February 2022
Kenya did not at all pan out the way we had intended it…
After much consideration of WHERE in Kenya we should live for a month, (after Tanzania), we selected Lamu island , just off the shore in Kenya, in the Indian Ocean, about 150 miles from Mombasa.
Lamu Island caught our interest due to it being one of the oldest surviving and best preserved East African Swahili towns. The Swahili culture was immensely successful, for several centuries, with its economy which was based on naval commerce and the trade of goods from landlocked African countries to India and East Asia.
It was to be a tranquil affair, a month on a charming island where dwellings are built in coral stone and mangrove timber and have survived the test of time and history. What attracted us, in addition to the history and architecture, is the blend of African, Persian, Indian, Asian and European people and their respective cultures on Lamu Island.
Alas, it was not to be…
But let’s rewind to the start of our Kenya adventure.
From Tanzania, we elect to drive across the border, (rather than take a flight), from the town of Arusha all the way to Kalifi in Kenya, which becomes a long, very hot journey in an old car (without air conditioning), for an eight hour drive.
We have some visa issues at the border, as the date on our visa is actually for a few days later, which could easily have held us up completely. For a while there, we thought we might have to turn around and go back to the nearest town in Tanzania for a few days.. Fortunately, our savvy driver was able to help us negotiate our way across the border and into Kenya. After hearing the thump of our visa stamp, we went behind the visa office, to a big bare room to get our covid tests in hand for the last component of the border crossing.
The plan is to arrive at the beach of Kilifi, for a few days before flying (to Nairobi and on for another short flight to Lamu Island), lured to this Kilifi by a particularly attractive looking Airbnb.
We have a few days exploring the little town of Kilifi, and enjoying the beach, before we are scheduled to fly to the island of Lamu.
While tuk tuking around doing errands such as getting sim cards for our phones, searching for a replacement suitcase for one of ours which has a broken zipper, and buying fruit, we also find an English language newspaper.
After an hour in a hot unventilated sim card shop, leaving Peta in the tuk tuk happily reading the paper rather than standing in line… she shows me an article in the newspaper which has caught her attention and which she is visibly alarmed by.
And which she undoubtedly thought I would dismiss off hand as not being of risk.
We have run into similar situations, whereby official guidance from various entities, like the U.S .State Department warns people not to travel to a particular place, and our experience is often that reality on the ground does not at all reflect the level of alarm that transpires through such official guidance. After all, we lived in Nicaragua for 6 years while the U.S. State Deparment painted a picture of a powder keg, and likewise in Sri Lanka for 3 years. (Mind you, at the time of this writing, today, both Nicaragua and Sri Lanka are indeed in a state of political and societal explosion, but that’s now, not when we lived in either country).
OK back to Kenya and the present state of affairs.
Much to Pete’s surprise, I am NOT dismissing this article off hand, in fact it is very much a red flag.
This renewed warning of potential Kenyan airspace attack is VERY specific. It describes with surprising specificity the location “40 degrees east longitude”, which is ahem, the very same area we would fly to. This tiny airport distinguishes itself as both the airport that serves Lamu Island, but also shares a space with a U.S. military base in Kenya and a site that has had major run ins with Al Shabab in the past.
On the same day, in the same paper, another article seemed rather pertinent:
So 2 + 2 = 4 and the combo of 4 killed Al Shabab terrorists by Kenyan Defense forces, combined with the U.S. F.A.A. warning of “don’t fly there, these guys have ground to air rockets”, means that we decide to cancel our month long stay on Lamu Island.
It feels like an unnecessary and uncalled for risk. We immediately need to pivot and come up with a plan B.
(And as a post script, the very same Al Shabab did carry out a terrorist attack in Southern Somalia, right next door, they managed to kill 170 African Union troops just a few weeks after our decision to skip Lamu.)
This sudden reality-based turn of events leads us to rethink real time what to do with our month in Kenya.
No shortage of choices, more of a case of choosing wisely so as to make the most of our time. We decide that we will use this opportunity to combine a beach stay further North along the coast in Watamu (upcoming in the next blog post) with time in the capital city of Nairobi...
