Lamu
on It began in Africa (Kenya), 28/Apr/2011 06:03, 34 days ago
Be warned, this post may spark envy. I am already envious of my past-self who is forever enjoying Lamu.The Lamu archipelago, a collection of seven islands on the northern part of the Kenyan coast, is a place forgotten by time. There are no cars, all the transport is done by donkey and traditional dhow sailing ships. Luckily, it hasn’t been forgotten byUNESCOwho have made Lamu Old Town a world heritage site for being the best example of Swahili culture.Peponi Hotel, Shela (Click picture to see the album)Before arriving in Kenya, I hadn’t even heard of Lamu let alone planned a trip there. As it happens we didn’t even plan this trip: after another plan fell through our friend Heather invited us to join her folks atFatuma’s Towerin the village of Shella, as the apartment they had rented had a spare room.Dawn on Shella BeachSo after an overnight trip on a sweaty, cramped bus we flew the short 20 mins from Malindi to Lamu. We were greeted at the airport and taken by dhow to Shella, another of Lamu’s three towns. About two minutes into our dhow trip, as we gazed on the coastline of Lamu Island, I completely forgot that Nairobi existed (a sensation that was maintained throughout the stay, much to the satisfaction of all).Lamu DonkeysOn our arrival, we trotted through the maze-like lanes of Shella (narrow enough for me to spread my arms and touch both sides) and arrived at Fatuma’s Tower: a tumble-down collection of buildings refurbished by a British ex-pat hippy (we fitted right in). Some might think the refurbishment is not complete but the retention of some of original ruins of Fatuma’s Tower certainly adds to the ambience, creating a kind of Indiana-Jones-esque sense of adventure.Fatuma's Tower Court YardWhile Shella is smaller and more low-key than Lamu town it does boast the rather wonderful Peponi Hotel Restaurant, which might have been transported from the one of the classier Mediterranean coasts.Unlike most of the places on Lamu it looks and feels like an ex-pat hang-out because, well, it is. I can forgive its trappings of luxury in an otherwise more austere environment because the food was pretty exceptional; I will accept that my taste buds may need recalibrating when I get back to Europe, but it did have fantastic fresh seafood, salads, cheese, and a great wine list.Lunch at Peponi Hotel Restaurant. The photographs show that Ed ate this meal in less than 13 minutes - not quite a record but still an Olympic sprint.Somehow we managed to tear ourselves away from Shella and visit Lamu Town, a short boat-ride away. We sidestepped the tour guides (locals with a fine sense of history and directing you to the preferred curio stores) and endeavoured to lose ourselves in the back lanes of Lamu. In this we were marginally successful, as Lamu is not that large.We then proceeded to engage the local shopkeepers in haggling. Haggling is skill that requires developing when in Kenya and Nairobi is not always the best location as many places seek purely to scalp a mzungu’s wallet. In Lamu, it seemed that shopkeepers were much more open and appreciative of our rather pigeon Swahili (I suppose to be expected in one of the major centres of Swahilli culture) and tellingly the shopkeepers were interested in ‘win-win’: they wanted the best price but wanted to you to feel like you got a good price too.We also managed a walk around theSwahili Museum, whichwas a very enjoyable insight into swahili culture,despite it being hot enough to melt your face and being guided around by an intern who looked as bored as interns usually do. Swahili may be one of the nation's official languages but its culture is not at the heart of the Kenyan experience, so to have it proudly presented was very different to the cultural wasteland of some parts of Nairobi.Lamu MarketWe also went on a dhow trip with captain Babu (grandfather in Swahiii), who took us out through the mangroves of Manda Island. The dhow was a fantastic boat, made in teak from old railway ties of the South African Railway; it was constructed in Mozambique before being sailed up the coast to Lamu.Early in the day we snorkelled near the coral off both Lamu and Manda Islands, which was occasionally quite tricky as the currents off Lamu Island were very fast (you spent a lot of energy staying in the same place).Sunset on a DhowWe then went out again for a sunset trip, which was just as idyllic as the pictures suggest. Captain Babu was an informative and hospitable host, the samosas and bhajias that Mrs Captain Babu provided were accompanied by the crew singing Jambo Kenya and Malaika.Dhow Crew in actionThese are songs you may hear in Nairobi, which I had written off as cheesy tourist stuff, but would never be as appropriate as they are on Lamu. When people say hakuna matata here you get the impression they really mean it.Captain Babu and his crew singingPeople talk about a place being timeless, and it is something that can surely be said of Lamu. It is a place not only unhindered by time's progress itself but that seemingly releases you from time's grip. Our last real view of Lamu was the duty free shop on the airport, which really sums up the whole experience:Lamu Duty FreeQuite a bit of our conversation while we were on Lamu revolved around devising improbable VSO placements stationed there andas we left we were asking ourselves one question: when are we coming back?When will you be able to ask yourself the same question? Seriously, if you visit one place in Kenya, make it Lamu.