A couple of weekends ago, Emma, Laura and I took a trip to Lamu. Lamu is a island (and a town) on Kenya’s coast - for those of you keeping track, it is north of both Mombasa and Malindi/Watamu. The area is actually an archipelago of islands, with Lamutown on one of them. Like most areas on the coast, the culture is heavily Muslim, but Lamu has another twist - there are no cars on the island, only donkeys. The donkeys are used for transport and manual labor (for example, carrying bricks for construction). The buildings and architecture are definitely influenced by the Muslim culture and there is not much in the way of air conditioning, which leaves yours truly pretty hot and sweaty. But, it is a beautiful place, and definitely feels Arabic and a bit mysterious.
We arrived on Friday night at the ‘airport’, which was basically a landing strip with a cart that was the ‘baggage service’. The airport is actually on a different island to Lamu, so we were met by our hotel staff for the ride over to Lamu Island. After welcomes and handshakes all around, we were led on a short walk out to a jetty, and then we boarded a boat for the 30 minute ride across the water. Our hotel was actually in Shela, another town on Lamu Island, about 40 minutes walk from Lamutown. Upon arrival, we checked in, dropped our bags off in our room, changed into our lightest/airiest clothes, and headed over to the Peponi Hotel for sundowners and the prospect of dinner. The Peponi had a beautiful deck overlooking the water and the sunset. We had a few drinks and then decided to stay on for dinner at the hotel restaurant. The food was amazing - some of the freshest seafood I’ve had while here - and we had a great time just chatting and enjoying being away from the hustle and bustle that is Nairobi. After dinner we went out to the patio to continue our evening - we forgot, however, that the heavily Muslim culture means no alcohol easily available - so we had to buy beers off one of the “beach boys” hanging out around the hotel. We paid him and about 20 minutes later, he came back with 3 Tuskers - all warm - that he said were part of his ‘special stash’. Oh well...a Tusker is a Tusker!
We decided to call it an early evening, as Shela shuts down pretty early and we had to get up early the next morning. Thereafter followed what I can only describe as a very restless night of sleep. There was no air-conditioning in the hotel, so it was VERY hot (and I really can’t complain as my bed was under the one fan in the room), there were donkeys braying at all hours (they just run around loose on the island) and there was a mosque right next door...and the speaker for the call to prayer was pointed right at the hotel. There was also an interesting screaming incident - it’s best told in person, so ask me about it sometime. Needless to say, we all rolled out of bed feeling less than refreshed, but ready to go out and spend a day on a traditional dhow boat.
The trip was a lot of fun - our motley crew of 3 guys took us on about a 2.5 hour ride to another island, and we got to do some snorkeling while they cooked lunch. Lunch was fresh fish grilled on the boat, plus salad and mangos for dessert. They also had chipati, so we made what basically amounted to fish tacos - very tasty! Then we did a bit of fishing - I didn’t catch anything, which is typical - and then it was time to head back. The trip back was a lot of fun - we didn’t need the motor, so the crew put up the sails and it was a proper sail back. Emma, Laura and I were all relaxing in the shade in the front of the boat...very peaceful...until a VERY strong gust of wind came up and the boat nearly capsized! Emma got the scare of her life as she nearly tumpled out of the boat - I swear the crew did it on purpose :) But, it was all in good fun, and we could all laugh about it later - after our hearts stopped beating out of our chests, of course. We got dropped off around 5, and gave our crew the last of our cash - a small move that would come back to haunt us later.
