Pirates: Less Fun When They're Real

This is a damn shame. Lamu is a wonderful place, and to think of misery striking its people is quite painful. I really hate how strife leads to more strife. And it's sad that some people may never get to see the mangroves, or the brightly-painted dhows, or the proprietary cats strolling through the narrow alleys and hanging out in the elaborate and beautiful doorways,* because of the danger of pirates.

Plus, it makes my dream of going back there one day even less likely. Oh, fresh passionfruit juice, will you be forever out of my reach?

I’m not really so sure what I think about this, however. The optimist in me thinks that it might be a good opportunity, but the conservationist in me is a little nervous. I think I need to read more on it; I’m definitely not qualified to comment on What Lamu Needs, but I do feel a kinship to the place. It’ll be interesting to follow, though, and see how the place I remember changes. Because pirates won't last forever, right?


*Not having to hear the mosques is a small blessing, though. I hear that in the olden days the calls to prayer were beautiful, but that was before every mosque was equipped with an ear-blasting drive-thru-quality sound-bending loudspeaker. And since Lamu has mosques like American cities have Starbucks, that meant five times a day you'd get a serious racket. I swear I heard two mosques have an argument once.