Gede Ruins

The heat was oppressive, the air heavy with humidity, with monkeys scampering about and exotic bird calls echoing through the lush greenery.  Wandering about the wonderful lost city deep in the African jungle, it wasn't long before my imagination was conjuring up Indiana Jones and Allan Quatermain.  Johnny Weissmuller's famous Tarzan yell wouldn't have been out of place.

Nestled into coastal jungle about an hour North of Mombasa lies the ruins of an old Swahilli village, of which there is no written record of it's existence.  Archeologist have unearthed sufficient clues to place Muslims from all over the world in the village from roughly the thirteenth century, discovering beads from Venice, coins and pots from China, iron lamps from India and scissors from Spain.  It's unclear why the town was abandoned, but there are clues that the nomadic Oromo tribe from Somalia occupied the buildings in the sixteenth century.  Since then....monkeys.   I was very impressed with the ingenious water ducts coursing through the complex, deep wells drawing up cool air and spreading it through the living areas, and the natural acoustic design of rock amplification carrying the call to prayer throughout the village.  It was well worth the rough roads and aching kidneys.

A drive out to the coast, out to Hemingway's, a nice beachside resort with plenty of photos of "Papa" and numerous deep sea trophies on the walls, for a pleasant lunch.  Deep sea fishing trips available for those with the cash.  I was never able to ascertain whether Ernest actually spent any time at the place, but I certainly appreciated the effort.  I'm a big fan.  It was a fine day.

Back in Mombasa, our lives are either spent in obscene traffic jams to and from the airport daily, our Engineers actually witnessed a guy getting shot, in retaliation for his hand pulled cart scratching a passing car, the driver in a fit of rage shooting the poor cart puller, or we fly, which is why we are all here in the first place, or we lounge about after work in the beachside resort.  It's not a difficult pace to maintain.  It's a job.  It's a life.  Not many would change it for anything.