Easter Day in Lamu
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 26/Apr/2009 11:05, 34 days ago
It may seem a strange in theory to spend a Christian holiday on an island whose population is more than 90% Muslim, but it was spectacular!After a tropical fruit breakfast at the hotel, our group of 11 made our way down to the docks to meet our dhow, which took us to the town of Lamu itself. Upon arrival, we were reminded of the culture on the island and asked to be modest– with the ladies having their shoulders covered and the guys wearing shirts. (This was directed at one guy in particular in our group who felt a shirt might not be necessary on the hot& humid Sunday.)The town itself is adorable! It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its preservation of Swahili and Islamic culture in East Africa. The town only has two vehicles on the whole island– one is a municipal vehicle and the other an ambulance for donkeys (not people:-). People get around on either dhows, by foot or on donkeys. So as you are making your way through the narrow maze of streets, you often have to duck into little alleyways to get out of the way of a fully loaded donkey, just booting it! We spent hours weaving our way through the narrow streets – ducking in and out of gift shops, admiring the coral walls and intricately carved doors on some buildings, enjoying local delicacies and learning about daily life in Lamu.Then, with two henna artists, we hopped back into the dhow and headed for the beach. We waded our way into the warm Ocean and climbed aboard a lovely sailboat for a sunset cruise. While we were cruising the henna artists got hard to work, painting designs on our arms, legs, and feet. It was a lot of fun, but we definitely had some mishaps as the wind changed and the ink smudged!Back at the hotel we enjoyed a fresh seafood dinner with wine, then played games and swam in the moonlight.… a very memorable Easter indeed!