Lamu
Following our mechanical problems, David and Sonja asked us if we would like to join them in Lamu for 4 days, as one of the couples who had booked had dropped out at the last minute. We decided to go for a little rest and relaxation, and were very glad that we did. Lamu reminded us of our trip to Zanzibar, though Lamu is a far more relaxed, intimate and friendly place. The annual dhow race on our second day is an island event, to which everyone came out to watch.
Lamu Island lies on Kenya's coast, just 2 degrees below the equator. There has been human settlement in this area for around a thousand years. The buildings in the centre of Lamu date from the 1700s, and there is evidence of earlier settlements in the surrounding area.
The traders in Lamu exported mangroves, oil seeds, grains, ivory, cowries and tortoise shell. The dhows brought back oriental silks, spices and porcelin from Arabia and India. We found blue and white porcelin on the beach at Shela. The Sultan of Oman built the fort in around 1820. The town declined towards the close of the last century. The people of Lamu are Muslim, and most of the women wear the veil, or bui bui, in public. We were very careful to ensure that we were properly dressed when we left the hotel to visit the town.
As in Zanzibar, many of the houses have large carved doors. The mosques in Lamu do not have minarets, and it can be difficult to tell the difference between these buildings and private houses. Many of the buildings have distinctive coral walls - coral reefs protect the island from the Indian oceans, and the material is used for buildings as it is porous, but very hard.
We had a tour round Lamu, and had the opportunity to look round one of the houses. Outside the front door there were two bench seats, where people could meet without entering the house. One of the reasons for this was to provide a place where men could meet without entering the house (they were not supposed to mix with women, who would have been inside the house). Beyond the carved wooden door there was a large courtyard with a tree which was taller than the building itself. The accommodation was arranged on 4 floors, the fourth being a rooftop area. There was a well in the courtyard, and a bath and sit down toilet, and a plunge pool in addition. From the age of 7, brothers and sisters had to be separated, and so there were 3 galleries for sleeping - on one side the boys, in the middle the parents and on the other the girls. There were carved wall niches in the galleries, where various possessions were both stored and displayed. In times gone by, the Arabs used to keep catfish in their baths so they would eat any mosquito larvae and thus act as early antimalarial agents.
There are no cars on Lamu, and the people are very gentle - the island has not been spoilt by tourism - this was one of the differences we noticed between Lamu and Zanzibar. Wherever we walked people greeted us, but did not push their services on us. The atmosphere was pleasant, and we felt safe walking in the evening. We stayed in the Kijani House Hotel, overlooking the entrance to Shela harbour. The rooms were well appointed and clean, and the food on the set menu was superb.
At low tide, an amazing beach is left. An Italian Count has built a striking, yet incongrent mock castle on the edge of Shela village, much to the disquiet of the locals, for an astonishing sum, little of which has benefited the community.
