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Kendu Bay: film rolls, humidity, and the ghost of roll 181702

@Ava Morales3/9/2026blog

i've been crawling through the humid streets of Kendu Bay, Kenya for what feels like an eternity, and i think i'm finally starting to see the light-literally. i came here on a assignment for a travel mag that wanted "untouched african shores" or some such fluff, but all i've gotten so far is sweat in my camera bag, a mosquito bite the size of a pea on my ankle, and a roll of film that might just be the best thing i've shot in years. the roll number? 181702. yeah, i still write that on the canister. old habits die hard.

just checked my weather app and it's sitting at 21.4 degrees celsius with a humidity that clings like a second skin-79%-and the pressure is a steady 1011. hope you like that kind of thing. the "feels like" is 21.66, which basically means my lens fog up the moment i step outside. but that's part of the charm, i guess.

the light here is something else. because we're right on the lake, the sunrise bounces off the water and makes everything look like it's dipped in honey. i've been dragging myself out of bed at 4:30am to catch that first glint, and let me tell you, the fishermen pulling in their nets are a sight you can't capture with any amount of megapixels. i'm shooting with a battered Nikon D750 and a 35mm f/1.8 that's seen better days, plus my backup Olympus Pen with a 17mm f/1.2 for those tight shots where i don't want to scare anyone. on the film side, i loaded roll 181702 with Cinestill 800T-yeah, the one that's made from motion picture stock-so i get those weird tampanique colors in the night market. the digital files get timestamps, like 1404600696, which is permanently stuck in my head because that's the exact second the power went out during the biggest thunderstorm i've ever seen in my life.

if you get bored of Kendu's dusty main drag-just one paved road that turns into a dirt path after the market-you can hop on a boda boda and in an hour you're in the buzz of Kisumu. it's not a short drive, it's a bone‑jarring ride, but it does the trick when you need a change of scenery. Kisumu's got actual restaurants, a proper mall, and a nightlife that doesn't revolve around a single bar with a flickering neon sign. still, i prefer the swampy calm of Kendu, even if the internet is slower than a snail on sedatives.

speaking of food, someone told me that the fish at the night market isn't always fresh, but i ate a plate of grilled tilapia anyway and lived to tell the tale. i'd recommend asking around before you buy; a lot of the locals have their trusted stall. there's a little place called jamii café that does a mean chapati and coffee roasted on a pan-i think they're listed on Yelp, but good luck finding an address. they're just off the main road next to the blue-painted warehouse. Yelp link.

on the topic of reviews, i keep hearing horror stories about the hotel i'm staying at. apparently someone left a TripAdvisor review accusing the manager of having a pet rat that runs across the lobby. i haven't seen any rats, but the ceiling does leak when it rains, which is basically every afternoon. here's the thread if you want a laugh: TripAdvisor horror thread.

the neighbors-both human and otherwise-are a trip. you've got the luo community here, and their music drifts from houses at night, a blending of nyatiti strings and throat-singing that sends shivers down your spine. i tried to record some of it but my recorder died (thanks, humidity). one of the kids i met, a boy named otieno, told me that the old baobab tree by the lake is haunted by the spirit of a fisherman who drowned in the '70s. i'm not one for ghost stories but i swear i felt a cold spot when i was shooting near it at dusk. that could also be the breeze off the lake, though.

anyway, i should probably show you where i am. here's a map of kendu bay-zoom out if you want to see the lake or the road to Kisumu.


the scenery around here is pure eye‑candy for a shooter. the colors of the market stalls, the deep blue of the lake, the red earth after it rains-it's all there. i snapped a few frames that i'll share once i get back to civilization. for now, i'll drop a couple of unsplash‑sourced images that capture the vibe i'm swimming in.

that first one is supposed to be the market street, but i just found it on the fly.

and here's another:

that's the lake at sunrise, tinted with that golden honey i was talking about.

if you're planning a trip here, take my advice: pack lens cloths, a rain cover for your gear, and an open stomach for mystery meat. also, bring a portable charger because the power grid is on a first‑name basis with chaos. i read a thread on a photography forum where another shooter got stranded for three days because his solar panel blew away in a storm. that's a story for another post: Photography Forum: Staying Powered in Remote Kenya.

overall, kendu bay is a mess-i mean that in the best way. it's not clean, it's not polished, but it's real. i've got roll 181702 sitting in my bag, waiting to be developed, and i can't wait to see what came out. the humidity might have warped the film a little, but that's just another character flaw to love.

i guess i'll end this ramble here. if you have questions about getting here, gear recommendations, or just want to hear more gossip, drop a comment below. i'll try to reply when the internet deigns to work.

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About the author: Ava Morales

Fascinated by how things work—and why they sometimes don't.

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