Advertisement
Published: September 6th 2008
Edit Blog Post
028 - Africa - Kenya
08/17/08 - 09/05/08
Kenya: A safari, a resort, and a Muslim beach town
Coming to Africa marked the departure of the Asian continent we spent the last six months exploring. It also marked the halfway point of our year-long. Wow, it's hard to believe we've been gone for six months already! Sometimes it feels like the blink of any eye...
Jurassic Park 'Welcome to Kenya, do you want to take a safari?” This was the first greeting we got upon our arrival to Nairobi Airport. The answer to this question, no matter what the truth of the matter is, should be, 'No thanks, we've already booked one.' Unfortunately, this wasn't the answer I gave. Subsequently, we had numerous (as in more than ten) safari touts hounding us for the next few days urging us to book a safari with their company. They were relentless, following us into our hotel, joining us at breakfast (un-invited of course), and 'accidentally' running into us on the streets. It frustrated us to the point we almost decided to bag the whole safari idea. Luckily for us, we didn't let the touts put us off, and the
safari we took through the Masai Mara National Park was one of the highlights of our trip so far.
Prior to leaving for Masai Mara we met up with a family friend of a friend living in Nairobi, Mellina Fanouris and her husband. Mellina grew up in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and later moved to Kenya after the military coup of the Emperor, Halis Elassis in the late '70s. She later published a fantastic book, titled Meskel, about her family's trials and tribulations during that time. I had read Meskel in the past but didn't realize she was the author until we met up in Nairobi (she writes under the pen-name Mellina Fanouris). What a treat to meet the author of a book I had thoroughly enjoyed! And to top it all, Mellina and her husband treated us to an amazing dinner at a country club they belong to. In 1998, tragedy once again struck her family when terrorists bombed the American Embassy in Nairobi. Her sister, Phaedra, was killed in the event and Mellina published another book (titled Phaedra) about her sister's life. Hannah and I read Phaedra and were touched by this heartbreaking story.
Ah, the safari...
what an amazing adventure through Masai Mara National Park! We went at the best possibly time, during the annual migration of tens of thousands of wildabeasts and zebras from the Serengeti (in Tanzania) up to Masai Mara (in Kenya). It's just like all of those National Geographic specials you see of these wild African animals. We drove around the park in a converted mini-van with an articulating top that allows you to stand up and view all of the wildlife. It seriously felt like we were in the movie Jurassic Park: we would drive up next to these ferocious animals and observe them in their natural habitat with only a thin sheet of the van's door protecting us from certain death! Luckily, the animals don't feel threatened by the vans so it's pretty safe. We saw dozens of lions, giraffes, and elephants and of course thousands of zebras and wildabeasts as they were migrating. Absolutely incredible, and if you haven't yet done it, you MUST put this on your list of things to do before you die! Click here for the safari pics .
Resort Living Prior to leaving the States, my parents traded their timeshare week in
Cabo San Lucas for a week at a 4 star resort outside of Mombassa, Kenya. And they generously gave it to us to use! Hannah and I haven't really been pampering ourselved too much (because of budget reasons) and it was nice to relax for a week and do nothing but sit by the pool and soak up the coastal sun of Kenya. Yes, I know, this is about as far away from 'Do It Like The Locals' as it gets... but hey, we needed it!
Islamic Lamu After one lazy week of doing practically nothing at the resort, we headed to Lamu, a small undeveloped coastal town in northeast Kenya that came highly recommended by many people we met. It lived up to the hype and we found ourselves falling in love with yet another small island.
Kenya's coast is predominantly Muslim, and Lamu boasts 98%!f(MISSING)aithful folowers who attend over 40 mosques in the small town. They are a current representation of the Swahili culture that dominated the Indian Ocean in the 7th and 8th century. We've said before that of all the different faiths we've encountered so far on our trip, we're most impressed and
Lion after a kill
Check out the blood! appreciative of the Muslims. They have a friendly respect toward outsiders and often treat them as family. This was on full display while walking through the 'streets'. Old and young would call out genuine greetings of 'jambo' (hello) and 'karibu' (welcome) which made us feel right at home!
The island is very large but most of it is covered by mangroves which proves uninhabitable. Lamu, and her sister villages, are old fishing villages that date back hundreds of years and the buildings and walkways between then are likened to Venice. There are no true streets which means no cars or motorbikes - donkeys and pedestrians wind their way around the maze of buildings barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Many of the houses share one or more common walls and are no more than four feet apart. In the recent past the women of this traditional village were not allowed outside on the streets so they would pass from rooftop to rooftop to visit their friends and gossip. Many women still respectfully wear the biu biu, a full black robe covering head to toes, and the engaged ones wear an additional 'ninja' cover over
their face. We learned that they are still very hip under all that black!
Following the Swahili and fishing culture, boat trips are a must when visiting any town on the coast. The boats are called dhows and have a very characteristic sail. We signed up with a young kid who calls himself Rasta Baby and set sail for a deserted beach and ruins far in the backwaters of the archipelago. The ruins were called Takwa and were made from bricks made from a coral/sandstone mixture. The day was delightful and he brought his wife along for company. Interestingly, she wore the full 'ninja' biu biu for the boat ride to Manda Beach, but later shed the covering (she still wore long pants and sleeves underneath) once we were on the beach. Hannah graciously refrained from donning her bikini in true 'Do It Like The Locals' fashion.
I'd like to brag a bit about the guest house where we stayed. The owners, Doshi and 250 (yes that is his name) were the most welcoming, friendly, and honest people we've met in a long time. Both native Kenyans who chose to begin a business and give back to the
town, they took over Kilimanjaro Guest house two years ago. They are involved in many community projects which include donating part of the proceeds from room rentals as bursary supplements for local girls. We never tired of sitting on the top floor discussing music, local culture, and everything in between.
There was one small surprise, Ramadan started while we were in Lamu! The guide book warns that because it's a month of fasting most of the restaurants in Lamu are closed until after sunset. There were a few placed that remained open so we didn't starve, and we were privileged to experience the customs and routines of devout Muslims during this holy month.
Lamu was a cold glass of fresh water to our travel weary souls, but alas the road is calling. Next, we head to Kenya's northern neighbor of Ethiopia and meet up with my parents as they show us the country they grew up in. Next stop, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!!!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.184s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0813s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Liana
non-member comment
africa
I love seeing the photos from Africa. I'm trying to talk Troy into going sometime. I can't wait to hear more about Ethiopia!