Nairobi, we had intended to avoid. Why go to one of the biggest, busiest cities in Africa, famous for its traffic and congestion? Now, that we have time to “play with” in Kenya (our tickets are already pre booked for our next stop in South Africa and as we will depart from Nairobi), we decide to take the time to experience a slice of this city after all.
We book 2 Airbnbs for short stays in Nairobi, and 1 Airbnb at Lake Naivasha a 2 hour drive to the West, so as to get time in different parts of this huge city without having to be constantly in taxis for hours.
First Airbnb in Nairobi, a “tree house” in a leafy upscale suburb. Hot tub on the deck, overlooking nature.
Four days at Lake Navaisha in an Airbnb right on the edge of a game park where giraffe and wildebeest walk by the edge of the property! Our week end getaway!
In the suburb of Karin, we stay in an Airbnb with a gorgeous garden. The land was once part of Karen Blixon’s large property (author of Out of Africa).
Thanks to our first Airbnb host, we are able arrange a meeting with Joanne, an artist and founder of a local initiative who inspires many young girls living in Korogocho slums. Joanne is a social and environmental activist and role model for hundreds of girls. Her inspiring project, known as The Warembo Wasanii Initiative brings art into the community, recycles materials from the local municipal dump, and most importantly brings hope and self esteem to young girls in what is a pretty challenging environment. Our visit to Joanne’s project in Korogocho is the highlight of our stay in Nairobi.
To see this super cool project and our visit, watch the YouTube below.
Coming up next on the blog: Our stay on the beach in Watamu in Kenya.
As of this writing, (May 20th), after Kenya, we spent 5 weeks in South Africa, Peta’s home country.
Yes, we are still VERY behind in our blog, because well, what with global travel each month for the past 9 months and our Youtube Channel, and work obligations… it will take us a while to (hopefully, eventually) catch up.
Instagram is where we are keeping a visual dairy of our adventures and regularly post Peta’s best photos and stories. You can find us @greenglobaltrek.
Currently, we are in our last African country, staying in an Airbnb in Maputo, Mozambique.
Thanks for reading and watching us!
Ben & Peta
Hi, Ben and Peta – I am greatly enjoying travelling vicariously with you on this journey. Wise decision to cancel your stay on Lamu Island. The photos of your Plan B (and all of your photos here) are stunning. Wishing you safe continued travels.
Nice to read you are enjoying traveling vicariously with us. Yes, no regrets re canceling. Probably would have been fine, but not worth the stress or the risk. We ended up having a wonderful time in Kenya nonetheless and in fact saw much more than we would have, had we just spent our month in Lamu Island.
Thanks for the lovely compliment on the photography.
P&B
How wonderful to hear about your stay in Kenya. You are so flexible, which is why you can do this. I am a huge fan of Karen Blixen and would love to see where she lived in Kenya. I look forward to hearing more about your adventures. xo
Thanks Darlene. These days flexibility is key for travel no matter where. So many unknowns and one just has to be ready to be adaptable.
We had no idea we were booking an Airbnb on the former grounds belonging to Karen Blixon, it was interesting to be right in the same region where she had lived, which is now an upscale suburban area outside of the city of Nairobi. Then of course it was all wild, as was so much of the region which has been taken over now by development.
Peta
Glad the Kenyan stay was good for you. We’ve been lucky enough to travel there extensively.
What was your favorite part of Kenya that you enjoyed the most Peggy?
When I first learned about Lamu Island (probably in 2014), I was immediately intrigued, mostly because of its history. However, when I realized about its relative proximity to the Somali border, I must admit I was a bit concerned. Then the terrorism-related threats happened. I’m glad you decided to stay clear of this area for now because as Ben said, the threat was very specific. I hope one day the security situation on Lamu Island will improve so tourists will return. By the way, I love the look of your accommodations in Nairobi! I know this is counterintuitive, but I’m actually very curious about the Kenyan capital.
Bama, interestingly tourists continue to visit Lamu Island. In fact, the flight we were booked on was totally full, as are many of the flights in and out. Everyone has a different risk tolerance level I guess. People who have been many times continue to go as they always have… I do hope we get to visit there one day. We also did not go to Zanzibar because we knew we were going to Lamu, which attracts less travelers than Zanzibar.
