Tour Day 16 - Island Paradise in Zanzibar

 

Pictures were added at a later date due to poor internet access at the time]

[Sunday, August 13, 2023]

AHHHHH! Just AHHHHH! Today was our down day with nothing planned in the itinerary. We got up when we wanted, ate when we wanted and did whatever we wanted. That may sound a little selfish given that we have been on vacation for quite a while now, but I assure you it is not. Our European Trip in 2016 was very scheduled like this and the pace can be a little overwhelming. Not that this is a problem as long as you are in the proper mindset. One just needs to be ready for it. And after going hither an yon for over two weeks now, we were ready for some down time. Actually I think I could have been ready for a good week of downtime - but we had today and we took advantage of it.

After breakfast, I had an 80 minute massages booked (Laureen could have booked one too, but she didn't seem to want one) for 10:00 AM and it was very nice. A good way to set the tone for the day. Laureen grabbed a couple of chairs by the pool and we just relaxed.

We laid there for a while and then I went for lunch at the restaurant, as Laureen wasn't hungry yet. Neither of us should be hungry for the next week given how well we were fed in all of the places that we stayed. I had a burger and fries - something that has not been on the menu for a while. After lunch we moved to a fenced/guarded area that was on the beach. 

I am not sure I've seen whiter sand than what is here. Bringing back a little for the sand collection. If I'm having a rough day, I open a jar of sand from one of the amazing beaches I've been to and I just hold it in my hand. It seems to transport me there for a short while.

I also went for a couple of swims in the Indian Ocean. The water was warm like bathwater (and was actually warmer than the pool).

When the sun began to get close to the horizon, we went back to our room to shower, repack out suitcases (for what seems like the 10,000th time) and get dressed for our last dinner with our remaining Safari family.

I think we all reminisced a little about how exotic this was. We each enjoyed different things. Laureen liked the interactions with the culture and getting closer to the people (like the Maasai village). I got my pictures of the Big-5. Apparently there is a little-5 also, but these are not as well known. It was a nice way to end this portion of the trip. 

Little did we know that tomorrow would be quite the adventure. You are going to want to brace yourself for the next one.

G'night all.

Curt & Laureen