Zanzibar (Friday, August 7)

We had lectures at the Institute of Marine Sciences, part of University of Dar es Salaam, this morning, about the coastal ecosystems here in Stonetown, and the environmental problems they're facing. We did an exercise with Jonna to quickly develop project ideas tackling marine environmental issues, like the pumping of raw sewage directly into the ocean at the port in Stonetown. We also talked about the tragedy of the commons and the state of marine fisheries with John Erickson, Pat's husband and an environmental economist at UVM.

Old buildings along the road from IMS to our hotel

We got the afternoon off to explore Stonetown a bit more, which was really nice. Helen, Reti, Vannessa and I went off to the market in the Old Fort for jewelry, paintings, and scarves, and then wandered around the historic district, browsing the shops and bargaining for souvenirs.

Market inside the Old Fort

Kids diving off embankment into the water near the port

We met the group for dinner at Archipelago, where I got a delicious Zanzibar curried fish dish. A bunch of us were still up for hanging out after dinner, so we went to the Africa House Hotel, one of the few places that serves alcohol in mostly Muslim Stonetown. It was a beautiful old building--a remnant from colonial days no doubt--and had a hookah bar and great patio. We had a drink and lounged on the pillows, feeling very decadent after the surroundings we'd been in for the past couple weeks.

The Africa House hookah bar