my boys

In the morning, we had tea and donuts and then wondered around the local town, 17playing with the kids and talking to the elders; well Marc, Marcus and Kuzi did... all in swahilli. Watching Marcus and Marc 14 I realized that this is their home. They were so comfortable throwing the kids around and talking with everyone. Marc says that this is good for the anti poaching efforts because the people are comfortable with him and when they hear of an elephant that has been killed usually he hears about it pretty quickly.

After lunch, we had to head out. Kuzi had dj job in Malindi that night so we had to make quick time. We headed out with Marc this time though and drove to the coast. 18 The drive was beautiful. It was my first experience with Africa and I was loving every minute of it. From the bumpy roads to the kids waving, the warm sun and the baobab trees, I was already in P8155766love. We traveled towards the coast and had our first look at sunset but did not arrive until after dark. After a quick dinner and getting settled at the hotel, the party began. Kuzi was not up until midnight so we just hung out. The party went pretty much all night and I finally went to sleep at about five in the morning. Everyone else stayed up. However, my sleep in a bed was short lived. P8155768At 6:30 am, I was woken up by Marcus telling me we were heading out and Marc asking if I had gotten a good night's sleep (note by this time: I had been riding on about 3 hours of sleep already: time change) and I grumpily got in the car. I was so mad at them I did not talk to any of them for most of the day. At, 11 am we arrived at the northern coast of Kenya and where we f would take the boat to Lamu Island. I remained angry at them until we got off the boat, dropped off our bags and got food. Then I saw the beauty that was Lamu and all was forgiven. We went swimming and then I took a nap...

written by  crAsh13 on August 14, 2007 from Lamu, Kenya
from the travel blog: East Africa in 2007
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We spent our days on Lamu, swimming, drinking Old Pals (best drink) eating samosas and just simply relaxing.

There are a group of guys that live on the island and are fishers but more accurately, beach boys. They hang out, go sailing, drink and swim. They are a very friendly bunch. I really could not walk past them without stopping to chat. This is where the phrases, Hakuna Matata(no worries) and Poli (slowly) were drilled into my head. I was constantly reminded to slow down and relax. Being quite it was a constant worry that something was wrong and most of these guys would make huge efforts to get a smile.

Lamu is also where I found out that my bag was stolen from Nairobi. It was hard to stay mad in such a beautiful place, and I believe it allowed me to handle the upset with a certain level of grace. However, the fun had to come to an end. With no ATMs on the island we soon ran out of4 money. I had to get back to Nairobi to meet Kelsey and Malia. I was told by several to stay and tell them to get on a flight straight to the island...didn't think that would go over well. The boys did not want to leave, so I took a flight. flying out was sad but rain had moved in so I was able to say good bye.

Old Pals:

Double shot of vodka
Single shot of bitters
Soda water
squeeze of fresh lime
ice cubes

and a sugared rim

written by  crAsh13 on August 20, 2007 from Lamu, Kenya
from the travel blog: East Africa in 2007
tagged Lamu and Kenya
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Marc was unable to pick me up at the airport but sent to rather nice gents to collect me. They showed me a delightful weekend around Nairobi and then on Tuesday I set out to see the elusive Marc Goss. It was like hunting a white rhino (four left in the world). I went with Marcus and Kuzi in a old military land rover that is lovingly referred to as A my on an eight our drive to a place called Tiata. This is where marc has been spending the better part of his time planting trees and hunting poachers. We stayed the night there and then headed to the coast... first stop Malindi. Kuzi is a DJ and had a gig at a huge beach bar that was pretty phenomenal. at about 445am I finally got to sleep to be promptly awoken at 6am by Marc, Marcus and Kuzi on a mission for Lamu. They got me in the car and set out by 630...i think i refused to talk to them for about two and a half hours. But all was forgotten when we arrived at Lamu and I set my eyes on one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The water and the scenery are perfect. Small towns snugged in sand dunes on crystal blue beaches. The first night we were taken to a birthday party at the most expensive house on the island...It was enormous, beautiful and very African in design. Lots of good music, alcohol and company. There was also a big wedding going on in the town so we got to experience the foods and rituals of that, it lasted about four days. The town loses power most nights for several hours and I don't think i saw one tv the entire time I was there. There is only one car on the entier island and that is the ambulance; otherwise all travel is by foot or donkey. Water is either bottled or supplied through desalinization.

The town is a mix of European tourists and quite Muslim community. I ate samosas and chai everyday and sat on the beach to watch the sun set. The archipelago is only about 60 miles from Somalia and thrives on fishing. Somewhere in the mix of enjoying paradise i was informed of news that should have shattered me....

I left my main bag, with most everything (literally) in Nairobi...with a friend. His house was robbed and everything is gone. After moments of being upset I embraced my misfortune and was relieved that I had my good camera with me. Everything was lost but replaceable and hell, at least the worry of it all being stolen is gone now because, well shit, it has already happened. It did not ruin my stay in Lamu, tried to have even more fun, out of spite. And took some amazing pictures. Which I will try to put up before I head out.

I am back in Nairobi now. Went to some good jazz last night at this place called Carnivore...I know fitting for me. And am now just about done replacing what I need to before I head out. Kelsey and Malia get in tomorrow night and some friends are heading out on Saturday so we should have a good weekend before we head out. I will try to get pictures up from Lamu and travels before we leave Nairobi.

I am still full of a lust for adventure, a love for Africa and the determination to seize it all!

written by  crAsh13 on August 22, 2007 from Nairobi, Kenya
from the travel blog: East Africa in 2007
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