Want my Travel Groove Back

From Mombasa we rode the bus to Lamu, the town I mentioned in my last post as Zanzibar-before-the-tourists, but relaxing it has not turned out to be.  We fly back to Nairobi tonight and I just want a day to relax before placement after this "vacation". 

We have been staying at a lovely hostel with awesome breakfast included (go fresh passion fruit juice!).  The downside was robbery.  And the fun of everyone we meet remarking on how nice it is to come to Lamu because it is so safe.  Safe other than getting robbed on the beach.  Hi-C and I are camera and phone-less.  And he also got a nice pair of prescription glasses - thank goodness I brought an old pair.  Thankfully no one was hurt and we were not carrying passports or identification.  Partly it is our own fault because we ended up on a part of the beach with no one else nearby and tried to return to civilization but we just weren't quite quick enough.  We had been lulled by everyone telling us that Lamu is the safest place in Kenya.  Expensive lesson #1:  don't let your guard down anywhere in Africa. 

We have been seeing the city with an American girl who lost some cash in "the incident" but managed to keep her camera.  All the photos I have of this lovely town are hers;  80% of the photos are of animals. I think I have a portrait of every single stray cat in the town and a few of every donkey.  Last night after dinner with a local family (which, instead of being a local cooking lesson and cultural event we paid too much for fish and ate dinner with tourists....but enough complaining) I rode their donkey home (name: Number 10).  Not the smoothest ride but a friendly donkey.  I am fairly sad there is no photo to commemorate my journey on donkey-back as people were remarking that I looked like a princess riding my donkey through town with my posse walking behind.  Oh, what a glorious 20 minutes it was. 

On top of the loss of goods, Hi-C spent yesterday rehydrating after spewing her lunch over one of the town garbage heaps.  To be honest, this is the first time I have lost the travel bug and I hope I can get it back.  The urge to pack it all up and head home is tempting.  The time difference doesn't make it any easier since prime times I can access the phone and internet are times when people at home are often sleeping or at work.  Instead of going home it is back to placement tomorrow and on to planning a presentation for a staff meeting Friday. 

Happy donkey at the donkey hospital servicing the island's 6000 beasts of burden.

The lovely arabic corner.

Hi-C feeding a donkey.

Lamu shoreline.

One of the Swahili doors.