Kendwa

Thursday morning Cassie and I grabbed our bag(s) (one backpack each, we've gotten really good at packing light), hopped in the cab and headed to the airport. Airing on the side of caution, we got to the airport an hour and a half or so early. The airport is about the same size, if not smaller, than the one in Penticton. One runway, a few planes sitting here and there, and no indoor waiting area. We 'checked in', which entailed showing the piece of paper that said our flight times, and sat in the little waiting area beside the tarmac. Our backpacks had little tags put on them and sat beside us, waiting to board.. We went through security/a metal detector and walked over to our plane. Cassie and I gawked in something that resembled confusion as we took our seats.. We could literally reach in front of us and touch the control panel. It was even more surprising when the last of the nine passengers got on and sat in the co-pilot seat.

It was a beautiful, bumpy and fast flight to Zanzibar, over the Indian Ocean. As we drooled out the window at the crystal blue water, it felt like we were heading to the Caribbean and not the coast of Tanzania. As soon as we touched down and the pilot opened his window, we were overwhelmed by the heat. Finally! Lately, the weather in Arusha had been calling for jeans and sweaters. Not the Africa you'd expect. Anyways, we got off the plane, grabbed our bags and slid into a taxi.

An hour and a half later, we got to Kendwa Rocks. For $30 a night, the two of us stayed in paradise. At least a mile of white sandy beaches was less than a minute from the door of our room and the resort's bar and restaurant sat right in the middle of it all. Cassie and I dropped our bags, threw on our bikinis and headed to the water. Food, of course, was our first mission. After stuffing ourselves with pizza and sprite we went to the beach. We soaked up every last bit of sun before it set, then called it a day. After a long, hot shower, we changed and headed for dinner. 'World Cup Fever' had definitely infected all of Kendwa and we ate our dinner to the persistent buzz of vuvuzelas. We headed to bed early, ensuring we'd be up with the sun, ready for a full day of beaching!

Friday morning we headed down to the beach to scope out what we could fill our days with. After breakfast we went over to the snorkeling place and lucked out that they had ordered extra food for the boat that left at 9:00, meaning we could head out! We tried on some flippers and climbed onto the dhow; the traditional African fishing boat that looked like it could capsize at any minute. (Papa, it was pretty cool and made entirely by hand.. They are still used today for fishing. You should look it up!). Not even ten minutes into the ride, Cassie and I were asking for the sea sickness pills the guide had told us they carried. Luckily, I nipped my tummy issues in the bud, Cassie wasn't as fortunate. After almost two hours we finally made it to the site where we would snorkel. It was right beside a private island, where you could stay for a measly $2,000 a night.

On the boat there were about 17 or so other people. 8 were going to scuba dive, 5 of us were snorkeling and the rest were guides. We watched as the divers suited up and jumped in, then followed behind them. Turns out I don't like snorkeling at all. The whole not being able to breathe through your nose thing really freaks me out. After being in the water for about 5 minutes, I decided it wasn't really for me. I opted for just the mask and the fins. One of the guides took my by the hand and convinced me to follow him to a reef. He told me when to put my mask down so that I'd see some fishies. It was just like being in Finding Nemo. Yellow fishies, blue fishies, clown fishies and parrot fishies everywhere! We swam right through schools of them.. or at least that's what it seemed like through the magnification the mask provided. I lasted 10 more minutes or so before hauling myself back onto the boat. Cassie and I did a bit of suntanning until the rain came, then we hid for cover. After it passed, I climbed up onto the roof and got one of my first marriage proposals! Pretty exciting. Down below, Cassie wasn't as lucky and was definitely feeling the effects of the ocean. Despite her being sick, we ate lunch and took one more little dip before having a nap while we waited for the scuba divers to come back from their second dive.

Even though the trip back was much quicker, as the waves had calmed down, we still felt like kissing the ground once we landed on the beach. We turned in our flippers and grabbed a beach chair to enjoy the last hour or so of sun the day had in store for us. We had a quick dinner and once again headed to bed early; we needed our beauty sleep for the Full Moon Party the next day.

Saturday morning we didn't skip a beat on our way from our beds to the beach. One book, a little bit of rain, and a lot of sun later, I finished my first full day without a burn! I'm finally getting the hang of the African sun I guess. Before we went down for dinner, Cassie and I booked our hotel room in Stone Town for the next night and tried to take a quick power nap. Unsuccessful in this, we headed down for the big Full Moon buffet. While eating dinner, we joined in cheering for Ghana as they played against the United States, and got up and danced with everyone else when they one. The win led into a high energy evening, with a mix of people from all over the world. Zanzibar is apparently a European tourist hot spot. The dance/Full Moon party was just that, dancing under the full moon until 4 in the morning. Tired and tipsy, Cassie and I headed to bed.