Sikh And You Shall Find - And The Nairobi Express To Mombasa

Finding a place of tranquillity in our busy lives is often an illusion. Traveling opens doors to many cultures. Faiths and philosophies. During our adventures, we were exposed to a few that were both educational, inspirational and put a few myths and misconceptions to rest. Ultimately, we all seek the same peace of mind no matter who or where we are.

This morning, I was privy not to someone’s spiritual practices but to their camping style! My neighbours, for the past few days, have come to the end of their stay and have been busy packing up their Explorer. At ten thirty, Missus put down her thermal camping mug and started folding a tea towel. It is now 14h16, and I hear them starting up their Fortuner. I wave, smile, and thank the universe again for our Honey Badger. The Fortuner is packed to the rafters. The last Woolworths shopping bag is shoved into a miniscule space.

The Fortuner has stalled. Hooking the Explorer tests everyone’s patience. The Missus is behind the wheel, and her passive-aggressive husband is signalling with outstretched arms and fingers, playing an air guitar while stomping his foot to the rhythm of his desperation. The traffic officer directing morning traffic had more patience. He bellows “stop” in the nick of time—the Explorer inches from jack-knifing.

All the good the week’s camping did has evaporated like mist before the sun. A gloomy silence descends. It’s best to switch the radio on. I doubt John Maytham will lift the spirits. He’s been chomping at the bit of discontent all week.

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We are zipping along. The landscape is fresh apple green, and I notice blossoms brightening up the red Kenyan earth, where a profusion of white blossomed creepers have sprung up after the rains.

We have come full circle driving through recently discovered villages and landscapes and are back in Voi, where we find a lovely campsite on the outskirts of the Tsavo West National Park.

Established in 1948, Savo West National Park is located in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya. The park covers an area of 9,065 square kilometres. The A109 road Nairobi-Mombasa and a railway divide it from the adjoining Tsavo East National Park. They comprise the Tsavo Conservation Area with adjoining ranches and protected areas.

The Boma Simba Safari Lodge is perfect for our needs, and we’re ready to go for a short walk to suss out the scene and stretch our legs. Unfortunately, the watering hole was a placid pond with no animals to quench their thirst. Butch quite rightly notes there’s enough water in the veld where the animals are grazing happily among the fresh green foliage carpeting the landscape.

Without second thoughts, I take up the offer of dinner in the lodge’s restaurant, where we are joined by a group of six Polish guests (according to their accents). By the looks of things, they’re fresh off the aeroplane and still finding their feet; jetlag makes for sullen company, and our greetings are ignored as they search for other friends on social media. Getting the cold shoulder is one thing, but being ignored in favour of the internet still irks me.

We plan to start early in the morning and go to bed early.

Voi is a bustling town with all the major banks, large grocery stores, shoe shops, and computer stores. I’m so taken up with the convenience of MPesa that I load my balance at a friendly youngster’s stall before stocking up on some deliciously fresh samoosas and small sweet doughnut balls rolled in desiccated coconut.  

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Our destination is the highly recommended Makinda Sikh Temple.

The Honey Badger loves an open road, and this one offered us exceptional sightings of Zebra, Elephant and the occasional giraffe as we sped along. Magnificent and peaceful, they have all adapted and accepted the busy Nairobi highway. Extraordinary.

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Sikhism was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak in the 15th Century and is a monotheistic religion (relating to or characterised by the belief that there is only one God ). Sikhs think religion should be practised by living in the world and coping with everyday problems.

The Makinda Sikh Temple’s founders advocate equality, social justice, service to humanity, and tolerance for other religions. We were welcomed heartily and invited to spend the night and we were free to wonder about the grounds and make use of all the fascilities. Here, pilgrims from all walks of life and from all over the world practised the essential message of Sikhism, which is spiritual devotion and reverence of God at all times while practising the ideals of honesty, compassion, humility, and generosity in everyday life.

We were told meals could be enjoyed all day (24 hours) or until 22h00 when the kitchen closed for the night and then again from 5h00 each morning with the understanding that the kitchen only served vegetarian meals.

Before entering the Spiritual complex, we covered our heads as prescribed, and Butch was able to obtain a scarf too. Among the Sikhs, the dastār is an article of faith representing equality, honour, self-respect, courage, spirituality, and piety. The Khalsa Sikh men and women, who keep the Five Ks, wear the customary turban to cover their long, uncut hair (kesh). The Sikhs regard the dastār as an essential part of the unique Sikh identity.

This was the time of Ramadan in Kenya, but we were assured that Sikhism is one of the few religions that does not regard fasting as meritorious. Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, regarded fasting as inferior to the “truth” or “right action,” which he said was superior to fasting, penance or other austerities.

Travellers, train passengers, pilgrims, Sikhs, and the destitute are all welcome to stay for a maximum of two nights. We were welcomed, shown a parking space for the night, and given the keys to a suite with an en-suite bathroom.

