
Of Soul-Homes, Sky-Temples and Safaris: Part 5 – Kenya
Of Soul-Homes, Sky-Temples and Safaris: Part 5
Kenya
Parting Thoughts
![]() |
| Me the beach by our hotel in Mombasa |
There are few places in the world where one feels genuinely happy, happy within. Mecca was one of those places; Saif-ul-Malook in Pakistan, and Masai Mara were others, and Mombasa, though very very lovely, was not – at least not for me. The beach was truly idyllic – powdery-white sands, balmy blue waters, plush green palm trees – and the White Sands hotel was truly honeymooner-heaven, with its spas and saunas and bars and nightclubs and white-curtained bay-windows. Mombasa was, overall, a rather merry little place, as all port-towns are apt to be, and the old Muslim quarter was just charming – it reminded me very much of the Walled City back in Lahore. Arab traders founded the island-city in the 11th century, and in 1698 Muslims from Oman won it back from the Portuguese after two centuries of abrasive Portuguese rule (incidentally, the famous Portuguese-built Fort Jesus isn’t that great at all – at least not after you’ve seen the Mughal forts of Lahore and Delhi!). The area was taken over by the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1840, and finally came under the control of the British in 1898, who made it the capital of their East Africa protectorate.
![]() |
| White Sands, Mombasa |
I don’t know what you’d think, but I generally found the place too touristy for my liking. A great holiday spot for most people, I’m sure, but I’d much rather live two weeks in a tree-house in Samburu, or camp out at Fig Tree and see the leopards by night, or trek up to tiger-haven Rathangore in India, or to Kanchanaburi in Thailand and visit the fabled temple of the tigers (oh dream!).
![]() |
| Beautiful Kenya |
If you want to get out, you will, if you want to be free, you will, if you want to hear, smell, feel, touch, understand, see the jungles for yourself – you will!
You just have to want it passionately enough. Leave the rest to the universe.
Now get your bum off that sofa and go see the world!
Kwaheri, na safari njema! (Farewell, and bon voyage!)
Place a comment| Now you can also comment with your Facebook Account |
If you are wondering whether it would be worth it to bring your young children on a trip with you, reading Rachel Denning’s experiences and advice will likely convince you.
[Read more]Somali pirates and Halloween pirates seem to get all the press these days, but there is a rich history out there of the real thing. Steve Bramucci takes us to five places where pirate tourism is easy to find.
[Read more]Would you like to pretend you are Michael Palin, or perhaps someone else who gets to stay in historic colonial hotels in the East? Here’s a cheaper way, as Inga Kastrone takes us on a tour if 8 of the finest of these landmark properties.
[Read more]You are probably aware of the big wine industries in Argentina and Chile, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Eileen Smith lives in Chile and here she explains where to look and what to taste throughout the continent.
[Read more]There are plenty of creepy castles out there, but some really stand out and are actually said to be haunted. Cherrye Moore takes us on a tour of six of the most notorious of these.
[Read more]


























