KENIA # simplicity makes you happy

How this trip was planned...originally...

Dave and I know each other since 2001 from school. At that time we were very close because of our similar family history....his father from Pakistan and my mother from India...brother and sister was likely to call us!

Few years out of sight, but thanks to Facebook got in touch again, we started hanging out quite often. Together with his girlfriend and another friend we planned to travel originally to Lamu, an island on the North coast of Kenia. Short notice Dave´s girlfriend cancelled and another friend joined the trip, so 3 guys and myself ;)

The flights from Nairobi were a bit expensive to book them from Germany, so we were advised from a friend to book at the airport in Nairobi. As we arrived at the airport, normally you are issued the tourist visa directly upon arrival. Not if you have a British passport, that is almost expired and wrinkled from the washing machine....that's how Dave's passport looked like. We all started discussing with the local border police, who were about to send him back to Germany. We gave our best to convince the police, even that we all came to celebrate his 30th birthday. Finally they let him through and we could search for an agent to book a flight to Lamu. 

What a rip off asking for over 300 Dollars one way! The same agent then agreed to take us downtown to a hotel, since we didn't want to spend that amount and believed to find a cheaper alternative online. 

When we arrived at the hotel somewhere in Nairobi, we of course as newbies wanted to explore the surrounding...in the evening! Walking around with purse and cameras we quickly found out, that the area wasn't really welcoming. Weird looking people and dark streets made us turn around and head back to the hotel.

Let's check out online where in Nairobi we are....."the hotel is located in one of the worst areas of Nairobi. Please don't move around in the dark and if possible also daytime with taxis!" Where the hell were we?? Ok, then let's stay inside and start focussing on our trip to Lamu :)

It took us 2 nights and 3 days to search and find the best opportunity, so we spend the days exploring an elephant sanctuary....

....and a kind of zoo, feeding giraffes included ;)

Most delighting were the school kids we could meet in the zoo :)

Any flights we found were either fully booked, too expensive or simply not bookable. Asking hotel guests and staff we found out, that there might be a ferry from Mombasa to Lamu. Yeah, so we can take an 8 hour bus ride there, stay one night and then take the ferry. Well, the day of departure we found out there wasn't any ferry! Only possibility was to take a taxi to Malindi and from there a little airplane. So having no choice we got on the bus and got to Mombasa after 8 hours of luxurious travel with drinks and Wifi, while passing animals and little villages....somehow a relaxing sightseeing.

In Mombasa we had half day to walk through the streets of old town to get an impression of the real life behind the "pretty" tourist places....and of course met some warm hearted people, even the official ones ;)

As we were advised by locals in Nairobi we got in a taxi and got to Malindi, where we were supposed to take a flight to Lamu island. Well the airport was a small one floored building and so was the plane, small and with propellers.

When we got to the island, it wasn't our final destination yet....we had to carry our luggage to a boat, which then took us to Lamu island...

No cars allowed except for the major, the police officer and the doctor. More donkeys than people in cute little Muslim town with small streets, always a flair of a vibrant market....always a donkey here and there...