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Published: January 14th 2005
The Lamu View
The view from our window on Lamu Island. One of many beautiful sights. Oct 27 - Nov 12
The eight hour bus ride from Nairobi to Mombassa was grueling; unsealed roads, a very bad driver, no bathroom and no food stops. Actually, there was a road-side stop to buy live chickens!? At the Mombassa bus stop, we were used as bait by the bus company owner to catch a thief who was harassing us moments before. We had to stand in a busy sidewalk and wait for him to approach again as the owner and a security guard watched from inside the terminal. Very strange indeed. Unfortunately, he didn't come back.
We had no accommodation booked in the city nor at our destination of Tiwi Beach (all the phones on the beach were down for days). After our short introduction to Mombassa, we decided that to wing it and took a 30 minute shuttle to Tiwi. Risky move as it is a pretty remote area and it was already getting dark but we desperately wanted to get out of the city. Luckily, Maweni Cottages, the place we had hoped to stay, had available huts. We were soon set up with a large hut for a small price and settled in for
Tiwi Cottage
Our 'hut' on Maweni Beach. some down time. Our hut was set in a beautiful garden on the Indian Ocean with a private white sand cove with bathtub warm water. Despite the serene setting, the area was not entirely safe; we were highly recommended by the staff to avoid wandering off the premises without a guard, especially by night. Even the beach was guarded by day.
We stayed at Maweni for almost two weeks, only leaving the beach for a few trips into the local town of Diani for groceries. The hut had a bedroom, kitchen, livingroom/diningroom area and private, furnished, front patio. The thatched roof style did however allow the monkeys and bush-babies access to anything of interest to them. We also had a new litter of kittens living in our rafters.
During our stay, we spent afternoons on the beach, relaxing on the patio, snorkeling on the reef and playing in the waves. Got the odd massage on the beach and did plenty of reading. We met a great crew of local Kenyans and a Texan (a.k.a. Big Mama Texas) at a neighboring restaurant and spent numerous nights hanging out with them and the staff at the bar/restaurant next door. Good
Water Frisbee
An evening game of catch, on the beach, with the Kenyans and Big Mama Texas. meals, big beers, night swimming, wave frisbee and bar games. The time at Tiwi Beach was very relaxing. It gave us the opportunity to gather ourselves for the challenge of planning to get around east Africa without a plan!
Tiwi Beach: Highly Recommended
Lamu Nov 12 - 25
We initially planned on taking a bus up the coast to Lamu, an island on the north Kenyan coast. However, we were advised that it probably would be difficult, dangerous and we may even encounter bandits. After much deliberation, we made the financial sacrifice and traveled by plane. Initially, there were some apprehensions about going to Lamu as it is one of the densest Muslim populations on the continent (99%!o(MISSING)f the island’s population is Muslim). We quickly realized how ungrounded these fears were.
Lamu is considered to have the most preserved Swahili culture and lifestyle in Kenya. The way of life there is very basic and the people are incredibly friendly. They call out "jambo" and "karibu" (hello and welcome) everywhere you go. In all our travels, we have never felt safer. Lamu town is a very peaceful place. Although there are still touts trying to sell you everything,
The Security Staff
These were our 2 night time guards, Omari and Ubja. We originally thought the bow and arrows were for animals. Nope, they were for humans! from wooden crafts to boat trips) they are not pushy in their approach. The main saying here is Pole-Pole, pronounced ‘pole-eh pole-eh’. It means slowly, slowly and everyone lives by it. We found a guesthouse for about 12 dollars a night, including breakfast (The Bahari) and spent two weeks on the island.
The lifestyle and culture in Lamu is very different from anything we had ever experienced. Most of the women wear the traditional Arabic full length black dress and a headscarf that covers everything but their eyes, called a Hijab or commonly referred to as 'the ninja suit'. It is frowned upon for women to show their knees or shoulders. Needless to say, Tracey found it hard to keep cool in the heat of the day (35 to 40 degrees and muggy).
