The Island of Zanzibar!

…I am convinced is the most beautiful place in the world!  Yesterday Collin and I went to the Tanga Airport (just a few miles for the 4-H Center) to fly to Zanzibar (a quick 30 minute flight).  Normally you would see the plane at the gate 1 hour before take-off time, but when you are flying on such as large plane that accommodates all of 12 passengers, the plane arrives about 1 hour AFTER the scheduled take-off time.   Allow me to introduce you to this concept of “African time” which basically runs on the philosophy of: eh, we get there when we get there.  Hakuna matata (what a wonderful phrase)…it means “no worries” (for the rest of your days).  4 pm mean 6-ish, this morning means this afternoon, and “later” means next Thursday (maybe).  For westerners, it takes a little getting used to.  I keep looking at my watch like it makes a difference, but really there is nothing you can do, and once you accept that, it’s smooth sailing.

(And speaking of sailing)  Pop quiz:  What is more difficult than mounting a sea kayak on the beach?  Answer: mounting a sea kayak in the middle of the ocean.  Most people attempt this feat, it is only those who capsize that get to experience this true joy.  (I don’t recommend it).  It was completely unavoidable though (except for the other three people with me…they seemed to avoid it).  It was a massive wave (the type only conjured up in novels… and kiddie pools).  Collin and I started our morning at 6 by joining two girls from South Africa to kayak down the coast to watch the sun rise and the fishermen unload their boats, bring in their catch and head out again.  An awesome sight!  I wish I could have taken pictures of it all, but the Zanzibar natives really don’t like having their picture taken.  And considering I capsized a total of 3 times during the trip…it was probably a good idea to not take my camera with me.  Kayaking is one of the most exhausting things I have ever done, but definitely worth it! 

This afternoon we walked up the coast towards more of the hotels, collecting shells, looking at the sea creatures (urchins, crabs, and the occasional brittle sea star) until we reached the village where we visited a sea turtle conservation aquarium.  We got to feed and even hold sea turtles! They are so adorable…I want one (I promise to feed it every day, Mommy!).  Then we ate lunch and took a taxi back to our hotel, as it had started pouring.

Unfortunately, we leave early tomorrow morning for Stonetown (the historic part of Zanzibar) for a few hours before we fly back to Tanga.  If I had two weeks (and a million dollars), I would spend it all here.  I have taken a couple of hundred pictures already and will post them as soon as I have time to look through them all.