On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Exploring Shella village. Lamu Archipelago is situated along historical Arabic, Portuguese, Indian and African trading routes, thus has flourished as a trading port for centuries. Our first day we explored Shella village where our hotel is situated.
Shella is a small village with a maze of narrow streets (my favorite) and a fair number of upscale shops selling local goods. No cars, just small donkeys which wander the streets, but also carry burdens and people.
Lots of cats in Shella… (Don’t remember seeing any dogs though.)
Shella’s Friday Mosque, built in 1829, with its unique conical minaret, is one of the oldest surviving mosques with a minaret on the East African Coast
A narrow lane in the village.
Vestibule where, if I remember correctly, men from mixed households can hang out.
Building facing made of coral chunks.
Fence with laundry hanging behind…
Peak-a-boo gateway chopped into a stone wall.
More cats.
More cats, plus a donkey.
Steeplejack
Great pictures! The cats have happy tails (up), so that’s good.
OzarkHillbilly
Love it.
Paul in Jacksonville
What is a mixed household?
Benw
@OzarkHillbilly: heck yeah!
cool pics
Kristine
Lovely old buildings. Thanks for the pics!
pieceofpeace
Love your pictures of cat tails dancing in the air, white buildings and narrow passages, and at first glance the markings on the donkey backs looked sculpted or drawn. Deligtful place and looks my preferred speed.
WaterGirl
The wall made of coral chunks is stunning.
Also, I think this has potential as a rotating tag: More cats, plus a donkey
Those narrow streets are something else. Looks like you could shake hands with the person in the building next door while you are both inside your own home.
currants
@WaterGirl: Yes! Some of the streets in Fès were that narrow. And iirc there were some 9000 streets, and we had 3 maps, none of which were the same, but among them you could figure out where you were/how to get where you wanted (this was in 2009, so likely different now; gps wasn’t as available/helpful as now).
LOVE these photos.
eclare
Looks like a wonderful place to wander.
Yutsano
It makes some sense that you didn’t see dogs. Dogs aren’t as well favoured in Islam as cats are. But all those cats look happy and well fed!
munira
Great photos. Love the coral wall.
JanieM
Love the way these capture the feel of the place — more enticements to travel.
way2blue
@Steeplejack:
Yes. The cats all seemed healthy and fed…
way2blue
@Paul in Jacksonville:
Oh. If I understood correctly—women aren’t able to socialize with men from a different household. So the men from different ones hang out on the ‘front porch’ rather than inside the house.
way2blue
@currants:
Fun to have streets so narrow that cars don’t fit (didn’t see any cars on the island, a few motorcycles in Lamu Town though.)
Rebel’s Dad
The picture of the donkeys is making me unreasonably happy (or maybe it’s just my caffeine finally kicking in, who knows.)
way2blue
@Rebel’s Dad:
Ha! Was remarkable how the roaming donkeys were nonchalantly integrated into everyday life.
Rebel’s Dad
@way2blue: I’m imagining conversations between them:
“Hey Lois, look at me, i’M a ToUrIsT”
“Stop making an ass of yourself in public, Keith”