Hereafter is another lesson learned - never become too complacent while traveling. Case in point - never assume that things are going to work the way you expect them to. Getting cash definitely falls into this category. We knew there was an ATM near our hotel, so we headed there to get money for dinner and the rest of the weekend. Upon arrival, we were informed by the guard that the ATM was ‘finished’ (read: not working). Uh oh. We currently have ~1500 bob ($17) between the 3 of us. This isn’t good. There’s an ATM in Lamutown, about a 40 minute walk away...but we’re tired from the day, sunburned, dehydrated, it’s getting dark, and we are in no mood for an “adventure”. I think the ATM guard got a kick out of the dejected looks on our faces - we were truly befuddled on what to do. You know that feeling when you are tired and hot and just want things to work themselves out? That’s where we were. Thankfully, Laura kept her wits about her - we decided to go back to Peponi (where we knew they took credit cards) and have drinks (that always helps a bad situation) and just have dinner there again, rather than trying to find someplace new. It meant less exploring, but at least we knew what to expect. It was another early evening as we were exhausted from our day at sea.
Sunday we had a nice sleep in (all the same noises / heat were there, but it’s amazing what you can sleep through when you are coming off a night of NO sleep) and breakfast at our hotel. It was about this time that we all realized that we were feeling a bit “dodgy” (British speak for pretty terrible). Nonetheless, we still had our cash problem to sort out, so after a half hearted attempt to see if the ATM near our hotel was working (it wasn’t, of course, although the guard remembered us from the day before), we set out on the walk to Lamutown. Looking back, taking a 40 minute walk...at noon...in the sun...when you are feeling a bit ill...was not really the best idea, but we were worried that getting on another boat would make us sick(er). The walk...let’s just say it was like one of those movies/bad vacations where someone says “let’s walk!!” and sure, it sounds reasonable, because you can SEE the town, but you keep walking..and walking..and it doesn’t seem to get any closer. Details aside, we finally made it...got cash, and made the executive decision to take a boat back to Shela. We rested in the hotel, still feeling pretty ill, until it was time to go. We were all pretty poorly for a couple of days after - we’re still not sure what it was. Probably a combination of dehydration, questionable food, heat, and sunburn. I have to say, this is the first time I’ve been really sick while in Kenya since I’ve been here, which is pretty much a miracle. That fact didn’t make me feel any better the days I WAS sick, but we’re all feeling better now and back in fighting shape. Even with the sickness, Lamu was a really wonderful place, and I enjoyed the experience!
The Lamu "airport"...oh, excuse me...airstrip
The check-in counter at the airport
View of Lamutown from the boat during our ride from the airport to the hotel
The private balcony at our hotel - we were tempted to sleep out here, since there was a chance of a breeze
The courtyard of the hotel - viewed from the third floor (where our room was)
View of our balcony (exact opposite of the other balcony shot)
View from our balcony down to the lobby of the hotel
Our breakfast table - right outside the hotel proper, next to a lovely little garden - I love that nearly all Kenyan hotel stays come with a freshly made breakfast
View from our day of sailing - this is the the traditional dhow boat of Kenya. Ours also had an outboard motor - good thing, b/c there was no wind on our sail out!
Emma and Laura enjoying the sun and sail
Our "motley" crew
Emma reliving her near death experience of falling off the boat
Views from our hotel room...that building on the right is the mosque...can you see the speaker that is pointed RIGHT AT OUR ROOM???
Here we are looking very very upset because the ATM is "finished". The guard was getting a pretty big kick out of us.
In times of duress, take photos of the architecture. These shots are of the area around our hotel.
These shots are the patio at the Peponi Hotel
Here are some photos of the walk between Shela and Lamu (also known as the quest for cash). The beach here is lovely, but it's less "beach" than Diani or Malindi - it's more of a rocky coast
Right about now, we are realizing that the walk was a bad idea
Boat ride back to Shela, cash in hand - boat ride is MUCH smarter
View of the Peponi Hotel from the water
The "baggage cart" at the airport
Boat ride from the airstrip to the hotel - glad to be back in warmer temperatures!
I got to steer the boat! Not sure what those wooden pegs were for, but they were a fun accessory!
Laura and I before the fateful walk to Lamu
One of the (many) donkeys on the island
Here comes the plane to pick us up! And not a second too soon - we're all pretty tired and not feeling all too great (see below). You know when you "hit the wall" and just need to get home? That was us!
