BUFFALO HORNS DECORATE A HOTEL BALCONY IN LAMU ARCHIPELAGO ON KENYA'S NORTH COAST, 2003-12-10 (photo)

Buffalo horns decorate a hotel balcony as an attraction for tourusts in Lamu archipelago, a small group of islands off Kenya's north coast. Lamu began life as a 14th century Swahili settlement, but the island has seen many visitors and influences, including Portuguese explorers, Turkish traders and the Omani Arabs. Lamu is a peaceful tropical island where there are no vehicles and the donkey and the dhow remain the dominant form of transport. Once a tourist attraction, Lamu's beaches and hotels are almost empty as at the beginning of December 2003 the United States renewed a call for US citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Kenya after warning of possible imminent terrorist attacks. Picture taken December 10, 2003. Pictures of the month December 2003. REUTERS/Antony Njuguna PP03120044