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We are having an incredible time in Zanzibar. The internet connection at this cafe is expensive and very slow, so I will just be posting a few journals. There may be internet at our next hotel, so I could post pics tomorrow or the next day - we shall see!

So, we left the Tanzania mainland by plane 2 days ago. By the way, Mom, I did get you Tanzanite - it wasn't that cheap though - it was $600/caret of the "good" color - I didn't go over your limit though. Before we left something bad happened, but don't worry, it ended well. We had Simba stop in Arusha so that Mike could buy some sunglasses at a stand. We all left the car, got out, and locked it. As we were buying the glasses, someone reached into Mike's slightly opened window and grabbed his backpack. We didn't notice, but someone else did, and went and told Simba. They spoke in Swahili, so we didn't know what was going on - all we saw was Simba (who isn't very young....or very thin) sprinting down the street. It looked hilarious! We couldn't figure out what was going on. Five minutes later, he returned with Mike's backpack on his arm...we couldn't believe it, because we didn't know it was gone. Mike checked, and everything was still there. What a save! Apparently if there is a theft in Arusha, the thief could literally be beaten to death on the street by spectators. Someone asked Simba if he should go get the guy, and Simba said, "I leave this in your hands."

So, onto Zanzibar! We took a very small prop plane to get here, which was pretty scary, but it was beautiful as soon as we got off the plane. Our hotel is called Emerson & Greene and is one of the nicest places in Stone Town (the main town). It is very historic, and every room is different. We had dinner in the Tower Top Restaurant the first night we were here, and it was cool. The restaurant is the highest in Zanzibar, and it was in our hotel. We sat on the floor for the meal and were able to watch the sunset. We could hear the many calls for prayer as we ate (Zanzibar is 95% Muslim, so there are mosques everywhere).

Yesterday we went on our first tour. We took a boat out to Prison Island to see the giant tortoises - they were totally cool, and we each fed them some spinach. I even pet a few! :) After that, we sunbathed on a pristine, empty beach, and waded in the water a bit. For lunch we ate at a restaurant called Kidude near our hotel, and a very funny thing was there -- they were playing "Let it Snow" among other Christmas songs. :) We had a good laugh at this!

In the afternoon, our guide took us on a tour of Stone Town. We went to the market (craziness...interesting sights and smells), the old slave chambers (wow), the Anglican Church, the House of Wonders, and the Palace Museum. All were interesting - we learned a lot and got to see Stone Town without getting lost. The buildings here are so close together, and there are no street names, so it is really hard to determine where you are! We are learning the area around our hotel though!

Today, we met our guide again, and we went on a dolphin safari. It was so much fun! Mike absolutely loved it. We both were able to swim with the dolphins, which was the goal, but it wasn't like you would picture (like at SeaWorld or something). The boaters see the dolphins, they tell you to hurry, hurry, jump in, you do, then you look down under the water to see the dolphins beneath you. You don't get to touch them or ride on their fin or any of that! After that, we did some snorkeling and had lunch with our guide, Yusuf, and the driver.

Then we went to Jozani Forest to see the red colubus monkeys. After a short jungle walk, we found them and were able to get very close! Also in that area is a Mangrove forest which was interesting - you walk through the forest on a bridge, because the whole area floods.

When we got back, we took a stroll through Farazani Gardens, where there are many street vendors cooking outdoors....all sorts of funny looking seafood and such.

Ok, that's it - Mike needs to check his email. Tomorrow we will go on a spice tour (Zanzibar is the "spice island") and then switch hotels to one up on the north beach...2 days of relaxation will follow! :) :)