Lamu

Top 10 reasons to move to Lamu:

1. Swahili culture. Lamu is Kenya’s oldest town and is the perfect example of Swahili (or coastal) culture. It is dominated by Islamic tradition as a result of over 300 years of Omani rule. In this sense, it was very similar to Zanzibar, though I would say that Lamu seemed a little more authentic to me. In Zanzibar I felt like I was in a resort town that was Swahili themed. Lamu felt like a true Swahili experience. Maybe that is why it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I enjoyed everything about the culture except the 5AM prayer call from the mosque loudspeaker right next to my window.




2. Shela. The perfect expat haven. There are long stretches of beaches and private homes built so that the warm ocean breeze blows through every inch of them.



3. Mnarani House. Our home for the weekend. Five bedrooms/four bathrooms, plenty of cozy nooks for reading, and an open-air rooftop lounge where we spent the nights listening to music and relaxing.



4. Rooftop massages. I got an hour long massage on the rooftop of our house for KSh 2,000 (~$25 USD). It was the perfect way to end our vacation of pure hedonism.

5. No cars. Lamu is the Venice of East Africa. There are no cars—only sail boats (called dhows) and donkeys. Donkeys are so important here that there is even a sanctuary for sick donkeys so that they can be nursed back to health. It was such a relief to not have to constantly fear getting run over by a speeding matatu or citybus like I do in Nairobi.



6. Sunset dhow rides. The best $6 I have ever spent.



7. Rastafari. The beachboys and dhow sailors are all ganja-smoking rastafari with an incredible outlook on life. One of the rastafari we met took us on his dhow, Hippo, from Lamu Town back to Shela. When we asked him how he was doing, he replied with “This is the best day of my life, mon.” I’m pretty sure he says that every day. He also sang Bob Marley the whole way to Shela.

8. Fresh seafood. Our private chef, Lucas, prepared elaborate meals for us every day. We had lobster, calamari, white snapper, oysters, pilau, chapatti, and all the fresh fruits and fruit juices you could ever ask for.



9. Lamu Airport. I mean…just look at the size of it. It’s teeny. Our boarding passes were laminated cards with absolutely no identifying information on them, and were reused later. Al had a full bottle of gin in his backpack and all security did was ask him if he had another one for them. The thing is, despite the obvious lack of security, I felt safer than I have at any of the other airports I have been to. That’s just how Lamu is…



10. Everything is better in Lamu. That was the theme of the weekend. They even have donkeys that make political statements (the Kenyan referendum vote was to take place the following week).