Holiday to the Coast

Although the coast is only two hours by plane, it is a world away from central Kenya. I've spent the past five days exploring the history, culture, markets, and beaches of Kenya's coast, and it has been absolutely wonderful. On Friday night I took at overnight bus to Mombasa, which was a long ride but it wasn't too bad. Early Saturday morning my host aunt, Carol, picked me up at the bus station. I rested in the morning, and in the afternoon we explored Mombasa old town and also took a tour of Fort Jesus. It was super interesting to learn about the slave trade and traditional Swahili culture. On Sunday I said good bye to Aunt Carol and took another bus further up the coast. After a short ferry ride, I arrived on Lamu Island- which is a fascinating place. The population is mostly Muslim, and it's a prime example of traditional Swahili culture. The town itself is small, with many twisting alleyways and narrow streets. There are no cars on the island, but there are many many donkeys! It was so interesting to just wander the streets, passing burka-clad women and docile donkeys, hearing prayer calls from the mosque and smelling fish from the market...and just being immersed in everyday life. It unfortunately rained the first day, but I found ways to entertain myself in the many shops :) The second day however, it was gloriously sunny and so I enjoyed a day swimming, sailing, and sunbathing. I also met up with some other travelers and we decided to rent a big old-fashioned Swahili house. It was a big maze, and we kept finding new stairwells and hidden rooms. The best part was the roof top rooms- which provided sea breezes and amazing views, especially at sunrise. Today (Tuesday) I flew back to Nairobi, and although it's nice to be home, I'm already missing the fresh sea air and sunny streets of Lamu.