Zanzibar and Home Again

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Well everyone, just a note to say that I am back home safe and sound!

The trip to Zanzibar was amazing. When we got to the hotel in Paje we had to sit at the restaurant to wait for our room. It wasn't too difficult given the face the restaurant was facing the ocean. We sat on a comfy couch enjoying the soft breeze and green waves. Seriously, I don't think Karen or I said anything for a hour. We just sat and relaxed which was the perfect way to end the trip. We stayed at the Kinazi Upepo which was great and had a little bungalow on the beach. Paje is on the east side of the island and has powdery white sand beaches and light green water. I loved the fact that there was no commercialization. Lying on the beach the only real activity we saw was from the local fisherman when occasionally came out in the water to check their seaweed farms. They use wooden boats called dhows and it's beautiful. When the surf goes out you can walk out almost a mile into the ocean with the water below your waist. It's amazing.

While we were there we decided to go on an excusrion to swim with dolphins. We woke up early and went to Kimkazi (or something like that) where we met a two guys with snorkel masks and fins. We started having second thoughts when we got in the little wooden boat and headed out to sea and one guy was driving while the other was using a plastic bucket to bail water. I kept checking the shoreline to see if I could swim it back if necessary. Well, once we got out into the ocean we saw a group of little boats around some dolphins. We started taking photos and enjoying the show. They our guide says, "OK, jump in." We politely declined because we were out in the middle of the ocean. I asked about sharks and they said there weren't any, but I didn't think they could be sure! The two guys looked at each other like we were crazy for not getting in the water but they were good sports and drove us around to see more dolphins. I saw a couple from one of the other boats in the water swimming around so I said the heck with it, put on my mask and fins and jumped it. My heart stopped when I looked in the water and saw 6 dolphins right in front of me. One literally swam over face to face with me looking at me like he was trying to figure out what I was doing. Luckily I had an underwater camera to capture some of it. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life! We kept swimming around which was very tiring because we'd climb into the boat (no small feat there) drive 50 yards and jump in again and swim like crazy for 5 minutes and then back in the boat. It was the most exercise either of us had gotten the whole time we were in Tanzania.

After Zanzibar I returned to Moshi and spent a day with my students. The staff of Safari College took me out for a wonderful luncheon and then it was off to the airport. I was lucky enough to be on the same flight with Christina & Sandyy's familiy which made the first two legs more enjoyable. I had very short layovers on the way back which I thought was good but in retrospect I should have taken more time to stretch my legs between flights. Well, I got home and went straight to McDonalds for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and home for a shower and truly clean clothes. It was glorious. It was the trip of a lifetime and I'm so blessed that I was able to partake of the wonders of Tanzania. Again, I cannot recommend it enough. Thanks to everyone for your comments and emails, they made me feel closer to home while I was gone.

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Photos

Paje Beach
Heaven on Earth

Bottlenose Dolphin
So close it was almost scary.

Me n Karen
My travel buddy Karen, we had a blast traveling together.

My daily view
This is how I spent my last days in Tanzania.