Lamu

Lamu, known as a "smaller version of Zanzibar", is an ancient Swahili island on the east coast of Kenya. During the 1970's, Lamu picked up a reputation as the Kathmandu of Africa, attracting travelers who wanted to escape the trappings of Western society. Many also found a ready supply of marijuana, which is still an attraction for some today.

This time, I went with an NGO crowd – Ed and Michelle from KickStart and Ed's two friends, Nicole and Carol, both Canadians working for UN in East Africa region. Five of us stayed at Banana House, a nice privately owned house in Shela, a beach village near Lamu town. It is a typical Swahili style, i.e. a combined genre of Portuguese and Islamic architecture. It has three floors – first floor is garden, kitchen, and two bed rooms; second floor has a dinning place, lounge area and two bed rooms; third floor is an open terrace, with comfy lounge and a big half covered bed room.

Lounge with comfy cushion on the open terrace; a wall decorated by beer bottles, reminds me of the movie, Jiu Gan Tang Mai Wu

They have a small pool of water to clean your feet before walking into the house barefootedly

We arrived Friday afternoon 3PM and went to beach right after settle-down. The beach was not as gorgeous as that in Mombasa – the sand was a bit brown colored and water not as clear and blue. People told us that it was not the best time of year – the wind brings dirty water from a river canal up north. November through March would be the best time for beach activities in Lamu. Despite the wrong timing, we enjoyed the walk around Shela anyway. It's a peaceful village with only 2500 residents. Along the water front, there are many nice hotels and resorts. We had some drinks in a stylish hotel bar on our way back.

Late afternoon walk on the Shela beach

Dinner was the highlight of the day. Our chef Frederick is a short, strong local man in his fifties. That night he prepared fish, French beans, plain rice, wine and banana pancakes. We had the dinner at the open terrace on the third floor. It's cozy, private, and the food was awesome. I couldn't think of anything better than this if we had stayed in a hotel rather than a house.

Saturday morning after breakfast, we walked to the old Lamu town. Compared to the Old Town in Mombasa, Lamu is much better preserved. The history of Lamu town can be dated back to 12th century. And since then, it has seen many settlers and influences, including local Swahili, Portuguese explorers, Turkish traders and the Omani Arabs. All left their mark, but Lamu developed its own particular culture, which has ultimately endured. Lamu's narrow streets remain unchanged, and in the markets and squares around the fort life moves at it's own relaxed rhythm. There are no vehicles on this island, and the donkey and the dhow remain the dominant form of transport.

Souvenir store; donkey is the major mode of transport for cargo;

Kids playing in the central square

I was very much intrigued by the intact feel of the local culture. So when everybody else went back to the house, I lingered around the town till the afternoon and started to head back around 3PM. Then I just chilled out for the rest of the afternoon in the house, reading A Thousand Miles without Cloud.

Muslim women in their black "bui-bui"

When I was wandering in the town, this guy came up to me "Hello, I am XXX, and I am in the Lonely Planet. I'm hosting a party here tonight. Will you join us?"

At 5PM, our guide came to pick us up for a sunset Dhow trip. Dhow is the local sail ship. The whole trip was very relaxing – sunset was beautiful.

Dhow in sunset; the sail of our Dhow

What waited for us after the sunset was another fantastic dinner made by Frederick. This time, we had ginger crab! It was so delicious, the best meal I had ever in Africa!

After dinner, the owner of the house, Mr. Banana came for a chit-chat. He must be bored with his fasting. From the conversation, we got to know that he learned architecture in the Netherlands and started his own hospitality business back home. The house was designed by himself. He has an interesting romance with his wife, Monica, a Dutch lady. And he shared with us some gossip about people living in town. It was a lot of fun.

The next day was more chill-out and relax. I did a heena, i.e. a kind of temporary tattoo. It's my first time to print a tattoo and it was fun! I've been told that this will last for two weeks – just in time to show my GSB friends when I am back in school. Perfect souvenir from Africa!

My heena

I am so glad that I had chosen to come to Lamu – before the trip I was still debating whether I should come as I just went to another coast city Mombasa two weeks before. But as I later discovered, it was not at all duplication. Lamu is more cultural, peaceful and relaxing. And to live in a private house was a great choice too – it has all the benefit of staying in a luxury resorts but feels more intimate and immersed into the local culture.

Lastly, Banana asked me a favor to bring a broken GPS that's still in its warranty back to California and mail it to somebody from there. As such, I have become his best friend. So next time, I can have a complimentary stay at the house - of course he knows I am not going back to Lamu anytime soon though!