Lamu Island: boats, boats, and more boats!

I chatted with these cute boys for a while about the boat they were building.
I imagine they were dreaming of one day operating a real boat when they get old enough

Because Lamu is an island there is constant movement of boats to the mainland, other nearby islands, or even from one town to another (like Lamu town to Shela). In the past it was only dhows (wooden boats with sails), but more and more boatmen are now using diesel engines to power their boats. Gloria and I commonly use buses and vans (called 'matatu') to move around various parts of Kenya, so it was an easy switch to use boats while we were at Lamu.




The video above and the picture below were taken a few days before a highly anticipated annual boat race on January 1st; naturally it was only for experienced adults. But before that big day, several youngsters held their own race with their small homemade boats. 

There are two towns on this side of Lamu Island - Lamu and Shela. They're just two miles apart, but during high tide the only way to move between the two is by boat. We went there a couple of times, once for a swim and lunch, plus also to watch the annual dhow race.

Beautiful Shela beach and sand dunes. I took this photo from Manda Island.
It's believed that the dunes conceal the remains of long-deserted settlements.

These guys are making a sail

Many earn their living by diving in the ocean for seafood.
This guy wanted to sell his recently-caught lobster to me.

People alight from a boat after docking at Lamu's quite busy pier

"Slow travel advocates savor the journey, travelling by train or boat or bicycle, or even on foot. They take time to plug into the local culture instead of racing through a list of tourist traps."    ~ Carl Honore, In Praise of Slow: Challenging the Cult of Speed