The Cube

Lamu island is some 350km north of Mombasa. Within Lamu island, lies Lamu Old Town, the oldest and best preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa that has been continuously inhabited for over 700 years. The town is characterised by narrow streets, stone buildings and donkey transport. 

Most flew, so did we because that was the most convenient option. We flew with Skyward Express based on cost and timing to and fro from Wilson Airport. 

Our flight back to Nairobi was delayed but still lucky because our flight wasn't to Jomo Kenyatta Airport (NBO). There was a long strike at NBO the day we were scheduled to fly back back to Nairobi. What were the odds that it was Uber strike on the day we flew out of Nairobi and strike at the NBO on the day we flew back to Nairobi. 

Manda Airport, also known as Lamu Airport is at Manda Island. A short boat ride will get you to Lamu Island. The accommodation we booked, JamboHouse provides free airport pickup which we opted for, so someone met us at the airport. We paid for the public boat ride, Ksh 200 per person. The porter who met us at the airport also helped us carry our luggage while navigating the small laneways so we tipped him. 

We arrived in Lamu around lunch time, had 1 full day and departed around lunch time too which totalled up to 2 days. We were in Lamu in September, one of the supposedly cooler months, but the temperature was consistent above 30 degrees celcius and humid. So our time in Lamu involves a lot of eating, and lazing around because it was hot and humd. 

We chose to stay in Lamu Old Town instead of Shela which seems to be the more popular place to stay because it felt more peaceful and less chaotic. We got a room at JamboHouse Lamu and the owner was very helpful. On checking in, we were given an informative sheet of paper with details on banks, things to see, shopping and food. 

We didn't book any tour nor boats. We roamed Lamu Old Town by ourselves. We walked to Shela and back. We didn't even enter any of the museums. We did sample food from different restaurants though. 

Lamu Old Town, the only cultural landscape in Kenya included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The town contains several historic sites including the German Post Office, the Lamu Museum, housed in an old Swahili warehouse, and the Lamu Fort. It wasn't the most peaceful stroll unfortunately. One of the guides kept on following us to ask us to take a walking tour with him. Lamu Old Town isn't that big so we bumped into him rather frequently. Oh, and remember to pay attention not to step on donkey poops. 

Shela Village is more laid back comparatively to Lamu Old Town and feels like more a beach holiday kind of place. One can get there by boat or motorcycle taxi (boda). We walked. 

We walked past a dispensary, grocery store and school, the headmaster invited us in for a visit. 

We had 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners. We had our second day breakfast at the hostel which was good value for money. Here are the ones we tried, in the order of breakfast, lunch and dinner. All the food we had in Lamu were delicious but Lamu ran on chill time. The wait for food takes awhile unless they were already made. Also, be ready to swat flies that hovered around but no, I didn't get any food poisoning episode. 

There is also a gallery within the compound - Haraka Galleries. It was described as 'hidden garden, food & coffee' on the piece of paper given by the hostel owner. Lured by the promise of coffee, we came here for breakfast on our second day in Lamu. 

We ordered hot porridge with fresh bananas, french toast and americano. The menu stated 'Hot porridge with honey or fresh bananas but it came with both honey and banana. 

We had breakfast on day 2 at the hostel. Breakfast was Ksh 500 per person and we were served fruit, fruit juice, toasts and a choice of main meal. We chose banana pancake. Fruit juice depends on what fresh fruit the owner got from the market on the day, we had tomato juice that day. Coffee and tea were available for free throughout the day.

After finding out the portion the last time in Lake Bogoria, we decided to start with one main dish to start with. We ordered 1 biryani, 1 fish stew and a large tamarind juice. 

This was our first choice of meal on the day we landed but their opening hours are 12 pm to 3 pm and closes on Sundays. We missed their opening hour because the hostel orientation got a bit long so we went for lunch on day 2. 

There was no menu in this shop, they brought us to the kitchen and showed us what they had on that day. The one in the front of the photo is matoke. This version has potato, so it is like banana potato stew, very filling and we ordered chapatis to go with the stew. The one behind was a bean stew. Fresh juices were great in Lamu and we ordered orange mango this round. 

Amboseli National Park is a home to a large numbers of African elephants. It is also a destination significant for bird conservation. Landscape wise, it would be hard to miss the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro backdrop. There is also an Observation Hill within the national park which offers a panaromic view of the park. Most hike up for lunch with a view. 

Sis said that if we failed to see or photograph any other animals, we would at least see elephants at Amboseli National Park. Also given the size, it would be easier to photograph since we don't have any of those telescopic lens. She, is not wrong. 

The driver told us we only need to spend 2 hours in Amboseli, because in his words, 'The only thing at Amboseli National Park is the elephants against Kilimanjaro.' He told us to prove to him otherwise. Well, the animals did. 

Sis told me she wanted to see cats, and cats we saw.

We waited for the flamingos to flap their wings together and took off.

We wanted to see hippos, and we think this one was. No thanks to the driver who didn't offer any information. 

We stayed 2 nights at Little Amanya Camp which is an eco type of accommdation with electricity powered by solar.  We decided not to have any game drive on the day we arrived and just rest. The room we were assigned to had a killer view of the Mt. Kilimanjaro at the front door. 

Breakfast was included with room booking. We asked for packed boxed lunch to bring to Amboseli National Park and had dinner at their restaurant. Total boxed lunch for 2 person and dinner cost USD 50.