Going behind the bui-bui in Lamu
Saturday, July 24th, 2010According to Lonely Planet, Lamu makes Zanzibar ‘blush with envy,’ which is pretty high praise. And while I will reserve judgement on Zanzibar until we see it for ourselves in the next few days, I am happy to report that Lamu is indeed fabulous, surely one of the great highlights of Africa.
Picture a small, old town on an island off the East African coast with dhows in its bay, donkeys wandering lanes narrower than a human wingspan and absolutely no cars. Imagine veiled Muslim women buying and selling fruit and vegetables in the markets, old men playing traditional board games in front of thatched-roof houses with walls built of coral, and kids excitedly greeting you every time you walk past them. Throw in sunset dhow trips, a Swahili cooking course, delicious seafood and heavenly fresh fruit juice, and that’s Lamu. It’s a rare combination of a very relaxing place and also a culturally important one. Despite all this, it hasn’t (yet) suffered from overdevelopment or over-tourism and there’s less hassle than further down the coast at places like Malindi, making Lamu even more precious.
We spent most of our time wandering the old town’s alleys and generally enjoying the unhurried pace after two long bus rides in three days to get there from Nairobi. Aside from this, highlights were:
– A sunset dhow cruise between the islands of Lamu and Manda, and through mangrove forests, finishing with grilled fish on a beach under a blanket of stars;
– Going ‘behind the bui-bui’ (the Swahili word for the abbaya, the black loose-fitting robe worn by many Muslim women over the top of their clothes) and taking a cooking class with a local woman in her home;
– Walking the ramparts of Lamu fort and using our vantage point to look down on the markets and all the other activity below.
On a continent that’s short on places so pleasant and agreeable, it was a wonderful break from the real Africa, and even from the rest of the Swahili coast with its noisy rickshaws/tuk-tuks and endless lines of tourist shops. Some may find its dirtiness (there are open sewers running along most of the lanes) and lack of modern amenities off-putting, but for us this just added to the atmosphere and the charm.
We intended to stay three nights and ended up staying five, and as soon as we left we wanted to go back – that’s what Lamu does to you. Instead, we got on a bus, held our breath, and plunged back into Africa.
Nick