The magic of Lamu continues... Holiday trip to the East Coast of Kenya

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Describe the crossing is difficult, the words do not come out, just my eyes engulf everything around me ... The boat is huge, motorized transports people and cargo, boxes full of rice, corn meal, flour, sacks of potatoes and coal, all this makes me imagine the world in which I am walking .... so many questions ... curious as a child and knowing that I definitely was shocked by what I then saw ...
Women with children to enjoy the spray that occasionally came, young men who watched the older between a prayer and the other is telling ....
And about nothing .... or rather all! All of nature at its best ... and blinding stretches of green water from the various colors ... sometimes we were spectators of a group of dolphins that ran beside the boat ....
At some point you stop suddenly, I see nothing around, only the green of the mangroves and the blue of the sea ... but at some point a couple of boats like those found in Watamu to reach the island 's love, come to us and yell "Pate Pate ... ..." From there people who collect her belongings and her children away from the barge down to occupy one of these boats that will take them in the village of Pate ...
And so close to every village .... the boat stops ... the boats come ... people collect their luggage and away ....
Meanwhile, I guess my descent from the barge to reach the boat ... and smile!
The whole journey is quiet, calm sea and the sun begins to warm up .....
Finally we arrive at the last village of Pate Kizingitini .... .... and here we got off ...
I do not see boats for us .... Hadha me that we should get on a boat sailing ... what was there before reaching ...
There she is ... .. we go .... I know we arrange Hadha friends, and with us up an old school teacher just Hadha ... divide the crossing that will take us finally to Ndau ....
This was harder because instead and then navigate along the mangrove channels here by browsing the open sea or ocean better .... mmmm ..... no comment!
If it was not for clean air that you breathe and the sun warming ... well I do not know if I told them!
2 hours of crossing, and here we are finally in the much-nominated in the family, Ndau island ... a little 'a little older ... the other view is spectacular ... huge baobab trees overlooking the sea stretches of sand ... ... and then those little colorful houses framing a bay out of the ordinary ....
Off the boat to sail directly into the water ... nothing strange for me now ... my pareo gets wet and I'm already an integral part of this place ...
Waiting on the beach's brother Hadha, Haissam and the little son of Haji Biti's sister who lives in Watamu with us, he is studying here at Ndau .... how exciting to see him again!! Hugged me and with his "hello How are you "all learned Italian in Watamu fills my heart!! load baggage sull'asino family and we go towards the way home ....
In the meantime, I dwell on this enchanted place where nothing and no one seems ever to pass from hand to civilize ... "behind" the houses to avoid having to stop at every house to greet and get to home in pitch darkness .. .
And here we are ... the house white and blue, with a tin roof, the porch here be mama and baba Mariam Bakari ... Oh how exciting to cross the eyes of this woman .... deep and full of joy because they finally know "Aisha" the white wife of his son, so I was baptized ....
I am happy and at the same time I feel out of place, but they with all their hospitality and all their affection made me feel at home .... this is my family ... my African family!!
From here, begin the presentations of my other sisters-in-law ... ... sandals, the youngest 6 years, Shams, Alima Sharifa and her sisters, then Tima, the daughter of great Biti, and Fortuna, the daughter of an uncle who now live in Italy ....
All looks at me curiously, I touch your hair, feel my smell, and then offer me a glass of soda, which they had prepared especially for me ... Here there is nothing, no shop, no bar, no nothing, the if you get it going to eat once a month or some main island of Lamu, where supplies arrive ...
There is only rice, flour and fish, occasionally someone is sacrificing a few goats and divide the meat, cows providing the milk and nothing more ... the water comes from the well or better .. Then we go from land to sea ... . eat the fruit that exists on the island ... coconut mango ... ... small berries that come from trees "kunazi" So eat what nature provides ...
And from here I start asking me questions ... I will eat what??
It does not matter ... one that offers this wonderful place tarnishes all appetite and I am satisfied the good coconut rice, chapati and some good fish at every meal here that never fails ....
Go from house to house to greet friends and relatives all very kind and hospitable at every house we sit down and see you offer sweets and candies ... all takes my hand and scrutinized me from head to foot as if I was an extra-terrestrial the thing I enjoy and at the same time I feel embarrassed smiles ... there ... the children running after us and accompany us curious .... from house to house up to the sunset ... we decide to go back .. there is no moon tonight that can light our way ....
The days pass and my experience grows .... long walks on white sand beaches of Ndau to discovering every corner .... all of which we leave the house in the morning and evening they are back doveli we had left to spy on us ....
We visited the school where he studied Hadha, his professors were shocked when they saw him appear not to have recognized this and her "mimi Hadha" a smile and a hug were a must ... even here the excitement rose and took me body and soul .... the students peered through the doors of classrooms and wondered who they were strangers "wagen" and shouting and everyone came out to say hello!
The light is for the few, the water for all ..... everyone knows everyone and everyone helps ... there is a small hospital but women give birth in their homes .... this morning I woke up and cry a child in the house was close to the world ....
Goats, cows and donkeys roam the streets and stop in front of their homes as if they were the inhabitants ... cats and chickens live together incredibly ...
Today the moon is almost full and it seems that Ndau has suddenly turned on even at night ... it's nice to walk the streets lit only smell and taste the ocean ... .....
The days are over ... our visit to our family for now ends here ...
The return is full of life and thoughts to the world that you do not ever lose ... and will always be part of my life ... my life here in Kenya ....
Lamu and its archipelago are unique in the world and Kenya is proud of it .....


( "for those who want to live a similar experience can contact me and visit www.kivulitoursafari.com")