Women, however modest, will as often as not be politely refused. This is noticeable particularly in the elegant fretwork balconies and shutters which are still maintained on a few houses, notably on Ndia Kuu For older relics you'll have to poke around more conscientiously. Burhani Masjid for Dawood' Bohra Community' says the sign. In the unassuming setting of the Old Town it's an imposingly massive edifice. The chow harbor is wildly overrated.
Seasonal variations are less important now the big jahazis have engines.
Nor are you likely to have the opportunity of going aboard one of these exotic vessels - a tourist tradition with coffee and souvenirs that's died a death as port officials have become more officious. Instead, try to imagine how it must once have looked, chat to the many policemen standing around and don't, whatever you do, raise your camera. Attempting to travel by chow from Mombasa is, I'm afraid, an equally discouraging story. You'll probably want to see that immortal double pair of elephant tusks on Moi Avenue, To get to them you have to run the gauntlet of curio kiosks which have almost hidden the cool hideaway of Uhuru gardens. And when you get there, you may regret your determination to view the tusks close up - they're revealed as grubby aluminum.