It's hard to believe 4 days on Zanzibar are over and we are leaving tomorrow. Today was definitely the BEST day here. We went on a boat to Prison Island which is the most beautiful former-but-never-used prison in the world I think. The island was made as a prison, but then used as a quarantine hospital for people coming to Zanzibar from India. I'd want to be quarantined there. Even the cells are beautiful. Now the island is used as a breeding ground for sea tortoises. The oldest one there is like 172 years! They're huge! We got to feed them some sort of turtle greens which they were super excited about-this mammoth fellow came zipping over at what was a pretty fast speed. They have a turtle breeding program, the turtles lay their eggs and then the folks on the island hatch them, bring the little ones into a turtle nursery and then a bigger area for 3-10 year olds. Then they are allowed out with the big ones. They aren't native to the area, so I guess it's ok that they are kept in a confined space, anyhow, they looked like pretty happy tortoises.
Next, we went snorkeling at a coral reef in the Indian Ocean! It was so awesome, I wanted to stay forever! I saw this giant clam that kept closing up when I went over it, fishes, crazy fluorescent corals and sea urchins. Definitely one of those "I can't believe this is my life!" moments.
Before dinner we watched these crazy boys jumping off the sea wall into the ocean. They would get a running start and dive in. Some of them were really good, if they lived in the U.S. their parents would be training them for college scholarships. I watched again after dinner in a different spot. I bet it was about 10 feet down, to get out they climbed on a drain pipe then mantled up and over the wall, probably a 5.9 climb at least, and they were doing this for an hour I bet.
Tomorrow is a travel day to Arusha. I'll be staying at the same hotel as Andy and Maura there. IDK about the airbnb thing. On the one hand it saved me about $400 over what I would have paid to stay at Andy and Maura's hotel and $180 over a different hotel. But, it's definitely not as nice, I don't feel like I can go out alone at night because of the part of town it's in (though I don't know where I would go anyhow), and it's much more complicated if there are problems. Also, it would have been harder to arrange the tours if it weren't for the fact that Andy and Maura could. On the other hand it's kind of cool to stay where people really live, and to hear the sounds of real life outside my window at night. IDK if I would go this route again in a 3rd world country.
I'm sad to leave Stone Town and the beautiful Indian Ocean, but excited for the big animals and safari!
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