An Escape to Paradise

Thursday, Michael and I flew to Lamu to escape Nairobi for a few days, get a little sun (or in my case too much sun) and relax before we head home to the U.S. next week.

When we had been in the air for about 30 minutes, the pilot announced that there was a problem with the oil and we needed to return to the Nairobi airport to change planes. Honestly, it didn’t surprise me that much. Things are never on time or go as planned here.

We landed at Lamu’s airpot, which actually isn’t on Lamu island itself. It’s on the mainland right across from the island. It has one single landing strip and the terminal consists of several benches covered by a grass-thatched roof.


Lamu is an island off of the northeastern coast of Kenya near the Somalia border.



It’s old and rich in its Swahili culture. It is said that there was a settlement in Lamu 500 years before Christ. Lamu has 25 mosques since everyone from Lamu is Muslim. There are two churches for foreigners to use.


There are only four cars on the entire island that is home to 16,000 people. One belongs to the hospital, one belongs to the police, and the other two belong to the local government.


Everyone walks or rides a donkey to get around or takes a dhow.


There are only two streets that are wide enough for cars to drive on them. Instead, the roads are at times only wide enough for two people to pass each other.


Few of the streets are paved. They’re mostly sand and dirt roads and most people walk around barefoot.

Donkeys roam the streets and the seashore.

I asked a local how people keep track of their donkeys since they seem to just roam around by themselves. He told me that some donkeys have a branding on their legs that identifies them but for the most part, people can just tell by the look of the donkey who it belongs to!

It was dramatically different than Nairobi in terms of safety. Michael and I were able to walk around at night without fear of being robbed. We left our passports, money and my laptop in the room. And anytime we got turned around trying to find our way back through the maze-like village, any of the locals were happy to escort us to our guesthouse.

We stayed in The Banana House, which is named after the owner whose name is actually Banana! It was a quaint, unique place that made you feel right at home.

You take off your shoes when you walk through the doors, rinse your feet into the basin of water, and pop into the kitchen if you’re hungry or thirsty.

Someone is ready to lead you in a yoga class, give you a massage or any other cosmetic treatment.


The Banana House is in a village called Shella, which is about a 40-minute walk from Lamu town. It's a place where everyone knows everyone.
We took a dhow to and from Lamu town whenever we wanted to make a visit there.



Friday, we toured Lamu town, which is a World Heritage City. We saw traditional Muslim homes, ornate carvings on the doors, several mosques, the Lamu fort, and the popular fish, vegetable and fruit, and meat market.






As we walked through the meat market, my stomach got a bit queasy at the sight of chopped off goat heads with their eyes still open.




It poured during our tour of Lamu town. And for the Lamu natives, it was a gift since it hadn’t rained in almost two months.



Saturday, we went on an all-day snorkeling trip with our new friends Steve, Julia and Elizabeth. Steve is from England and Julia and Elizabeth are from Germany, and they’re all working at the German school in Nairobi.


We went to a nearby island and fed the fish jipati, which is basically their version of tortillas and got them to come really close to us.

We saw all different kinds of fish in all different sizes and colors. We also got some beautiful shells to take home with us.


The locals who took us on their boat caught several yellowtails that they cooked for us for lunch. I had never been served a fish with its head and tail still on so it was a new experience picking the meat away from the head and bones.

As we were sailing back to Lamu, we watched the start of a dhow race where the winning boat received 50,000 Kenyan shillings, which is $750!


Later that night, we went to Ali Hippy’s house.

He is an older Lamu man who has been bringing travelers to his home for the last 34 years to have a traditional Swahili dinner and listen to Swahili entertainment. We entered his traditional Muslim home, took off our shoes, and walked into his candle-lit dining room since there was no electricity. We sat in a half-circle on the floor.

His wife poured water on all of our hands so we could wash our hands. There is no soap used, just water. Then his wife and children served us tuna, lobster, coconut rice, vegetables, jipati and desert. The family, which consisted of 18 people, sang traditional Swahili songs while playing drums, a keyboard, and a tambourine.



Ali Hippy is a joyful old man who is the only fat man on the entire island! He said he brings travelers to his home as often as every night of the week. Since he was born in Lamu and has not been anywhere else in the world other than Nairobi for a few weeks, he said he sees the world through the travelers he meets.

Lamu is really unlike any other place on Earth. It’s the definition of relaxing.

And since I have quickly approaching deadlines, it served as a great place to concentrate and write. Other than getting an unbelievable sunburn and getting 31 (yes I counted) mosquito bites, it was a wonderful experience.