Lamu

Lamu.
Estimated Time of Arrival: 2.00pm
Actual Time of Arrival: 7.00pm
I can’t bring myself to say anything more than very bumpy road, a long route through many tiny villages and many farmers on a bus.
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The information that most of Lamu was dry and that we would have to take a boat to the nearest licensed premises did not go down well. However, after a night’s sleep, we all felt a lot more positive towards Lamu. (We later discovered that alcohol is very available – it just costs a tad more)
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If I am still single when I am 60, I will move to Lamu, take over the donkey sanctuary and hook up with a beach boy. It feels good to have a life plan in place.
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Lamu town is wonderfully run-down and ramshackle. Every so often, you have to move aside to allow a trotting donkey pass by. From the rooftop bar of one of the only licensed hotels, you get a great view of the old Swahili houses, the dhows sailing on the channel and people passing by. As it was low season, locals still managed to outnumber Muzungus. There’s no motorised transport on the island, so if you want to get around you can either hop on a boat or a donkey. I decided to spare the donkeys the trauma, so either walked or used the boats.
Shela village is a refurbished and regentrified version of Lamu Town. Many people have summer beach houses there and have restored them to their former glory. The buildings are pristine and many new buildings, in a sympathetic style, are cropping up. The beach is wild, windy and desolate, backed up with sand dunes and goes on for an impressive 12km or so. The tide also seems to come in at a rapid pace, as I learnt to my cost as I managed to lose my camera to the sea.
Happy days were spent, often revolving around stopping for lunch and dinner. We became regulars at Whisper’s Coffee Shop, sampling all of the delicious cakes and enjoying the shady courtyard. I caught up with some old friends I worked with in Colombia, exchanged stories as we chatted with a glass of wine … or 8 we think it may have been at last count.
Lamu is definitely worth a visit … but make sure you fly!