Body language, gestures and dress
Close physical contact is likely to cause widespread and unselfconscious ease, particularly along the coast. Male visitors may need to get used to strangers holding their hands as they are shown around the guesthouse or guided down the street, as well as strangers' hands and limbs draped naturally wherever is most comfortable, which can include your legs or shoulders, on public transportation. It's important to remember the left-hand rule: traditionally, the left hand is reserved for unsanitary acts, while the right hand is reserved for eating, touching, or passing things to others. It is frequently broken, as are many "rules," so you must avoid thinking about it.
Never, unless you're looking for a fight, point with your finger, which is considered an obscene gesture. For similar reasons, beckoning is done with the palm down, not up, which can inadvertently convey a dismissive gesture if you're not familiar with the action. If you're talking to someone much younger than you, don't be put off by apparent shiftiness in eye contact. It is natural for those who defer to others to avoid direct gaze.
Wearing shorts and T-shirts (which are acceptable on the beach) will not get you in trouble in Islamic coastal areas, as people are far too polite to admonish strangers, but it is preferable to dress in loose-fitting long sleeves and skirts or long trousers. Lamu calls for more kikoi and kanga wraps for both sexes, as well as more consideration for local feelings due to its small size.
For women, even more than men, the way you look and behave gets noticed by everyone, and such things are more important if you don’t appear to have a male “escort”. Your head and shoulders and everything from waist to ankles are the sensitive zones, and long, loose hair is seen as extraordinarily provocative, doubly so if it’s blonde. It’s best to keep your hair fairly short or tied up (or wear a scarf). Topless sunbathing is prohibited.
