Over the holidays I had the chance to travel to Kenya for the first time. After passing through Kisumu, Nairobi, and then the coastal city of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean, we landed in Lamu, a small island off the northeast coast of Kenya, about 60 miles south of the Somalian border. The island is a throwback to the Swahili culture/ race as it was a landing spot for Arab traders who intermarried over time with Bantu Africans in the area, creating the Swahili culture.
The island remains largely untouched by modernization. The coral houses stand as they have over hundreds of years. By local accounts there is only one car on the island (but no real roads to drive it on), belonging to the local government official. The primary mode of transport is by donkey or dhow (a small wooden sailboat) and the island is only reached from the mainland by ferry. Actually, when I disembarked from the ferry with my luggage upon reaching Lamu, I asked for a taxi only to get the response, “We don’t have taxi, but we have donkey!”
Coincidentally, there is also a good article in today’s New York Times about Lamu. The Kenyan government (via Chinese contractors) wants to build the largest seaport in East Africa within miles of the island. Tourists and locals alike fear that this commercialization will destroy a delicate culture and ecosystem that has, up till now, remained free of many modern influences. Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/world/africa/12lamu.html
Enjoy some photos from my travels to Lamu below!
