Adventure Day in Stone Town

We spent our day off searching for dolphins, snorkeling, walking around Stone Town and stuffing our stomachs at the food market.

After a quick breakfast at 7, we hopped in the GIVE truck (a big truck with open air benches in the back for the volunteers to sit) and set out on a two hour ride filled with lots of music, singing and dancing. Once we arrived at the beach we put on our life jackets and an extra layer of sunscreen, and grabbed our flippers and snorkels.

We split up into groups of six and then set out searching for wild dolphins. We boated around for an hour or so, but with no sign of the dolphins we went to a reef to snorkel. I swam around and saw nothing but sand and the other volunteers for a while. Then one of my friends signaled me over and the sand transformed into a vibrant reef filled with hundreds of fish. I was amazed at how much life is hidden beneath the surface.

An hour so passed and it was time to hop back in the boats and head back to the shore. Sadly the wild dolphins were nowhere to be seen, but I am glad they are able to roam free. Once we made it back to shore we dried off, changed and ate a hearty lunch before hopping back on the GIVE truck.

On the way to Stone Town the truck broke down. While some of the people worked on fixing it, the rest of us played games to pass the time. During our game, we were joined by an audience of kids from the local village. 30 minutes passed and we finally had success with the truck. We waved goodbye to our onlookers and finally made our way to Stone Town.

We spent the next few hours walking around the streets, buying gelato and souvenirs and then enjoying the views of the city from a rooftop bar. We even got to see the Freddie Mercury House, which is where he grew up. I enjoyed exploring a city that was a lot different than the village of Kairo. It was interesting to gain perspective on two different sides of Zanzibar.

Then we took on the food market. I tried seafood, pastries, and my favorite, a Zanzibar pizza for dessert. I got mine filled with nutella and banana, and it was delicious. It reminded me a lot of the banana pancakes I fell in love with in Vietnam. We watched some of the local boys do flips of the pier while enjoying or treats.

With full bellies we headed back to Kairo. On the drive home we tried to find different constellations. The sky was very clear, so we got to see a lot. Once we arrived back at Lazy Beach we had a late dinner and then went upstairs for good vibes.

All in all it was an awesome day of exploring, snorkeling, and lots of eating.