So I'm a bit behind in journaling, but haven't had access to an internet cafe and don't have the patience to type entries with the iPhone.
Sorry:-(
On September 5, my Irish friend, Esther and I went snorkeling off the coast of Zanzibar Island. It was my first time, but she was an old pro and helped get me started. The boatride out to the coral reefs took about 30 minutes. The water was nice and warm, but I struggled with the breathing tube at first. After about 5 or 10 minutes, I made peace with the snorkel and began to see a new and beautiful world below the water's surface. I never knew there were so many varieties of coral. And had no idea how large some of the reefs could get. The colors ranged from neon green and bluish-purple to subtle browns and mossy green. And the fish and sea anemones! So beautiful and diverse. I even saw an eel!
After snorkeling, Esther and I cleaned up at the hostel and headed out for a bit of shopping. She had to get rid of her shillings before flying home later that evening. After shopping, we had a lovely lunch at the Monsoon restaurant by the sea. They served traditional Swahili food with spiced rice and curried veggies. Monsoon was decorated in Zanzibari style, which is very middle-eastern. Lots of bright colors, fabric ceilings and large open windows.
We walked the streets of Zanibar looking for a clothing shop I'd heard about from the lady who ran the hostel in Dar es Salaam. Her daughter owns it and I wanted to check it out. In true Lori style, we got terribly lost in the neighborhood as the streets were narrow and had no signs. We wandered about for over an hour and finally found our way back to the main street without ever seeing the shop. It was 3:30 and my boat was scheduled to leave for Dar at 4. I was very grateful that 4 really means 5 in Tanzania! We hurried back to the hostel, grabbed my bags and rushed off to the docks where I said goodbye to Esther and waited for what seemed like hours to board to boat.
As soon as we hit the sea, the porter came around with little plastic baggies...very bad sign. The ocean was extremely rough tossing the boat up and down and sideways as well. Many people on board got sick during the 2 hour trip. There were two Italian men sitting beside me and we all kept looking at each other wondering which one of us would barf first! Luckily, we made it without needing the baggies, but I was a wreck the rest of the evening.
I was very thankful to get back to the hostel for a good night's rest before the long bus ride to Moshi the next day.
