This week at Thursday’s Special, Paula has asked us to interpret ‘a bird’s eye view’. I’m not sure that four storeys up in Shela’s Island Hotel quite constitutes a bird’s eye view, but it’s as high as I’m going. I’ve written about our stay on Lamu in other posts. One thing I will say here is that we had a room that was ideal for someone as nosy as I am. Three sides were entirely available for nosiness, overlooking the centre of the village. I didn’t know which way to look first.
In the next photo you can see the village square with its donkey park under the thorn tree. There was only one vehicle on Lamu at the time of our visit – an aged Land Rover, and donkeys were used for all forms of land transportation. They were left under the tree until someone needed one to move something. In the bottom corner you can see blocks of quarried coral rag used for house building.
Please visit Paula at Thursday’s Special for more views.
Tish Farrell 
I definitely want to see more pics, this village has haunted me!
You wish is my command, Lily: https://tishfarrell.com/2013/12/16/christmas-on-lamu-views-of-a-swahili-community/
It definitely does, and the first shot looks like a toy model. Wonderful, Tish! Donkey park! I adore this post 😀
Thank you, Paula.
I think even when I visited last year or was it the year before last, there were still very few vehicles if any within the town.
Your shots are beautiful
Thank you, Mak. It’s good to know. Cars have their uses, but they can become a plague too. And of course Lamu also has its dhows.
Cars are a plague. You’d not want to be in Nairobi now. The traffic snarl ups are endemic among other problems
I just heard the same from a friend who was visiting. It’s such a shame. Nairobi with a good public tram/bus system, say like Copenhagen, would be bliss. Everyone would get to where they wanted to go, and on time.
Imagine if we were as trusting with cars as the people of Lamu were with their donkeys!
What a nice world that would be 🙂
I like the thought of communal donkeys Tish. But who is responsible for the feeding and end of day care of them?
I think they were all taken to respective homes at the end of the day. I didn’t see any being fed however. But Lamu is quite mindful of its donkeys, I think. It has a donkey sanctuary in the town too.
Birds sit on balconies of fourth floors, giving them birds’ eye views, so you’re good. 🙂
janet
🙂
I love the donkey “taxi” concept – very low emissions, indeed 🙂
But not so from the front end, Annette. They were incredibly noisy at night hee-hawing away 🙂
That’s funny, Tish. But it also reminds me of the modern concept of short-term car rentals that are now available in many cities in the US. You rent a car for a couple of hours, do whatever you need to do and then return it. No need to actually own a car. I guess everything new is really not so new…
I think car sharing is great idea. We have too many of things everywhere.
Can I come and be nosy with you, Tish? It looks the perfect spot! Such an enticing photo 🙂
I think we would get a bit beside ourselves, being nosy together. It would be very good fun though 😀