Swahili style

For the past seven days the Muslim call to prayer ("Allah akhbar, Allah akhbar") has been our wake-up call, indicating that we have arrived in a very different part of Kenya. Instead of churches there are mosques (and we seem to have stayed right next to one every night!), instead of the traditional Kenyan dress kikoi, most women are draped in the all-encompassing black bui bui, and people's faces show not only African influences but traces of Persian, Indian and Arab cultures (our guide in Mombasa Old Town, Suleiman, told us his ancestors were not just Bantu Africans, but hailed from exotic locations such as Yemen, Zanzibar and the Punjab in India). Suleiman's heritage is a typical example of the Swahili, a trading culture that acted as a middle man for traders from China, Arabia, Persia and India from the 15th to 19th century. In Kenya the Swahili homelands are Mombasa, Malindi & the island of Lamu, all of which we visited during a week-long trip on the coast. I instantly fell in love with all things Swahili - the labyrinth of narrow corridors in the old towns; the traditional houses made of coral and mangrove poles; the intoxicating smell of incense and exotic spices; the bustling market places teeming with herbalists, fabric importers and spice traders; the dhows gracing the shoreline; donkeys carrying loads of wares, and last but not least the fantastic Swahili cuisine with cardamon tea, splashes of coconut milk, fresh fish, fragrant herbs and a touch of pili pili (chili). Because we arrived in Mombasa a day before Ramadan started we often had to wait for meals until after 6:30pm, but on several occasions our patience was richly rewarded. On our last night in Lamu, for instance, we joined a Muslim family when they broke the fast and were treated by Hassan and his sister Aisha to a feast of dates, samosas, coconut bread, rice, chili potatoes, fresh greens, fish cooked in coconut milk and sweet treats as dessert. It seems that the deprivation of the day during Ramadan is more than compensated for after sunset!

The only negative aspect of our stay along the Sawhili coast was the incessant dealing with touts - very persistent (often quite agressive) young men whose sole purpose in life it seemed to be to sell us a boat trip, jewellery or other touristy knick-knacks. I'm aware that this is part of visiting new places, but these guys really made us feel like chased animals during a safari! It's all the more ironic considering Lamu's slogan: "No cars, no stops, no hassle". I agree with the first two statements but the latter one will only ring true if these touts take their own advice of going pole pole. I'll leave the tale of a junkie in Malindi posing as a fisherman for another day ;-).