Deuteronomy 31:8

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8







Saturday, January 1, 2011

Zanzi Vacay

Greetings from Paje, Zanzibar :) Otherwise known as paradise. I have been here since Christmas Eve and can't believe my time on this island is almost over in a few short days.

I met up with 5 other PCVs in Serenje, Zambia and we set off on our adventure by boarding the train for a 2.5 day adventure. This travel wasn't really all the pleasant due to many factors including lost reservations, which in turn led to us spending the first night in the booze car, poor toilet facilities, lack of sleep, unhelpful train staff, and extreme heat. However, the scenery once we crossed the boarder into Tanzania was beautiful and right before reaching Dar es Salaam we got to go through a game park and I was able to catch glimpses of giraffes, baboons, and some warthogs. It got me very excited for an upcoming safari I hope to take over Easter.

Following our arrival in Dar and taking a much needed shower and a good night's sleep we boarded the ferry to Stone Town the morning of Christmas Eve. It was a pleasant 2 hour trip crossing the bluest water I have ever seen. It was amazing!

So the first leg of our holiday was spent in Stone Town, which is the major town on the island. I was reminded to much of Italy while I walked around because it's an old city made up of small winding allyways with little shops tucked in every corner. My friend Salley and I spent much of our time helping the town's economy by shopping which is something that I haven't done in almost a half a year and I realized how much I enjoy a good day of retail therapy. Also in Stone Town we were able to go on a spice tour, which is a popular thing to do because Zanzibar has a history of being the spice island. We went to a plantation and got to sample various spices including cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, and also some fruits.

After a few nights in Stone Town we then headed up to the northern coast and spent some nights at Kendwa at a resort called Kendwa Rocks. The resort was beautiful and we stayed in beachside bungalows that looked like something out of a movie. I spent the first days just relaxing on the beach and working on my tan. One morning we also got to go kayaking on the Indian Ocean which led to quite the sunburn because you forget how close you actually are to the equator. Also on this beach I was able to take in 2 massages beachside which felt fantastic and erased any remaining traces of stress I had left in my body.

Next we headed to our second beach on the east coast in the town of Paje. This beach was a lot different and was less resort and more sporty. So the morning of New Years Eve we get up before sunrise and headed out to swim with some dolphins. We got onto the water by 6am and on our journey to find these dolphins we came across a giant turtle that had been speared by a hook and had died. So we hauled the turtle into our boat so our captain could enjoy it later as a meal.

The dolphin excursion was probably my favorite part of the trip thus far. We went out on the boat and when the dolphins were spotted our captain he would say "prepare to swim." These preparations included putting on flippers and goggles with snorkeling and then jumping over the side of the boat many times and chasing down the dolphins to see them swim underneath us. At one point there was approx 10 that swam underneath me. And as I prepared one time of my jump into othe ocean I got a little too excited and my flipper didn't quite make it over the edge and I fell backwards into the boat. This minor setback didn't hold me back though and I rushed up and made my second attempt at jumping into the water, which I am happy to report was successful.

Overall it's been a great trip and I can't believe it's almost over!!!


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