Amu Ranch

The mainland adjacent to the Lamu archipelago is called Amu.  There are several wildlife reserves on it and Amu Ranch is one managed in cooperation with the local community and the Sheldrick Trust.  There is a bit of a crisis there at the moment with thousands of heads of cattle ushered in daily by Somalis to graze on the land intended for the African buffalo, giraffe, zebra, topi, hippo, warthog and hundreds of other species.  The cattle destroy the land and bring disease the immune system of the wildlife is not prepared to withstand.  The cattle are purportedly owned by the Minister of Defense and Interior Security....Kenya's.  There are no ministers in Somalia; the government collapsed in 1991 and it's been a lawless mess for decades with the promise of a newly formed coalition government to be seated this month.  Insh'alla.

I was invited to fly on the plane that is documenting the cattle crisis a few days on the recent trip.  We literally herded cattle away from water and pushed herds together to make it a living hell for the Somalis on the ground to separate the herds.  Here are some snaps of that adventure, not recommended for tourists.  This post may need to come down for obvious reasons....enjoy while it's up.

Refueling the plane after flying from Manda to Amu (15 minutes).

The nubs on this tree are highly toxic and are scraped by indigenous people to apply on their spears for greater effect when hunting or making war.

The "cemetery" tree at Amu Ranch.  Buffalo.

Giraffe.

Warthog.

Cattle on the march to the water.

Herding them at 20 feet.

That's zebra below with the shadow of our plane.

More cattle.  I am hanging out of the window trying to get a good shot with no idea when the plane will take a sharp turn or dive closer to ground.  Iron stomach.

Manda airstrip.

Baby giraffe.  Maybe 7 weeks old with umbilical cord still attached.  Was separated from its herd because of the injury to its right rear leg.  Probably a spear wound.  We tried to "herd" it with the jeep back to its parents but it got jittery and ran into my door and then took off into the bush. 

Buffalo.

Red duiker.  Very rare to see one.

More cattle.  The lines on the land are from their movements in and out of Amu Ranch.

Pate Ruins

After traipsing through Siyu, we were driven to another village on Pate Island.  These ruins were adjacent to a township very similar to Lamu Town but not as frenetic and less densely populated.  The ruins are surrounded by banana plantations and tobacco crops.

Banana bloom.

Guides ahead of me while I keep shooting.

This may be a mosque ruin.  We didn't get too close as there was a snake alert.

Adjacent village built with coral and concrete.

Not quite the retail experience to be had in the tiny Emirate on the Gulf but ....

Tomb.

Midday prayer at the mosque.

Back of the tomb.

Brain coral in the wall.

Village graffiti next to a shop.

Lamu House and Local Ruins at Siyu Fort

A visit to the archeological ruins at Siyu Fort and Pate Island were made at the insistence of the Belgian proprietor of the Lamu House hotel.  This hotel is a spectacular property on the Lamu waterfront with impeccable attention to detail to its spare, elegant decor using local furnishings with a European touch here and there.  The restaurant serves hotel guests and other wayward locals or tourists looking for good food and some of the best service in Lamu and Shela.  I highly recommend staying at Lamu House: http://www.lamuhouse.com/

This is a Lamu House rooftop view from the terrace where we stayed overnight.

This is Siyu Fort on Pate Island 25km north of Lamu Town, accessible through mangrove creeks only at high tide.  Unlike the forts in Mombassa and Lamu built by foreigners, Siyu was built in the 19th century by local people to defend against Omani Arabs.

Local village men were expecting us and with our guide's introduction, allowed us into their village.

Siyu mosque.

Ruins of a house.

Burial tomb for a male.

Burial tomb for a female.  The grid pattern on the walls is where Chinese export porcelain would have served as decoration.  It's all been taken over the centuries.

View of the village children following us from the interior of the female tomb.

Ruins of a mosque said to date back 600 years.

I am obsessed with the mughal arch.

Siyu village life.

Who is a nugu? Nugu means monkey in Swahili and the kids jumped on the bars when I asked.

Relative of the local curator who showed us the ruins and the fort.

One of four ornate hand-carved doors serving as entrances to the fort.

Inside the fort walls reveals ruins of a mosque.

Mosque detail.

Inside the turret.

View of the channel where we arrived and a gorgeous acacia tree.