Hakuna Matata!

Greetings from the sun-kissed island of Zanzibar, where we are whiling away the last few days of our African vacation on the beach. Our biggest lesson so far: go ahead and pay the absurd local prices for nice sunscreen, because the budget sunblock from Greece (!?!) on sale here appears to actually be moisturizer.

We spent our first two nights in exotic Stone Town, where the Omani influence on this island is clear--it's like you've been transported to the Middle East, circa 1850. We did some shopping, took a spice tour, and dined at a restaurant named in honor of local hero and Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury (for the record, Freddie: the restaurant stinks). We then took a very long and strange minibus journey (highlight: buying toilet seats on the way) across the island to Matemwe Beach Village. It was a lovely, low-key place, very pleasant and full of young couples. We didn't get out of the hammocks except for feedings, sailing, and cheap outdoor massages. We're now at our final stop, the Zamani Zanzibar Kempinski hotel. It is quite a place--really the lap of luxury, especially after our Kilimanjaro experience! Today we didn't manage to leave our pool chairs for seven straight hours. Very rigorous.

Red but happy, we're looking forward to being back on US soil Thursday evening, and we look forward to seeing many of you all soon (or at least talking to you on a phone call that doesn't cost $4/minute like it does in Tanzania--yikes!).


Hakuna matata!


At the Kempinski Hotel, on the east coast of Zanzibar.


Sarah skippers our boat through the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.