So Lamu... Our tropical island holiday was absolutely amazing- Lamu is gorgeous in every way. Located just off the coast of Kenya north of Melindee, it's a beautiful, old Islamic settlement with so much history and intrigue that one week was definitely not enough. And if you get tired of wandering around the bustling, narrow streets, there's always the kilometers of pristine white sand beaches and the beautifully warm Indian ocean to swim in...
So there's only a few cars on the island, one for the DC and a 3-wheeled 'Tuk-tuk' which is the ambulance. apart from that we saw a tractor and a motorbike, and everyone else gets around by foot, donkey or dhow (boat). We became known quickly as 'the girls who walk everywhere' because of our limited budget, despite the constant offers by 'captains' (everyone's a captain... there are more captains than boats) of dhow rides or by entrepreneurs of donkey rides (an when I say 'constant you think I'm exaggerating...).
We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to have an entire, three-story guest house to ourselves, so we slept on the rooftop each night and enjoyed extended, peaceful mornings of prayer. Despite the rather morbid manager (who had fairly distinct views on 'those Americans' and all things not Kenyan) the place was a perfect escape and truly (literally...) a God-send for Shayla and I. I'm so glad we got to spend that time together before I abandoned her :) and so glad also that Shayla got o have a well-deserved break halfway through a difficult 8 month assignment. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience, though for God all things are possible so perhaps one day we'll both get to do it all again... :)