand.  We wove around for a few hours, finishing up at a Hindu temple where Harrison went over some of the traditions with us.  Kenya is a Christian country, but Mombasa has a large Muslim population and smaller Hindu population, as well.  Harrison is Rastafarian, but he knew all about the ways of the other religions. Ha ha!  One funny thing was that there were Obama souvenirs and posters and bumper stickers all over the place.  People would shout out his name to us and Harrison said that many of the people in town actually call him Obama because his father’s village is the same as Obama’s father’s village!  Ha ha! 

About 3 hours after we met Harrison, Brett decided to go back to the ship and I told Harrison I wanted to do a little souvenir shopping before going back. We walked back to some shops that he knew of and he continued giving all sorts of great information and discussing our jobs.  He is only one of 15 certified guides in the city and if the police catch others of trying to do his job they can be arrested.  There is a specific way of knowing what guide gets to go out at what time of the day, etc.  This was a full, legitimate operation.  We ended up going to some stores where I would look around and the shopkeepers, who all knew Harrison, would ask me to please purchase something, from their shop.  They all were so sweet and I hated to turn them down.  They were asking me to please spend 250 shillings (not even 3 dollars) in their shop so they could feed their families.  While it may have seemed like a scheme…it’s not.  These people are so poor, but so kind.  (Okay- I did have one little boy no older than 5 years old walk right up and try to grab my wallet out of my back pocket.)  I did buy some things and joked with them that I was going to end up supporting the whole continent of Africa if I didn’t stop!  Ha! 

Finally I finished up, gave Harrison a nice little contribution and he called a tuq tuq for me.  These are 3-wheeled little cars that hold only a few people and are super cheap.  Harrison felt bad because he tried to negotiate a lower price for me, but the driver insisted on 100 shillings for the 10 minute drive back to the shuttle bus stop.  That’s about $1.25, so I felt okay about it.  I thought I was finished for my adventures that day, but once I returned to the port I saw all sorts of people selling souvenirs all along the dock.  I knew I didn’t want to buy anything, but I though I’d just look.  One man approached me and said, “Jambo!  What is your name sir?”  After introducing myself he said his name was Taylor, which I informed him was my sister’s name.  He began bargaining and selling to me, but I said I didn’t have any money to spend.  He said, “We don’t need!  We will trade you something!”  He wanted my watch, my bag, my water bottle…all of which I refused, but finally I agreed to look through my bag to find some things.  I kid you not; these people would have taken ANYTHING!  I couldn’t believe it!  After offering a couple bananas from in town and an old key ring, Taylor encouraged me to add to the pot, so I pulled out 4 “Thank You” notes and a pen with no cap.  He was excited and asked for one more item.  After reaching into my pocket and offering my USED chapstick, Taylor was satisfied.  While I didn’t even WANT a souvenir, I was far too amused with the whole situation to stop now.  I ended up with a hand-carved, wooden letter opener and a clean backpack. 

At the end of it all, Taylor asked where my sister was and if I could bring her outside.  No- I explained that she was in the States and he said, “Is she married?”  I laughed and said that she was and wondered out loud if he was wanting me to trade her for something!  Ha ha!  I said she was very beautiful and before I even got the words out, Taylor came up with his offer.  “I will give you 30 camels for her,” he exclaimed resolutely.  I died laughing and said when I returned to Kenya I would bring her a long to make a deal with him so they could be Taylor and Taylor and live happily ever after!  Ha ha!  What a trip!  I had such a good time with these people and I truly cant’ wait to return and explore this part of the world more.  Hope all is well…only a couple weeks left!

Tripp

Ps- I just wanted to mention…I have discussed how much I love the crew on board.  I have gotten quite close with a number of the Filipino crew and know most of them by name, but 2 days ago I was over the moon.  I was walking down the hall at night and my friend, Wayan, said, “Hello, Papa!”  Papa is used as a term of endearment between Filipino men and I have only heard them say it to each other and one other white guy who has worked with them for 10 years or so!  I couldn’t believe it.  I am so glad to have gained such a good rapport with them to for them to trust me and respect me enough to call me Papa.  Anyway- it was a really special moment for me on board.  Talk to all of you soon!