Jambo again, this time from Zanzibar! Zanzibar is a small island off the coast of Tanzania surrounded by lovely turquoise waters and full of the whitest sand beaches. We couldn’t have chosen a more ideal place to stay after our safari, as our last 24 hours of Nairobi were completely devoid of sleep, hygiene, showers, and hotel rooms with lights that actually turn off. We also wasted 3 hours in a live comedy show that was supposedly in English but ended up being only in Swahili. On the bright side, my face may be on a Kenyan TV show soon. We arrived at an empty Nairobi airport at 5am for our 8am flight just to escape the loud hell that was the Hotel Embassy, but once we landed in Zanzibar and felt the warm air blow across our faces, it was all worth it.

Kendwa Rocks
We are staying on Kendwa beach at the idyllic Kendwa Rocks resort, an oasis of luxury on this until-now dirty vacation. Our room features a balcony with lounge chairs that overlooks the beach just a few hundred feet away, there is instant hot water, western style toilets, air conditioning, and wifi (however slow). There is no need to leave the resort since there’s a restaurant and bar here as well as an office that organizes any activity you want.

Here is the view from our awesome room:

The beach is even more amazing from the water:

I’d show pictures of what we do all day but it’d only be pictures of us lounging on the beach with the occasional waking up to eat a meal or take a stroll.

We went on a snorkeling trip one day and enjoyed lots of pretty tropical fish and coral, including my favorite combo of clownfish and anemone. Unfortunately the boat forgot about us and left us in the water for an extra 45 minutes. Punks.

Out of Africa
It seems we can’t leave any city on this trip without being subjected to mild torture. The ferry ride from Zanzibar to the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam wasn’t pleasant either. We were hoping the extra money we paid for the “fast ferry” would provide us a smooth ride but our trip was anything but. We were subjected to two hours of super choppy waters, people vomiting left and right, and a ceiling air conditioner that dumped water on us every few minutes. And at one point I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and realized I was standing next to this:

That’s right…a coffin. I was kicking it with a dead guy. At least his ride was probably more peaceful than mine. Rest in peace, nameless man.