mombasa adventure

saturday morning we move back to muhaka. the boys load all our bags onto a big cart and pull/push it all the way back along the bumpy dirt track. i'm sad to leave my tent in kaya that i'd grown to love and the great chef there but other than that i'm glad we're moving on.. as soon as we've dumped our things back onto our beds it's time for our mombasa adventure - we're all traveling out to see the last harry potter film and go clubbing.

the journey to mombasa and over the ferry seems to take less time than usual.. maybe it's just that we're so excited? we arrive at this cheap dine-in place called the blue room at around 11:30 and grab a bite to eat, then taxi out to the cinema complex. i'm so unbelievably happy that we've organised this - it's a breath of fresh air after kaya and kinda fun that we're doing it off our own initiative and not because it's in the camp program. plus missing out on the final harry potter film would be a sin!!! and what better place to watch it in than kenya? (:

we're handed our awful 3D glasses on our way in.. the cinema is surprisingly nicer and bigger than i'd expected.. the kenyan advertisements are hilarious and just before the film starts, we all have to stand for the national anthem! very amusing. then the lights dim and the opening music we know so well begins to play.. brb, off to hogwarts!!

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so the film wasn't very good in my opinion and we're all a little depressed that the harry potter legacy has now come to an end.. still so glad we went to see it!! we've now got a few hours to kill before dinner and some people head to the bowling alley. a handful of us decide to order a shisha and thickshakes at the muslim café next to the cinema complex and we chill out there for a while, discussing the film..

cab back to the blue room. we all wander off to search for a place to eat - sam, olly, matt, and i opt for pizza. then it's onwards to florida nightclub!! we'd been recommended the club by the local dive-master and are all pretty excited as we pull up (: oddly enough, we're asked to check in our cameras before entering.. they're not allowed inside.. it's still relatively early on in the night so the boys head to the casino and sam and i get a game of pool started (i won!!).

as it gets later, the club fills up. it's in a gorgeous location right on the shore and it's definitely the most exciting nightlife we've experienced thus far. i make friends with two french travelers who are voyaging around africa by boat and have a rather interesting encounter with a kenyan hooker trying to put makeup on me in the bathroom.. the night becomes a big happy blur of dancing and socializing - our group is big enough to take up a substantial amount of the dance floor and after our week in kaya everyone is once again full of energy and eager to have a good time (:

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all in all i'm so glad we put together this adventure.. i know to some of you reading this you may find it strange or confusing that we seem to be going out at night a fair bit (so much more than i'd expected..) but to be honest i'm really pleased that it's the case.. i chose to go to kenya rather than to another camp because i thought it offered the most diversity in activities and i wanted to have fun as well as work (especially given the amount of money i spent on being here..) when it comes down to it, this is my gap year and a time to have fun after finishing school as well as finding out more about yourself, traveling, etc. i think it's a good balance between work and play (: i've always been a social person and i know i'll keep a lot of good memories both from the project work and from the times of leisure spent with these awesome people. florida night club is definitely one of them!!

[another note: i realise that many of you probably aren't interested in recounts of nights out and clubbing.. my intentions aren't to brag about drinking or to re-tell the nights as though they were a vital part of my africa trip.. this blog, even moreso than being a way to share my experiences with you all, is my own personal memento of my 4.5 months abroad and most of the time when i talk about nightlife it's as a keepsake of my own memories.. i'm sorry if it's bothered some of you and i'll try not to ramble on too much.. i will keep putting up photos and writing the entries however, so in future don't feel obliged to read nighttime recounts?]

p.s. my small camera has malfunctioned and refuses to turn itself on (i'm heartbroken) so in future most of my outings snaps will probably be off other people's..