Super Adventurama!: Christmas & Birthday

Well....today I'm in Mwanza, on Lake Victoria (Africa's largest lake) and its my last day of fast internet for who knows how long, so I'm going to use today to share some photos with you. (Just so you all know, whenever I post blog posts from Murgwanza aka WomenCraft, it takes me about 2-3 days. I have to re-load the page, edit, or the internet just simply goes out and I lose everything. So...when you're thinking a blog post takes about 5 minutes to write and 30 seconds to post...know it doesn't :)

I just had a week plus of vacation, and went to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen: Zanzibar. To get there, Hilary & I took a 10 hour bus from Ngara to Mwanza, a 2 hour flight from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam, and then a 2 hour ferry to Zanzibar. Total with hotel stays, cab rides, etc, it took us 2 full days of transit to get there.

Besides visiting the beaches and shopping, we did a couple of tours...one on Christmas, one the day after, and one on my birthday. Christmas day we visited Prison Island, a 20 minute boat ride from Zanzibar, and mingled with giant tortoises and saw the prison where slaves were kept. On the 26th, we went on a spice tour where we tasted herbs and fruits that the island produces, including cloves, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, breadfruit, jackfruit, vanilla and lemongrass, and then visited the Magapwani caves and beach. On my birthday, we swam with dolphins and snorkeled in Kizimkazi, and then went on a jungle trek and saw monkeys in Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park. A birthday to remember, without a doubt. We lived it up, and with our limited budget did as much as we could.

Although Zanzibar was undeniably beautiful and a nice change of pace from Ngara town, it was also draining. We were heckled non-stop by people trying to sell us anything they could on the streets, and the "just wait" (meaning don't be in a hurry...things will happen when they happen) attitude seemed to be exaggerated here in island time. So...if you plan a trip to Zanzibar in your future, be sure to bring your patience with you! hahahaha.

Tonight we celebrate New Years here in Mwanza with my two other co-workers, Shannon & Geoffrey. We have reservations at a Japanese restaurant that is situated on top of Lake Victoria. Should be a pretty cool way to ring in the New Year! I'll be limiting my champagne intake however...as our bus for Ngara LEAVES at 5am tomorrow. Don't want to miss it!

Ok, well enjoy a couple of picks from my trip! Oh, and I am very close to buying my return ticket home. So...I will be sending you all an email soon to let you know when I'm returning! Miss you all so much and wishing you a very Happy New Year! Thanks for all the love and support - it means so much.