By HAMZA BABU

KENYA: Celebration is in the air and everywhere you look, people look glamorous as they prepare to bid goodbye to a rather eventful 2013. Kahawa Tungu has not been left behind either and that is why, there are small lights going on and off at intervals all over the place.

To crown it all, I have placed a tall synthetic Christmas tree in one corner of the cafeteria, complete with artificial snow (cotton wool) and an ancient kettle of kahawa tungu hanging in one of its branches.

Of course, I hope to cash in on all the wabara (up country folk) who troop to the Coast at the end of the year for merriment.

They come in droves and besides the usual sites they like to visit like Fort Jesus, the ferry channel crossing and, of course, the sea, we have those who want to sample the real delights of Mombasa.

Their curiosity, if unchecked , would even land some in the hallowed precincts of the mosques. But the caretakers always halt them at the gates, according to Nasoro, one of my very chatty customers.

“I caught two honeymooners trying to gain access to the mosque for a photo shoot and promptly threw them out,” he reported to other customers at Kahawa Tungu.

“Mume mwenyewe mkewe uchi kabisa (the guys wife was practically nude).

They think we can let them desecrate the mosque with their barbaric mannerisms,” he continued as everyone laughed.

Semi nude

The laughter was interrupted by the entry of a group noisy wabara who trooped in like a battalion. The customers all kept quiet as they eagerly awaited the faux pas (social blunders) that would surely follow.

“Wapi menu?” the loudest amongst them asked, rather loudly. We pretended not to hear and continued to sip our kahawa tungu as we surveyed the lot.

They had a few semi-nude girls who were coquettishly giggling at nothing in particular.

Our silence threw them off balance a little, and they looked like deer caught in headlights for a moment “How can you barge in here and without offering greetings, start ordering people around. Nyinyi ni wa wapi (where are you from)?” at that, they apologised, sat and we offered them kahawa tungu.

Their girls looked lost, they had no idea that fellows in Kikoy and vests sipping kahawa tungu could give their machismo-reloaded dudes from the city an education.

“Samahani naomba sukari (some sugar please), this kahawa is bitter and too hot,” one of them requested. We laughed at them so hard they wondered what was wrong with us.

Nasoro rose to the occasion to advise them on Kahawa Tungu etiquette.

“We drink it unsweetened and boiling hot,” he announced. “Duh! In this heat?” one of the babes asked.

Sweating

“Yup,” answered Nasoro. “It’s great when sweating,” he said. They learnt and ordered for more.

While paying, I informed them that a cup goes for dala (five shillings) when one of them kindly requested if I could consider taking ten shillings.

See, they really spice life up. Karibuni Pwani!