Blog: Zanzibar for real this time!

I gotta tell you all, I'm going to do my best to put words to how amazing the Zanzibar trip was, but it'll be a stretch. Water that looks like it came out of a tap, soft white sand, incredible blue skies, random Masai men befriending us on the beaches, old fashioned dhows out fishing, children in brightly colored hijabs dragging shrimp nets through the water at sunset, bonfires on the beach, amazing and incredibly cheap food, snorkeling in a marine reserve, and swimming with dolphins. And I spent a grand total of approximately three hundred dollars on the whole trip, leaving me less than totally crippled with guilt for the escape. Whoo! I'm going to let the pictures speak for me from here on in, lest I sound more smug about this trip than I already do (sorry, dudes, but seriously - take a trip to Zanzibar. It's time.)

Open air dalla from Stonetown (where the ferry dropped off) to Kendwa, where we stayed. Less than a dollar per person for an hour and a half trip.

On our way out to Mnemba atoll's marine reserve

Free breakfast at the gorgeous beach restaurant at our hotel

Our fearless leader (?) for the dolphin trip. You have to give it to him, the man looks relaxed.

One night's candlelit dinner on the beach - yes, we did this every night.

Words fail me.

Our Masai friends Jacob (left) and Paul (right). Paul was in Masai garb all the time, whereas Jacob switched randomly back and forth - we didn't actually recognize him the first time we saw him in Western gear.

One of the two-apartment cottages that made up our hotel. Did I mention I paid $22 per night?

Streets of Stonetown

Not sure why this is sideways - the salient point is that the wristbands used for the full moon party were, inexplicably, left over from Jerusalem's party for the 40th anniversary of reunification in 2007. I was actually in Jerusalem when these bands were being used. Small world.