Nairobi was after all a very interesting place to visit and extremely surprisingly lush in the surrounding suburb areas. We even went for a walk in the thick forest right in the city… the largest urban forest in the world apparently. Very cool.
P&B
I’ve been following on all your other media, and your African stay has been a fantastic mix of countries, cultures, and abodes. The latter have been spectacular; I am impressed with your ability to ferret out the most amazing places to stay. I’ve experienced coastal Africa in the west and south, but our time in East Africa has been more typical (safari-ish), so following your travels here has been illuminating. (Nairobi, too, which we have not explored.) I can’t believe how long you’ve been on the continent now! I believe Mozambique is the last, right? Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Lex, we have loved spending five of our ten months in Africa. It has been interesting, amazing and eye opening. Hopefully this is the start of an African chapter of our Green Global Trek as we feel as though we have just touched the surface. Interested to know where in West Africa you have been and whether you recommend anything specific as we do hope to be back for more!
Current on our African wishlist: Ethiopia, Senegal, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cap Verde…. Botswana, Zambia.. It feels endless and five months seems wayyy too short.
Yes, Mozambique is our last stop in Africa, just a few more days here in Maputo. We continue our historical domino game, going to Portugal, the former colonial power that governed Mozambique for centuries.
Peta
I’ve only been to Ghana in the west, but I’ve gone twice and have seen a fair amount of Accra, the coast, and Kumasi. It’s all interesting (and there are some amazing markets). The Cape Coast with its incredibly sad slavery history is worth a visit but not what I could call “fun.” You’re now off the continent, but good luck getting back someday! (Botswana and Zambia are also on our wish list!)
What an amazing experience. Those mixed media paintings are incredible and the recyclable costumes super creative. Wonderful video and commentary, you two. Sorry you didn’t manage to go to the island. It would have been a nice break from all the in-depth travel.
Thanks Liesbet for stopping by to read us and pleased to know that you enjoyed the video so much!
We are very much of the philosophy that “if it’s not meant to be then it’s not meant to be” and that “things have a way of working out.” Yup, a bummer but after a day of that, once we made the decision we move forward and on….
Maybe one day we will get a chance to go there…
Peta
Thanks Liesbet for stopping by to read us and pleased to know that you enjoyed the video so much!
We are very much of the philosophy that “if it’s not meant to be then it’s not meant to be” and that “things have a way of working out.” Yup, a bummer but after a day of that, once we made the decision we move forward and on….
Maybe one day we will get a chance to go there…
Peta
Good decision – safety needs to be a consideration. And it looks like you had some great alternatives.
In retrospect, we were not unhappy with the whole outcome.
Your airbnb in Kilifi looks so relaxing.
That was a gorgeous Airbnb. However, the beach and whole town in Watamu was overall way. more interesting than Kilifi. Thanks for stopping by.
Peta & Ben
This was interesting to read, changing your travel plans as you went along. Very street smart and experienced to pivot and stay safe – and safety always comes first. Stunning Airbnbs, and so cool to see wildlife walk by your accommodation. They seem friendly. Joanne sounds like such an inspiration, giving back to the community and helping young girls move forwards. It must have been a pleasure to meet her. I am really enjoying following both of you on Instagram, all so organised. Take care 🙂
Thanks Mabel for all your comments. We did have some wonderful Airbnbs in Kenya.
Joanne was certainly one of the most inspirational people we met and it was fabulous to be able to visit and see some of the achievements of the young girls.
Thanks for following along.
Peta & Ben
I’m behind in the reading as you’re behind in the blogging, but nonetheless, this post was another fascinating and informative educational one for me, with incredible photos. Yes, you made a smart choice, but no surprise since you both are such consummate travelers. Thanks for posting this and I do follow your Instagram almost every day! Oh and thank the heavens for people like Joanne.
Thanks Pamela.. Boy if we were behind then, we certainly got even more behind. Instagram is so much easier to keep up with, much less time investment that’s for sure.
Yes, Joanne is so inspirational. We have kept in touch and the program continues to grow and have impact.
Peta & Ben
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