For the third and final part of our safari, Kevin and I headed down to the Nairobi Railway Station (photo from Wikipedia) to catch a train to Mombasa, 329 miles south-east of Nairobi on the Indian Ocean coast.
The train leaves at 7 pm three times a week, and the station was buzzing in the way that only transport hubs do.
Another train, to Kisumu, 265 kilometers from Nairobi in the opposite direction, was leaving a bit earlier, and watching people position themselves to leap onto the the no-seat-guaranteed standing-room-only third class cars as soon as the train pulled in was fascinating to watch (and made Kevin and I glad for our reserved sleeper car...). As soon as the train began to pull into the station, people began to leap aboard in a bid for a seat, or at least a good place to stand for an overnight trip.
When I said the train leaves at 7 pm, what I really meant is that the train is scheduled to depart at 7 pm. The chances of this occurring are, oh, nonexistent. It was 8:30 before we rolled out of the suddenly deserted station, all things considered an on-time departure.
The train rolled out of Nairobi, through its industrial suburbs to the east and then out into the great cool-aired, starry, wood-smoke scented nothingness of a Kenyan night. We had dinner in the dining car, did a bit of reading, and turned in for the night, making sure to shut the window tight before we fell asleep--grabby hands have been known to come through windows at stops overnight.
We woke up early the next morning, far from Nairobi (though not as far as you might expect for having spent 10ish hours on a train). I spent a lot of time hanging out the window of the train, watching stations go by, each at a lower altitude than the previous one---Nairobi is in the Kenyan highlands, 1661 m (5450 ft) high, and Mombasa is at sea level.
We arrived in Mombasa 3 or 4 hours late, aka an almost on-time arrival and made straight for our hotel on Mombasa Beach. It was stunning.
Given that Kevin was about to head back to Darfur and I was about to head to Dadaab, we soaked up a day of nothing, sitting by the pool and beach reading and enjoying the warm air, cool water, and nice breeze, the perfect end to a great vacation.
The train leaves at 7 pm three times a week, and the station was buzzing in the way that only transport hubs do.
Another train, to Kisumu, 265 kilometers from Nairobi in the opposite direction, was leaving a bit earlier, and watching people position themselves to leap onto the the no-seat-guaranteed standing-room-only third class cars as soon as the train pulled in was fascinating to watch (and made Kevin and I glad for our reserved sleeper car...). As soon as the train began to pull into the station, people began to leap aboard in a bid for a seat, or at least a good place to stand for an overnight trip.
When I said the train leaves at 7 pm, what I really meant is that the train is scheduled to depart at 7 pm. The chances of this occurring are, oh, nonexistent. It was 8:30 before we rolled out of the suddenly deserted station, all things considered an on-time departure.
The train rolled out of Nairobi, through its industrial suburbs to the east and then out into the great cool-aired, starry, wood-smoke scented nothingness of a Kenyan night. We had dinner in the dining car, did a bit of reading, and turned in for the night, making sure to shut the window tight before we fell asleep--grabby hands have been known to come through windows at stops overnight.
We woke up early the next morning, far from Nairobi (though not as far as you might expect for having spent 10ish hours on a train). I spent a lot of time hanging out the window of the train, watching stations go by, each at a lower altitude than the previous one---Nairobi is in the Kenyan highlands, 1661 m (5450 ft) high, and Mombasa is at sea level.
We arrived in Mombasa 3 or 4 hours late, aka an almost on-time arrival and made straight for our hotel on Mombasa Beach. It was stunning.
Given that Kevin was about to head back to Darfur and I was about to head to Dadaab, we soaked up a day of nothing, sitting by the pool and beach reading and enjoying the warm air, cool water, and nice breeze, the perfect end to a great vacation.
No comments:
Post a Comment