ZANZIBAR!!!!

VACATION TIME! I've been touring the eastern coastline of Africa now for just over a week. A much much much needed vacation! I knew I had to get away from the village life to re-group but I could barely tear myself away from any of it! But... I'll be going back with fresh batteries and that can only be a good thing! I left Bungoma on a coach bus and headed for Mombassa. After a lovely 14 hour bus ride with screaming babies I finally reached my first destination! Mombassa is the place to be in Kenya! And was it ever good to eat some REAL food. The kind I'm use to at home! Now I'm really fearing going back to Bungoma for Ugali! I stayed in the Mombassa area for 3 nights in total. The first two of them at a beach area called Diani in a little banda cottage and then the third right in the city. I spent these days with five others who were teachers from Indiana. It was good to be with people but I was looking forward to going on my own down the coast. I packed my bags and got on a matatu by myself to head for a place called Wasini Island which is just off the southern coast of Kenya. I really have not planned anything about this vacation and have literally been waking up in the morning and deciding where to go and what to do. It can be stressful sometimes but for the most part it's great! Wasini Island was looking good in my lonely planet guide that day! I managed to somehow fall asleep on the matatu while sweating buckets with everyone sitting on everyone else. The 14 passenger was so overcrowded it was crazy... 28 people, I counted! I thought I would die but could see the humour in it as I was this little white girl squished between all these sweaty African guys. I guess you have to see the humour in these things or you can't call yourself a traveller! I got to Wasini Island mid afternoon and really had a good time there. Nothing too crazy happened but I left feeling very relaxed. I spent two nights... the second of which I was the ONLY non-resident on the entire island which could have scared me before but I'm so use to this Africa stuff now that I slept with my ocean view veranda door wide open to catch some sea breeze while I slept! I met a lot of the locals and even got talking to a local womens group because I was interested in what projects they were doing in hopes of getting some good ideas for my ladies in Shibanze. I paid $20 per night which was really splurging but that included 3 meals a day plus snacks so it was worth it because I really needed a good quiet rest! I also went scuba diving just off the island where they have the best scuba diving marine park in Kenya. I can't beleive I've never done that before. The water was shallow so you didn't need to dive at all. I saw huge starfish and millions of beautiful colourful fish! So... leaving Wasini Island I got back on a matatu after fighting the urge to go across the ocean to Pemba (island north of zanzibar) on a cargo ship. Few people do it but sometimes they do .... It looked exciting as I'd be going in a big wooden dhow boat packed with cooking fat and ketchup but when they told me that since it's rain season (although still super nice outside and hot) that they might have to stop just offshore part way for the night to sleep if the waters got too rough. I decided I'd better take the land route since it would only be me and 5 guys with no teeth - plus there was no shelter at all so if it rained, all my stuff would have been soaked. I think I made the right decision!!! So once again I was back on the matatu this time to the border crossing at Tanzania called Lunga-Lunga. They have really strange names for places here! So.... because I'm still seem to forget I'm in Africa sometimes, I just assumed there would be a bank at this place.. but NO... and no money to pay my entry visa. I refused to go back an hour to a bank on that crowded sweaty matatu again!!! So.. I sat down on a bench with the border police and took my anger out on a giant orange. The police found me quite amusing. I decided I'd find someone else that was crossing to lend me money and then I'd pay them back when we reached the first city in Tanzania with a bank. Luckily I got someone to agree by the third try. It must have been the orange slop all over me!!! So, I got on a big tourist bus and the driver was the one to help me. Still, I didn't know where I was going.. but decided to stop at the first town called Tanga. The banks all changed name after crossing the border so I didn't know what I was looking for. Next thing you know I'm on the back of a motorcycle with a friend of this driver zooming through the streets of Tanga... It was a fun way to start off. I finally found some cash, paid the driver and checked into a hotel for the night. The following day leaving Tanga was without question the absolute most crazy adventure I've been on so far. Back on a crowded Matatu I decided to make my way to a place more south called Pangani. I didn't really know what I was going to do when I arrived but was hoping to find a way to get to Zanzibar without going all the way south to Dar es Salaam to take the normal ferry across. That turned out to be a very.... let's say, interesting, decision. I got some help from some locals in Pangani who steared me in the direction of a village called Kipumbwe. I got a ride down a LONG bumpy dirt road in the back of a truck (the normal way to travel of course) until I arrived at this village that doesn't even make it onto a map. Then, there it was. A little wooden dhow boat that could carry about 30 passengers that I'd cross the Indian Ocean on at three in the morning. Of course this village had no hotels so I was really doing it the 'local' way and sleeping outside on a giant grass mat in the middle of this village cuddled up with the others trying to stay warm! At about 2am I woke up to someone saying that the boat was about to leave so I made my way down to the beach to board! There were so many people on this boat that we were all sitting side by side and there was no space for another single person to join at all! After about an hour the tide came in enough that the boat was now floating and we set off in the night. Of course I was asking myself every few minutes what I was thinking but somehow I still went. After all, I'd came a long way to get to this village and I was pretty determined to get to Zanzibar! I managed to sleep for a couple hours but then the storm happened. I woke up just as it was beginning to get light outside to rain. Lots and lots of rain. So, we were all holding this tarp over our heads as the boat had no cover at all but the tarp had tons of holes in it so I ended up looking like I'd fallen overboard anyways. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. All of a sudden these 10 guys jumped up and were pulling down the sail as fast as possible before we got taken to who knows where in this storm! I guess this is a normal occurrence because the locals found the look of fear on my face quite humourous! I really thought I was going to die though! What was suppose to be a 2 hour ride turned into 10 and it was not pleasant at all. As I met locals on Zanzibar they wouldn't even believe me that this was how I arrived. I'm just glad I didn't get sea sick. I don't know why I was fine though because everyone on that boat vomitted over the side at least once. Very pleasant experience!!! BUT I'm now on the island of Zanzibar and it was definetely worth the trip! I immediately went to the most northern tip of the island to a place called Nungwi. I planned to only stay one night and then travel down the eastern coast of the island but I loved it so much there that I ended up staying for four nights! This island is absolutely incredible. There are endless stretches of white sand beaches and the water is completely clear. I could stay here forever. Thismorning I left Nungwi and am now in famous Stone Town. I travlled here with a girl named Carrie from New York and three guys from England. It's good to have some travel partners for a short time but again tomorrow I'll be on my own. They will leave the island but I haven't had my fill so tomorrow I'm renting a scooter and driving to the East Coast to spend a few more days on the beach! Although this is all so so wonderful I really miss the village of Shibanze. I get sporatic updates from the director but things have basically just come to a stand still since I left. I really want to get back as soon as possible so that I can get that playground started and finish buildling the school with the new donations that have come in! THANK YOU so much to everyone who's helped out! So... I'm off to get something to eat but will write again soon! Hopefully I can find someone who will sell me a digital camera here because it's killing me to not take any pictures of this place! ADIOS FOR NOW!