Independence Day Celebration

For the 4^th of July weekend, several of the volunteers decided to take a quick journey to Lamu, Kenya. We boarded the bus around 9:30am and arrived around 5:30pm, we thought it was going to only take 6 hours. So naïve we all still are here in Kenya.

Lamu is an island north of Mombasa, just short of the equator. I believe I have heard it described as the Venice of Africa. It definitely does not feel like Italy, but it is unmistakably unique. The stone streets and homes give you the immediate feel you have fallen back in time. The town is able to maintain its mystical ambiance by transporting items about town by donkey or cart since there are no automobiles on the island. Most of the streets are barely wide enough to allow two people to pass each other, much less the donkeys. (You can read more about Lama at http://bit.ly/tJ2Sc.) I would have loved to stay longer to take advantage of the beautiful beaches, but unfortunately we had to get back on Sunday.

The Amu House was charming, and the view from the top deck was just magnificent. Silus, the house manager, gave me the royal treatment, especially since I was the only guest at the time. Tourist season starts in a few weeks, so I got lucky with having the whole place to myself. (You can check out photos of the hotel at http://bit.ly/baQnU.)

The highlight of the trip was when Brian and I went for a donkey ride around town. The guide obviously had a sense of humor because he put Brian on a miniature donkey; it was so tiny that Brian’s feet were dragging the ground. Seriously, he was so minuscule that Brian’s fanny was bigger than the donkey’s. When we passed people, they would laugh and yell out “Mzungu on donkey,” which would only make us laugh even harder and bring even more attention to us. We laughed for the entire hour we were riding, to the point that I was crying and my stomach hurt the next day. (Can I classify this as my first work out in Africa?)

That same evening, after dinner with the group, I had to navigate the shadowy narrow stone streets back to my room. I did not have a flashlight, so the ominous twists and turns along the way made me quite nervous. I was not afraid for my safety for the streets of Lamu are harmless, however I did feel it was the perfect setting for a few ghosts. As many of you know, I love a good scary movie, so I felt like this was my Blair Witch moment. Staying in an ancient B&B alone only intensified the situation.  Getting into bed that evening I took extra precautions, I used the mosquito net even though I did not see any mosquitoes. I figured if it kept out the mosquitoes then it would possibly keep out the ghosts or at least detain them a bit. As I fell asleep, I hoped that I would be the heroine and be the star in the sequel.

Needless to say, this was probably one of the most hysterical Independence Day celebrations I have had to date and I am not quite sure I could ever top it. I hope to post some photos on Flickr, Internet willing.

My next post will be all about my project with Ujamaa, I promise.  I hope all of you had a wonderful 4^th of July weekend as well.