There are rumours of more work in Kenya. I've been around the helicopter business long enough to know, until you are actually doing something, there's isn't much point in getting excited about the possibility of doing it. It'll happen when it happens, if it happens. So, I'm not holding my breath, but I certainly would welcome a return to Mombasa. While I get a thrill pulling pitch and pushing over the nose and having those churning blades pull me up into the sky, I have to admit the adventures and experiences all the travel of touring affords me is seriously cool. The monkeys in the trees of Nyali Beach with the impossible blue balls, that had us giggling to no end, to the daily traffic jams to and from the airport, and thinking I could make a photo book of just the whimsically painted "Matatus" blazing around. Think about the Mystery Machine van from Scooby Doo, this is public transport in Mombasa, with one guy hanging out the door doing his best to drum up business as they cut across lanes in complete disregard for anyone else, with brightly coloured themes and slogans painted all over them, from "God is Great" to "Snipers Rule" or "Spanish Guitar" with an image of Hendrix, even "On God We Trust" under a huge painting of a magnum .44. The positive "Be Hopeful" to the "Wasi Wasi Wenu", Swahili for "Your Worries Are Not My Worries". I could just watch and read Matatus all day. Then there was the crocodile farm a short walk from our housing, where for $5 you could buy a chopped up goat and toss him bit by bit to scary-ass crocodiles, and one monster who had claimed many, many villagers. There was the go-karting on the roughest track I've ever been on, my arms numb from buzzing after a few laps, to the popping and hissing and sparks and eventual pop and flames from ones air conditioner unit in the middle of the night. The cafes and perfect cappuccinos and guacamole burgers, which one pilot ate EVERY NIGHT. Kitesurfing and riding camels on the beach, the old Portuguese fort, and museums, and shops selling incredible masks and brass compasses from another era.
It was a good tour.
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