We arrived in Lamu during Eid, a three day event to celebrate the end of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn till dusk for a period of one month. During Eid, Lamu residents go from house to house visiting friends and family, eating local sweats and treats. There are food vendors throughout the narrow village streets selling local fare, the children all wear new
clothes, the women and girls paint their hands and feet in henna tattoos, and the curtains and rugs are changed in all houses. It is like Christmas without the gifts and snow. Tracey had her feet painted in an elaborate henna tattoo which we later discovered was a special bridal pattern; we were wished a happy honeymoon wherever we went.
During our stay in Lamu, we went on an overnight Dhow trip and camped on Manda Toto, a remote island in the Lamu archipelago. The trip was great. We sailed for about four hours, snorkeled on a reef and then set up camp on the island. The ankle deep sand was so hot that it actually burned your feet. Our two guides, Mohammed and Mohammed treated us very well with great Swahili food and even treated us to some campfire songs.
Then the trip got really interesting. Around 3am, Jason woke up and felt, to say the least, like hell. Vomiting, shakes, exhaustion and fever came on like a freight truck. Something was wrong and we were
very far from help. To add to the problem, the tide was out in the morning and our Dhow was aground.
We had to wait several hours for the water to rise. Then we started the four hour trip home. The two
Mohammeds were very helpful and set up a shelter for Jay on the boat. Jay even felt good enough at one point to give driving the Dhow a shot!
We arrived back at our hostel, very happy with the trip, but not with Jason’s condition. Jason blew it off as traveler’s sickness, but luckily Tracey insisted that he see a doctor. She got a hold of a guy who hung around our guesthouse (affectionately known as Bob Marley). He was the ‘connected’ guy in town. If you needed anything done, he was the guy. Bob Marley kindly escorted us to the doctor where we passed the waiting line and went right into the doctor. A quick examination and blood test and bam “Jason, you have Malaria!” We were quite shocked and scared by this. He loaded Jason up with meds and assured us it was really no big deal and not to worry. We spent the next couple of days enjoying the local scene and getting Jason some rest. Not to worry anyone, follow up check-ups confirmed that
Docking Dhow
A traditional Dhow coming into shore. From our rooftop, you could hear the crew singing as they approached the town. Jason is clear of any Malaria.
One unfortunate thing about our stay in Lamu is that we don’t have many pictures. It just didn’t seem right to shove the camera in these peoples faces. We saw how the locals reacted to the typical camera touting tourist and we didn’t want any part of that. We actually got to know some of the locals on a friendly basis. By the end of our trip, they called out our names, rather then the standard ‘jambo’ as we walked down the narrow streets.
During our stay, we experienced a new level of kindness from a very poor man (even by Lamu standards) and his family. He owned a shack, called Hodi Hodi (translation: Knock Knock), where he and his wife made and sold traditional carvings. We purchased a traditional board game after days of promising to buy something from his shack and took photos of him and his family (which we have promised to send). It down-poured while we were there and he took us into his hut with his family. He tried to feed us and was just so appreciative that we came to his shop. These people had so
little and yet would have given us half of what they had. He even insisted on giving us another carving as we left and his wife did a Henna tattoo on Tracey’s arm as sign of their appreciation. When we finally had to leave for our boat, Hodi(what we called him) ran out into the rain to borrow an umbrella in order to avoid us getting wet. He was truly a good soul and meeting him was a very humbling and uplifting experience. We take so much for granted in our lives. You see this when you meet someone who in your eyes has nothing, then acts like they have the whole world. Truly amazing.
Lamu : Highly, highly recommended
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Licia
non-member comment
Thank You
I loved hearing about your trip. I am going to Kenya at the end of March and was planning on going to Tiwi Beach. Your story will be very helpful. Now I wish I could make it to Lamu. Maybe next time. Thank You!!