July 10, 2005 | Anna Bisig
"It started pouring rain today while we were on tour of Fort Jesus. "

Jestin separated from the group this morning to begin his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was hard for me to see him go as everyone wished him luck. I gave him my red towel for the journey so that a little piece of Western will also see the peak. The group left Nairobi this morning and traveled to Mombasa. We have heard about the attacks in London, but we do not know any details.

The city of Mombasa looks as if it has been hit by a tornado or hurricane. Buildings are falling down or only half built or they are just sheets of scrap metal with a tarp for a roof. There are so many people here. We have seen many women dressed in black from head to toe with only a small slit for their eyes. This is a predominantly Muslim area and it is tradition for engaged women to be dressed like this.

It started pouring rain today while we were on our tour of Fort Jesus. It was built by the Portuguese in 1593 and is still an amazing place to see. We were able to go in a room that had been used for the storage of slaves for trade. It was basically a cave, small, dark and dirty. Outside of the fort we visited an area of Mombasa known as Old Town. The narrow streets there do not allow for cars. As we came upon a Mosque we could hear faint voices. We walked closer and the chants of children praying echoed between the buildings like a soft song.

It is night now and we have finished dinner and our nightly discussion on our ideas for improving the plight of the Kenyan people, while conserving what is left of the country's biodiversity. Our major frustration is the corruption of high officials and their apathy towards the population as a whole. Here, money disappears before it goes where it is supposed to, for example, water purification. If basic needs of the communities are not met, and they care more about survival than wildlife, how does this country expect to sustain ecotourism? Everything here is about politics. We may think the same thing about America, but here it is on an unimaginable level.