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.
way2blue
Exploring Shella Beach. We’d done so much walking the previous 10 days that we needed to move… so headed southwest on the 14-km-long Shella Beach.
Looking north along Shella Beach back toward the village.
Now looking south on Shella Beach. (We didn’t walk the whole 14 kms, more like half that… )
I looked up this fort’s history only to learn that ‘The Fort’ is not a fort but a luxury resort. Oh. Nonetheless, there was an important battle on this beach around 1810 when the Sultans of Pate & Mombasa challenged the Lamu Sultan, and lost…
Love the sand patterns these tiny creatures make, presumably expanding their dwellings before the tide turns.
Close-up of the patterns, showing individual tracks. To me, these look like Balinese batiks…
Boy trotting on a donkey. Fairly typical sight, not sure why the donkeys are so small, maybe I’m used to seeing mules…
Two local guys casting nets in the swash zone.
Very flat beach and the wet part, exposed during low tide, is quite goopy. Or is it gloppy?
Reboot
Good morning! Nice uncrowded beaches. Something I’m wondering from your previous set of pix–did the village you showed have a square with a market or restaurant?
J.
Looks like you had a Shella good time. 😎 Thanks for sharing!
OzarkHillbilly
@J.: Ouch. I see NotMax has some competition.
Nice pics.
WaterGirl
Your pictures really give a sense of place. Loving them all.
MelissaM
How was the water? I always need to touch the water, especially ocean water.
pieceofpeace
Love the donkey. And shore patterns…
Madeleine
What are the tiny creatures? Maybe I missed a mention.
tybee
@Madeleine:
probably small crabs
way2blue
@Reboot:
No market per se, but there is an ice cream shop… And a few small restaurants. Not a lot of tourist infrastructure. Lamu Town (tomorrow’s cache I think) is a larger town with a few small hotels and lots of shops. Markets? Hmm.
way2blue
@MelissaM:
The water is relatively warm; people snorkel when the Trade Winds have shifted and the water clears. (It is on the Indian Ocean.) The hotel used to post this great video of the water and the critters that live in it. Let’s see if I can find the URL…
JanieM
Love those patterns in the sand….
way2blue
@WaterGirl:
Here’s the vimeo I mentioned to MelissaM. Magical. Take a look »
The Lamu Archipelago | The Story of The Lamu Marine Conservation Trust (English Version)
https://vimeo.com/100602107
way2blue
@tybee:
That’s my thought too—but never saw them poking out of their homes. Makes me think of Sisyphus—needing to start over twice a day…
Reboot
@way2blue: Thanks, always curious about village economics, whether there’s a weekly market, and so on.