Corniche

All hail the workers of the world, past and present, who have gifted us a public holiday today for Labour Day.

I had a coffee at one of the hotels in Shela as Jolene and Stand By Your Man piped through the restaurant. Then I strode out on the ‘corniche path’ to Lamu Town. I had assumed corniche was a reference to some moment of French interference several centuries ago, as various European powers liked to get involved in bother on the East African coast, leaving fortresses and genes in their wake. However, thanks to Clare’s knack for research, I now know that corniche refers more generically to ‘a road cut into the edge of a cliff, especially by the coast.’ Delightful!

There weren’t any carved out cliffs but the route to Lamu Town skirted the beach, passed in front of grand dilapidated houses, and overcame rocks. It was fun when the tide situation involved wading, and even more interesting watching the motorbike (boda-boda) drivers cross the lapping waves.

In Lamu the heat and humidity were high. I wandered the shaded narrow alleys and markets of this UNESCO World Heritage site, understood to be the best preserved traditional Swahili settlement in East Africa. Even though it is Ramadan and many places are shut during the day, I managed to find a café to rehydrate as the sweat was pouring out copiously.

Back down the corniche and I rested from the heat for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening I was back at the Italian restaurant in Shela which occupies a truly lovely spot near the jetty with small wooden tables clustered under an over-hanging tree. It all feels very authentic trattoria.

I ordered a passionfruit juice and spaghetti carbonara but it started raining heavily just before the food arrived, and diners were haphazardly thrust together on the two sheltered tables in a random clothes shop next door. A German couple whose food hadn’t arrived had to watch me slurp spaghetti from half a metre away, whilst sweating profusely, as hot food in these temperatures is liable to make me do. They passed the time discussing and translating an article about human rights abuses and illegal mining. An odd mealtime, but delicious food.