Mombasa is a city in Kenya on the coast of the Indian Ocean. We arrived in Mombasa on Friday and were graciously picked up from the airport to our location: Serena Hotel. The drive from was frightening; cars, bikes, and buses passed on either side of us. Carelessly, huge busses passed in the sandy ditches off the road. There are no lines or markers on the road, which makes it difficult for drivers to know where a lane starts and ends. I sang Telephone to Jesus and If Your Happy and You Know it (in my head) to help with anxiety that surfaced throughout the ride. Also, pokes between John and I made me laugh, despite the childishness.
The car pulled up to a beautiful white building with palm trees and bright pink flowers surrounding it. The receptionist welcomed us as another worker offered glasses of fresh orange juice. The minute he left, I looked at John with my eyebrows raised. I only had one word to say:
“Wow.”
Nodding, John asked if we could explore the spacious land. We walked upon the white sandy beach and discovered camels and multiple salesmen asking us to buy various souvenirs. After walking the outskirts for awhile, we found tennis courts! We played as monkeys walked along the top of the fence; they were not interested in returning the balls that soared outside of the fence. After a few nice volleys, we headed over to play table tennis. A crew member challenged us to a match, but he was a good sport about losing. He took us to a butterfly exhibit and introduced us to Maurice, a tall, slender man in his 50’s who was in charge of the butterfly hall. He showed us the stages of metamorphoses: eggs, larvae, caterpillar, and then the butterfly. He convinced us to release a butterfly because according to this custom, a person is blessed with long life. Eternal life, though, is when one has faith in Christ. I am not sure life could get any longer.
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