So I was in Mombasa the other weekend and it is hot. Literally.
There seems to be a competition dubbed “Who’s hotter now?” and I happened to be in Mombasa at the peak of the competition, must have been the quarter finals and so the 4 hottest suns were blazing away.
Just like every time I visit this Coastal town, I understand why they are the "Kenyan tourist destination of choice". These guys are just polite. In fact, for me, a born and bred Nairobian, they are too polite for their own good! There I was buying mangoes and since what you see is not always what you get with fruits, the vendor actually cuts 3 mangoes so that I can pick the sweetest one!! How is he going to make his profit? As am embarrassed by all that goodness, he says he has to take of his customers so we came back tomorrow. So I told him that I do not live in Mombasa am only visiting … the guy says, that is ok, now you know where to buy fruits when you get back here.
So, I slapped the guy silly, how can you be so optimistic ...he muttered thanks as I walked away with 5 more mangoes just to make sure he does not forget me!! Do not judge me,I slapped him coz to be that nice and optimistic, he could have been high on drugs and therefore the slapping was lest he had any thoughts on attacking this harmless looking humble gal.
Next stop, was a chemist as I was having a headache. It was either the sun or the slapping of the mango guy but anyway, after buying the drugs, he offers me a choice of water or juice to take the medicine. Well, am a Nairobian and suspicious to the core so I said no thanks. He must have put some juju in it so that I follow him home and beg him to be my husband …. I am a beautiful gal you see. So back to the hotel and took my drugs the old fashioned way …with bottled water that might as well be tap water that has been labeled and being touted as mineral water.
One last thing, actually this a note to a senior so and so friend of mine in the tourism industry who I know reads this blog. So this is a not so subtle hint on something they should consider for the airline industry. It combines 2 issues that are a problem and brings on a solution! Ok, am hoping that this suggestion will get to the Minister of Tourism and I will get some sort of award for the brilliant idea. Cash would be fine thank you seeing that it is the period to make merry, forgetting that January lies around the corner to knock some financial sense into you …but I digress…
First issue, Nairobi seems to always have some form of traffic and so it is easy for travelers to miss their flights due to traffic. Mombasa will soon go that way at the rate they are moving.
Second issue is that pesky airport check that has you removing your belt, shoes, gold teeth, and woe unto you if you have ever had an accident and had a titanium plate insert the darn thing will not let you through!
So how about this, just have airline travelers leave their homes / hotels naked and so they will be easily identifiable in traffic as everyone will let them pass and the cops will see them from afar. Once they are done with the pesky airport checks, they can dress comfortably and no one misses their flight and the queues to the check in area move faster coz travelers are naked already and if anything attracts the metal detector, it is INSIDE and therefore cannot be harmful to anyone during any flight!
Is that not what is referred to as a win-win situation??
Travel safe guys and happy holidays...keep your clothes on if you are going by road though!
Blessings y’all!!
