Way leads onto way, which leads onto Lamu Island.

This week something very sad happened. I have spent the past few months backpacking around East Africa, and finally my time in this incredible part of the world came to an end. Very sad. Luckily however, this incredibly tragic event was over shadowed by an extremely happy event. I spend a week on the mythical cobbled streets and quiet sandy beaches of Lamu Island in Kenya.

Now this was no ordinary trip to Lamu Island. There was a very big difference between these seven days and the previous 90 odd of the trip - these days were spent in comfort and style. Here is a little story of my fantastic farewell to East Africa.

Life works in wonderful and mysterious ways. I have a very good, old and beautiful friend living in Nairobi. And, as it turned out, Lynsey had holiday from working in refugee camps in Kenya and needed a serious change of scenery. By chance, this holiday fell at pretty much the same time that I was going to be in Kenya. So off we went to Lamu. And as they say; when in Lamu, do as the Lumuns do.

So while the past four months had been spent sleeping in a tent, eating chipatti and drinking local brew - Lamu week was spent in luxury accommodation, eating fresh sea foods on beach-side restaurants and drinking fine alcohol like my man Jack D and his buddy wino tinto.

Lamu island is a tiny island off the coast of Kenya. It is mostly populated by Muslims and looks very much like Zanzibar; with tiny cobbled streets and Arabian architecture. Almost like a little town trapped in time. There are long white beaches with bath warm Indian ocean water which stretch for kilometers and kilometers. The streets are fulled with cute coffee shops and little stores selling baggy clothes made from light material. Compulsory dress code on Lamu. Yet, unlike Zanzibar, the streets are almost hassle free and the beaches and blue blue water are almost empty.

To add to the mix of this already interesting trip was that we arrived on Lamu during the last week of Ramadan. And on an island of mostly Muslims, this gave a distinctly authentic edge and atmosphere to our already exotic experience. From the moment that our tiny airplane touched down on the even tinier airstrip on the next-door island, and we jumped on a little motorized Dhow just in time to watch the exquisite sight of the sun setting over Lamu Town, there was a feeling of magic in the air.

It was one of those weeks in which we did a fortune while still doing absolutely nothing at the same time. A week flew by almost unnoticed and by the end you have nothing to show for it but a serious tan (even on me), a relaxed soul and 45 mumus and Somali man skirts.

Each day began with a dive into the ocean, not ten meters from our guest house. Followed by a big, long breakfast of eggs and fresh fruits and coffee, sitting on our shaded porch and comfy cushions overlooking the beach and palm trees below. We carried music speakers with us everywhere, which ensured that there was not only sunshine and the smell of sea salt and incense, but also a constant flow of reggae and dub. We would get lost in the endless alley ways and streets, minding or petting the donkeys as we walked. Lamu has no cars, only mule.

Soccer games on the beach, boat trips to town, long catch-up chats, sun-downers on the terrace, dancing at the floating bar (basically a nightclub floating about a kilometer off shore), henna tattoos, custom made comfy pants, a hospitable Lamu family next door, Quebec separatists, Somali friends, walks on the beach, prawns by the kilo, a small sunburn saga, long lunches, late dinners and early nights.

It was a pretty tough week. But someone had to do it. And im pretty glad that someone was me :)

The few months I spent in East Africa were some of the best that I can remember and this little trip to Lamu was the perfect way to end it off. But as they say; anyone who goes to Lamu once, goes to Lamu twice. So even if way does lead onto way, im pretty sure that at some point I will return.

From Lamu, it was an all night'er in Kenya before a 6am flight to Turkey. An unexpected 24 hour layover in Istanbul, and right now I'm in the Holy Land of Israel - the country of Humus, politics, trance and my birth. But more on that later....

ETA: A month in Israel and depending on whether war breaks out or not, maybe Jordan and Egypt too. Home on 26th of September. To all those still reading, thanks a lot and see you soon!

Eitan