Dolphins accompany our boat ride.
We spent the day yesterday boating and snorkeling off the southern coast of Zanzibar. We were in a dhow (a wooden boat with both a motor and a sail). We arrived at the launch site to find no facilities whatsoever and had to change into our suits in a somewhat secluded area behind some bushes. After boating at a leisurely pace, we stopped to snorkel for a while. The water was warm, the tropical fish plentiful, but the most amazing thing was the coral — so many species and more beautiful than I have ever seen before. We snorkeled for about 40 minutes then headed to a very small, uninhabited island to have lunch. When we climbed aboard after snorkeling, the crew gave each of us a fresh coconut with the top cut off so we could drink the water. It was very refreshing. Two tarp-shaded picnic tables were waiting for us on the beach, along with hibiscus juice, beer, and cooking seafood!! For lunch we had rice with two kinds of sauce, maze polenta cakes, bread, two kinds of fresh fish, calamari, and SLIPPER LOBSTER (all you could eat). For dessert, our guide produced a crate of tropical fruit and walked through each one, showing us how to cut it and eat it. We had jack fruit, mango, sugar cane, watermelon, and passion fruit. After playing in the water for a while, we headed to another snorkeling spot. We saw lots of fish and coral, plus a ray and sea turtle. In places the water was as warm as bath water from the sun. It was a long day and we were exhausted by the time we got back and were picked up for the hour drive back to the resort. We are now waiting for our ride to the airport in Stone Town and the beginning of our very long trip home, beginning with the 12-passenger Link Flight plane (one of four flights). We will be traveling for a total of 36 hours, but it will be well worth it. We look forward to the comforts of home and to seeing our families, friends, and beloved pets! Here we come clean streets, reliable internet, familiar foods, low humidity, decent toilet paper, hot water on demand, air conditioning, fast food and Starbucks, fresh veggies, supermarkets, fluffy towels, traffic that doesn’t resemble a losing game of Frogger, fly-less and bee-less jam, all the ice you want, no malaria threat, etc. etc. etc. I will click my heels together 3 times and repeat, “There’s no place like home.” “There’s no place like home.”…
Safari So Good 
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