Lamu- Feel Free

Lamu was easily my favorite stop on our trip to the coast. In fact, Lamu is easily one of the most amazing places I have ever been to. I really enjoyed it! The Arab influence is even more prevalent in Lamu and many people there are Muslim. It was really cool to see all the women and men dressed up. The whole city had the feeling that you stepped back in time. The streets were designed to be very narrow to keep out the heat (trust me it was still extremely hot). Because the streets are so narrow, there are no cars or motorcycles on the island. The only form of transportation (besides walking) is a donkey. At any moment walking down a tiny alleyway, you could suddenly be forced into a doorway to avoid a line of donkeys lugging cement bricks on their backs.

While Lamu was definitely full of culture and history, it was still very modern. We were lucky enough to find an awesome (and cheap) guest house that we got to ourselves. Also, even though some people have concerns about safety in Lamu, I felt really comfortable there. The people were very friendly. The atmosphere was probably why I loved it so much. It was very relaxed and one of the expressions people used a lot there was “feel free.” Definitely a great way to describe the island.