Lamu

So the last part of our vacation was absolutely amazing. We left Malindi on Wednesday morning and took the worst bus ride ever up to Lamu. It was about 4 and a half hours of literally hanging onto our seats so we didn’t fall on the person next to us. We would hit bumps sometimes and come a foot off our seat. It was crazy and pretty much like off roading on a dirt road in a huge bus…pretty great. Since Lamu is an island we had to take the ferry from the mainland which was more like a small crowded motor boat. We arrived and were immediately swarmed by people trying to tell us places to stay and toursity things to do. We had an idea about a guest house from a guide book and found it and got a cheap rate (think $3.50 each per night). We just lounged the rest of the evening and checked out a local food place. Everywhere we walked we were constantly followed by local guys and not really in a bad way. Lamu is so different than the rest of Kenya because it is actually safe. You can walk around at night with lots of money and not have to worry about getting mugged or anything.

So Thursday we decided to spend the day on the beach. There are two main beaches in the island so we went to the other town on the island, Shela, and spent the day on Shela Beach. I can honestly say Lamu Island is hands down the most beautiful and amazing place I have ever been. The beach was great and no crowded at all and the water was totally warm and great for swimming. At night we would hang out with a lot of the people we met during the day. We met tons of other travelers including some couples from Canada, a British guy, American girls, and Peace Corps volunteers from Kenya and Uganda. It was so fun to meet other travelers and hear their stories.

Friday was the best day. We had heard that the thing to do in Lamu is to do a day trip on a dhow, which is the traditional wooden sailboats made there. So we left around 10 with 3 other American we had met while there. We sailed over to a beach on Manda Island which is right next to Lamu. The three other Americans stayed and snorkeled there while Cara, Elizabeth and I went deep sea fishing with the crew. It was AWESOME! They caught a ton of fish and they would let us reel them in because we weren’t so lucky with catching out own fish. We used fishing line wrapped around a block of wood with a weight and hook on the end. All we did was let the line out and pull it back in by wrapping it around the block. They caught fish like red snapper and leatherjackets. After the fishing we sailed back to the island to meet the others. While we swam and lounged the crew made lunch. They cooked the fish we had just caught, coconut rice, a vegetable mix and also cut up fresh fruit like passion fruit, mango, oranges and bananas. It was the best mean EVER. In the afternoon we sailed back to Lamu and went home to clean up for our evening event which was a beach party also on Manda Island. So we went with a few other people we had met, some Candians and British people. We got to the beach and got to see the sunset from the boat and from the island. It was unreal. We set up a mat on the beach and the local guys we were with made a fire for us and made food. A similar meal to lunch: chapati (like flatbread), fresh fish and coconut vegetables and fruit. After dinner the locals started some drumming and singing, mostly reggae style stuff. We all sat around and drank coconut wine, which sounds delicious but was easily the worst concoction I have ever tasted. The stars were so bright and easy to see, the air was warm and the company was phenomenal. It was such a great night and we even got to sail back to Lamu at night which was quite an experience.

Since we had so much fun, we decided to stay an extra day. Saturday we spent more time on the beach and eating delicious seafood (like crabcakes yummmm). Overall Lamu was absolutely amazing. The people are wonderful, the landscape is beautiful and the island is so rich in history. The bus ride back to MOmbasa was horrible, the train to Nairobi was ok and the night bus back to Kisumu was fine. The 45 hour travel back to Kisumu was not fun, but the whole trip was so worth it.

It’s nice to be back here now and kinda get back into the swing of things…

Yesterday, Cara and I visited HOVIC and brought some American music. We taught all the kids how to do some American dances. We looked so ridiculous, but it was SO MUCH fun. The soccer team from HOVIC that I'm helping out with also go second place in a tournament last weekend, so everyone there is pretty excited.