it's funny how if i've ever visited a place, that place seems to leave a lasting mark on me. after seeing this map this morning, i've been scanning for news from lamu. i visited lamu in 1995--about a third of my life ago--but it still stands out as one of the best places i have ever visited. i've probably idealized it. that kenya trip was my first experience in the developing world and it is really where i caught the travel bug. lamu was the highlight of that trip, so it will always be a special place for me.
i'm not really sure why violence in lamu would affect me more than violence 60 miles away in somalia. but it would. just like how last summer's bombing of lebanon hit me in a way that earlier violence in that same country didn't. the difference is that i visited in the interim and could imagine the faces of people i met there when i read the news. i still remember the faces of people i met in lamu, and on pate island, a place we visited that is even closer to the somali border.
