Last Day on Zanzibar (Sunday, August 9)

Today we got up early for our morning of snorkeling on reefs in the Indian Ocean off of Changu Island, which is a tiny uninhabited island off the west coast of Zanzibar.

The type of boats we took to our snorkeling site - I was in the orange topped one in the water

We collected a motley assortment of masks and flippers from a snorkeling shop and loaded onto small motorboats in the port. After about an hour on the boat, we reached the coral reef off of Changu Island.

Zanzibar style sailboat we saw on the way to snorkeling

Changu Island, where we went snorkeling

We hopped right in the water--which was a bit chilly at first but not bad once you got used to it--and went off looking at the huge assortment of corals and other invertebrates, and tropical fish. After a few minutes in the water, I noticed I was feeling really itchy all over my body. I ignored it, but a few minutes later it was definitely getting worse. I took a break to clean the condensation off my mask, and when I looked back in the water through the now-clear plastic, all I saw all around me was swarms of tiny jellyfish. Everyone else was starting to notice them too now, and we all swam back to our boats and clambered back in to find a better, more jelly-free, spot to snorkel.

We motored around to the other side of the island, and got back in the water. There were still a few jellies in the water, but they were tolerable especially considering how beautiful the coral reefs were. I've never snorkeled at a reef before, and it was amazing. We saw a spiny poisonous lionfish, and lots of huge blue starfish, in addition to tons of colorful corals and tropical fish. Too soon, we loaded back on the boats for our ride back to Stonetown. Helen and I spent the trip lying out in the sun on the front of the boat, taking a rare opportunity to tan our stomachs!

In the afternoon we drove south along the west coast to Bweleo village to visit a women's cooperative that raised and sold pearls and pearl jewelry. They talked to us about the farming process and the business practices they've learned, and had samples of their jewelry for us to buy.

Leader of the women's pearl cooperative, showing off her jewelry

Boy diving into the water in Stonetown Port at sunset

Since it was our last night, we had a special fancy dinner on the beach, complete with a huge and delicious seafood meal, and even dessert!

Stephen, Helen, Vanessa, Mike and I at the last night dinner

Afterwards, we went to a discotheque on the island. Being a Sunday night, there weren't too many people there, but we had fun dancing and drinking Kunyagi and Bitter Lemon cocktails. Back at the hotel, we hung out for a little while before turning in, much later than we should have with our early wake up time for the next day.

Dancing at the disco