Photos

A short series of pictures taken on a quick visit to Mombasa in Kenya in March 1984.

All pictures were taken on slide film and have been converted to digital using Photoshop and NeatImage.

This last one shows a night time view of the docks at Mombasa taken from the deck of the QE2. A simple composition I know, but I liked the streaks of light across the inky water and think it has a sort of eerie feeling to it.

Some information about Mombasa found on Wikipedea:

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, lying on the Indian Ocean. It has a major port and an international airport. The city is the centre of the coastal tourism industry. The original Arabic name is Manbasa; in Swahili it is called Kisiwa Cha Mvita, or Mvita for short, which means "Island of War", due to the many changes in its ownership. The town is also the headquarters of Mombasa District which, like most other districts in Kenya, is named after its chief town.

The city has a population of around 700,000 and is located on Mombasa Island, which is separated from the mainland by two creeks; Tudor Creek and Kilindini Harbour. The island is connected to the mainland to the north by the Nyali Bridge, to the south by the Likoni Ferry and to the west by the Makupa Causeway, alongside which runs the Uganda Railway. The port serves both Kenya and countries of the interior, linking them to the Ocean.

The town is mainly occupied by the Muslim Mijikenda/Swahili people. Over the centuries there have been many immigrants and traders who settled in Mombasa, particularly from Persia, Middle East, Somalia and Indian sub-continent who came mainly as traders and skilled craftsmen and even after four or five generations, their descendants continue to contribute highly to the economy of present day Mombasa and Kenya as a whole.