Our hotel awaits us!
To successfully get through the Kenyan customers, we had to complete 5 different forms.
Five!
Each one of them asking for similar information including passport number and place of stay while in Kenya.
But it didn’t actually take that long to get through the customers. It was pretty efficient and within an hour we were on the coach with our suitcases.
But I must tell you about getting our suitcases on the coach.
No exaggeration!
Ten meters before the coach, a holiday rep took our cases, handed them to the driver and said, “Give me tip”.
The cheek!
The front!
The courage!
I gave him a tip.
“And for my friend” he said referring to the driver who took the cases from him.
“Share the tip”, I replied!
We sat on the coach and watched the reps.
Without fail, ten meters from the coach, they take over your suitcases, put them on the coach and put out their hands for a tip.
They must have made a fortune.
The trip to the actual hotel was 90 minutes but it went so fast.
We enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Mombassa town.
Watching the people, watching the traffic. It was great even if it was 8am and we’d been travelling for 15 hours or so!
“Give me tip!” I would have given him a tip alright, one that made sure he didn’t ask for another one from me again. The cheek indeed. Sounds like you had fun there then.
Wishing you a grand time in Africa! Used to know the place well. During my backpacking years – early 70’s – I spent 5 months in and around Kenya. Memories, memories … Early on – had planted my tent the official camp site inside the Nairobi city park – I bought a bunch of bananas for the park’s monkeys. Sat down lotus-position like, bunch of bananas ‘tween my legs, holding out one banana to make friends with the monkeys. The first monkey that showed up approached and with one swift movement grabbed the bunch of bananas at my feet and left me with the one in my outstretched hand. Never laughed so hard all by myself. I guess your “tip me, tip me” story kind of reminded me of this one :-]
Enjoy your trip!
– Beat
Beat
This was actually almost 2 years ago now and the trip was fantastic. We loved every minute of it.
Great story, you shared.
Andrew