Zanzibar

Greetings from Zanzibar! 

Our pace has changed significantly since our adventures on Kilimanjaro...  We have spent the last 2 days splitting our time between the pool and the beach.  The water is beautiful shades of blue and turquoise and almost too warm for swimming.  When the tide is out (way, way out) the women are busy harvesting sea weed and the men appear to be busy with their boats.  During high tide the beach practically disappears.

This morning we went a spice tour.  We learned more about spices than we thought possible.  Did you know that vanilla is actually a parasite?  How about that the leaves, bark and wood from a cinnamon tree smell like cinnamon but that the roots smell like Vick's Vapor Rub?  We all became spice queens - adorned with palm crowns, necklaces, bracelets, rings and hand bags.  We also had tiny star fruits stuck to our foreheads and our faces decorated with red paint from "lip stick fruit."

Tomorrow we are going to go snorkeling and then the next day we leave the beach and head to Stone Town.  All of a sudden our travels seem to be winding down...  Although I will miss my daily adventures in Tanzania, it will be good to see family and friends and get back to the routine of work.  Drinking water right from the faucet, sleeping in my own bed and eating chips and salsa are things I'm looking forward to.  See you soon!