The Honey Badger, parked under a large shady tree, was the centre of attraction, and soon Sikhs would stomp up the stairs to say hi and to have a good look at our “home on wheels”. We could not resist their gentle, softspoken questions and once satisfied, they’d leave as suddenly as they appeared to continue on their journey.

The Makinda Sikh temple was built in 1926 by the Sikh community, who were working on constructing the Uganda railway line from the coast inland to Lake Victoria and beyond to Uganda. When the Uganda Railway was completed in 1902 at Port Florence (now Kisumu, Kenya), Makindu played a prominent role as a service point on the railway’s advance from Mombasa.

“Sikhs from all over Kenya were instrumental in building this beautiful edifice and campus where anyone of any religion or no religion can withdraw from the mundane and reflect on the spiritual.” A visitor from Delhi told us.  

Seated at long tables in the dining room, we enjoyed scrumptious three-course traditional vegetarian meals. Conversations were quiet and respectful with visitors nodding a greeting or acknowledgement. We slept without a care in the world surrounded by peace and tranquility. We both recommend weary travellers to stop and spend a night here.

After a delicious traditional Indian breakfast we departed and headed again to Nairobi and the Jungle Junction our now-familiar campground.

Visitors to the Makinda Sikh are treated as guests and no fee is charged for any of the facilities, meals or camping. Donations are gratefully accepted but are not a requirement. We can highly recommend a stay here. It certainly lifted our spirits.

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When the outskirts of the city started sticking it's head up on the horizon our attention shifted to the work and our time in Nairobi, hopefully our last time servicing and setting the wheels right. It was Langata and then Karin who beckoned us "home" and our familiar stomping grounds.

The red Land Cruiser parked in the driveway sent shiver’s up Butch’s spine and a nudge of nostalgia. I think he misses his 1996 Land Cruiser, that Lady in Red, his first love who never gave him a moment's despair.

The big red and white German truck parked in our space was a welcome sight, and for a few minutes, we could catch up with fellow travellers, swop stories, give recommendations, and have a good laugh. Our common interest and like-mindedness always breaks the ice.

Two little rambunctious girls make up this family of four who have been on an extensive trip through East Africa. While we chatted, the girls explored the Honey Badger and found our company interesting. They trampolined on the bed and unpacked the baskets lining my side of the bed. It was a delicious moment of normality.

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While I blogged, Butch caught up with Chris, who gave a rundown of work to be completed on the truck and what the plans going forward would be. We still weren’t done with tyres, rims and services.

The bottom line Chris said was that the work would run into the next week as he was en route to some god-forsaken place to deliver a client’s Land Rover.

Never a dull moment, and before Butch could take a breath and explain the state of affairs, I was on to the Nairobi Railway website, booking our passage to Mombasa on the Nairobi-Mombasa Express Train.

At the crack of dawn the following day, we slipped the straps of our backpacks onto our shoulders, and as the sun rose over the mountains and turned the sky pink, we stepped into our Uber and raced off to the modern state-of-the-art central Station.

According to blurbs on the internet, “First Class carriages offer comfort and space, often with larger tables and reclining seats and sometimes with complimentary food and drink, newspapers and other perks. Check with your train company to see the benefits of their First Class service." we read. We tucked into our tuck box (a vital necessity when travelling) enjoying our Haribo Worms. (I see they are available in South Africa too now. Delicious and almost as moreish as Maynard's Wine Gums)

The advertisement continues "Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included in our exclusive First Class menus, featuring a selection of hot and cold sandwiches and drinks. Alcohol is served with the lunch and evening menu." I must confess I do not remember any alcohol being served, and if memory serves we paid a very reasonable price for our delicious meal.

Covering the same route again, but this time from a first-class reclining seat, we enjoyed our comfortable four hour journey. We were on a speeding train atop the railway lines and arched bridges crisscrossing the countryside and not trundling along down below in a truck.

We did spot large herds of elephants bathing and enjoying the watering holes while we zipped past the Tsavo National Park.

Four hours later, having enjoyed all four seasons, we alighted the carriage and hailed a taxi. Within half an hour, we drew the curtains in our beautifully appointed Airbnb apartment in the centre of Mombasa’s historical Old Town. Below us, the ornate domes of five Mosques, with their spires glittering in the sunlight, greeted us during Ramadan.

Later, my beloved stepped out in his first ever pair of flip-flops. He was in a chillaxing mood. But, the yellow thongs would not pass muster and were ditched..

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The Explorer hitched to a Toyota has gone. The only sign that someone has been here is a full garbage bag, a half dozen empty wine bottles plunged  upside down into an old cardboard box and a small square of yellowed lawn where they’d pitched their tent. All I hear now is the relentless crashing of waves on the rocky shore and a gardener’s spade forcefully stabbing the hard earth as he digs up a burst water pipe.

That’s how our life rolls from the mundane to the extraordinary as we explore, open our minds, always endevouring to be respectfully mindful of everyone we encounter.

“When the mind is not pure, what is the good of practising outward cleanliness?” Sikh proverb.