Pulling Teeth in Paradise

Hello Everyone! It’s been quite some time since my last blog! Since finishing placement, we’ve been on the go and there hasn’t been much down time for me to write! Currently we are in Zanzibar, and it most definitely has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. But for now, let me update you on the hidden paradise that I call Lamu…

Let me tell you that getting to Lamu was no easy journey. We decided (probably against everyone’s better advice) to take a night bus from Kisumu to Mombasa. How many hours you ask? 18 hours. That’s right everyone, 18, long and uncomfortable hours. Let me also tell you that when we stopped for a bathroom/go in the woods break, I stepped into a swamp, lost my Birk and had to fish it out with my hands. In other news, someone tried to sell Mary carrots while she was doing her business. Why did we take the bus you ask? Because flying would have cost us $250 and the bus cost us $10. So we sacrificed ourselves, and apparently our luggage, which was thrown in the compartment with hundreds of smelly fish. Although they assured us that none of our luggage would be with any fish, when we got our backpacks it smelt worse than a rotting carcass (and I know what that smells like since I came upon a large rotting cow in Lamu). We (finally) arrived in Mombasa at 9am and checked into our 900KSH ($9/night) triple room which was most definitely the shadiest place I have ever stayed. Broken windows, an unfriendly toilet and mosquito nets with holes all over (my parents were not pleased). We roamed around Mombasa and found it decent, but wish we had time to go to the beaches which are supposed to be beautiful. However, in the day that we were there, we managed to go to Old Town and Fort Jesus which were both gorgeous. Fort Jesus is a Portuguese fort built in 1593 by order of King Philip I of Portugal, then ruler of the joint Portuguese and Spanish Kingdoms, located on Mombasa Island to guard the Old Port of Mombasa (Wikipedia’d that). We walked around for most of the day and then booked a bus to Lamu (as if we didn’t learn our lesson the first time) which was leaving at 7am the next morning. We slept for about 4 hours (which in hindsight was better since the less time in those beds, the better) and got on our “luxury” bus. Because we booked so late, all three of us got shoved to the back. You know when we were kids, and we’d make sure to be first in line so we could get the very back seat in the bus which was supposed to be the best? Who told us that was cool? All three of us came out of the bus ride with umpteen bruises and cuts because the road was SO bumpy and the driver could care less about the fact that our stomachs were coming out of our mouths…anyways, we finally arrived in Lamu after 8 long hours, and then the fairytale begins…

When we spoke to others about Lamu, the response we’d get was “yeah, it’s really nice, you should go there”. Let me tell you that if you asked me the same, I would tell you to make Lamu a priority on your bucket list. It is a stunning island which is Kenya’s oldest living town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once you get off the bus, a boat takes you to Lamu Island. Somehow in the time that we had to get off the bus and get onto the boat, Nik managed to drop her Birkenstock into the water. Luckily, someone managed to fish it out for her and we were on our way. Lamu has no roads, just footpaths and everyone moves around by foot, boat or donkeys. It is amazing what a difference it makes when you see no motorized vehicles in a place. We had booked a hostel called “Kipepeo” (translation: Butterfly) Guesthouse before arriving and we were not disappointed. The owner, Ali, gave us the top floor of the house which overlooks the ocean. It was definitely a step up from the hole we stayed at in Mombasa! Besides Lamu Island, there is also another island called Shela which has some of the most amazing beaches, although it was affected by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. We spent many of our days tanning on the beaches of Shela, eating some great sushi and hanging out with camels.

As Lamu was on the main Arabian trading routes, the population is largely Muslim. With Ramadhan just ending, we were lucky enough to be in Lamu for Eid! When I told my parents that, they were so excited for me, because I would be able to experience what Eid is like in a country where everyone celebrates it, and were they ever right! We met some people the day before who invited us to celebrate Eid with their family. We couldn’t believe how nice they were to just let us into their celebration, but I for one was not going to turn the offer down, and Nik and Mary were more than excited to experience Eid! Our friend, Mohammed, told us that it would be a busy morning, but we had no idea what we were in for. Usually in Canada, everyone lives so far apart that you usually make it to a few houses within a day, or gather at the house of the eldest relative. In Lamu, everyone lives in such close proximity to one another, that by the end of the morning, we had gone to 12 different houses! As we went from house to house, we were offered some Swahili coffee (kahawa), juice, sweets, and Mary & Nik’s favourite – samosas. They were having the time of their lives, and Mary indicated that she would probably start celebrating Eid yearly (but would leave out the fasting part). It was an incredible experience, and everyone was so welcoming to us that even though I missed my family a lot on this day, I couldn’t have asked for a better morning! In the afternoon, a dhow boat competition was to take place. Once again, Mohammed and his friends and family invited us on their boat to watch the race. We thought we’d be on some sort of speedboat, but when we arrived, we were led to a huge boat, complete with couches, a flat screen and surround sound. It was such a great day! At night, we took a boat to the “floating bar restaurant” which is literally that – a hut that floats in the middle of the ocean and if you step too much to one side, you will actually fall into the water!

Although I was having a great time in Lamu, my wisdom tooth was giving me an insane amount of pain. I have been avoiding this tooth for forever, dreading to get surgery back home. Usually at home, the pain comes and goes within a day and then I forget that I ever have to deal with it. But of course, when I’m finally on vacation and it’s time to enjoy, I have nothing but pain. I tried to numb the pain with 4 advils/day but it just wasn’t working. I spoke to someone on the island who told me that I could get it checked out at a free clinic at a children’s orphanage and that he could take me there. I didn’t even ask Nik & Mary to come, because I thought it would be no big deal. But as soon as I got there and opened my mouth, the dentist told me that it had to come out! Going to the bathroom in a hole, I can handle. Showering with a bucket, I can also handle. I can even handle petting a cheetah in a cage. But getting my tooth extracted on a tiny island in the middle of Africa was on a whole other level. I told him that maybe I could do it in Canada and he said that there was no choice in the matter. So without anyone with me, I went into the room, sat down on a chair upright, got a few needles in my mouth to make me numb and out came my tooth with a pair of pliers (or at least it seemed so). He threw some gauze in my mouth, gave me a few pills, and told me to be on my merry way. I asked him about swelling and pain and all that good stuff, and he said not to worry about any of it. I couldn’t believe it really since getting your wisdom teeth pulled back home is always such a big deal. So I trotted him, waiting for 20 minutes, took the piece of gauze out of my mouth like he instructed, popped a couple of pills, and I was fine. Until now, I have had no pain and no swelling – just a big hole in the back of my mouth which makes me very happy and saved me $1000. It’s like I won the lottery!

I realized I have now babbled on for what seems like an eternity. I have so much more to say, but will save it and post pictures in the near future instead. All three of us felt so incredibly lucky to experience such a beautiful place. Lamu is truly a hidden paradise.

Love, donkeys and healthy teeth,

Shahla