Remember when we went to Zanzibar?

I love being here at Cradle of Love. I feel really blessed and actually LUCKY to be able to serve my volunteer time here with the babies. But 51 children are a lot to care for. Its exhausting. Parents are amazing people. I am always amazed at how well single parents schedule their time to take care of their children, work, go to school, church, and have a little social time thrown in. Amazing. Anyway, I was afforded an opportunity to take a few days away and have a proper holiday (vacation). So the following is a pictorial journey through my time with Ashley (a fellow volunteer) and our trip to Zanzibar!!!!!

Here, Ashley and I make stops at several airports to and from our destinations. No, toto, we aren't in Kansas anymore! Ashley and I are still learning what "5 minutes" in Africa really means! Because the airline changes the flight times for departure at will and decides that the plane will board AND take off 45 minutes PRIOR to scheduled time. We thought this was Africa where everything runs behind schedule and at a slower pace. NOT TRUE! We almost missed connecting flights... TWICE! Oh Dar es Salaam... why do you taunt us so! And what is up with your scary corridors??????

We arrived at our destination and the accommodations were better than we imagined. We had a great time just laying by the pool (a COMPLETE luxury here!) and reading while chilling on an elevated mat or hammock. Oh, this was exactly what we needed for proper relaxation.

Oh, and the food. Who could forget about that? I would love to tell you that we ventured out and tried all these new and exciting things. But the reality is that we stayed close to our lodge because the food in the restaurants and huts nearby was fab! We had the best chapati on the planet. We even got the recipe from the chef! Amazing. So, no need to wander! And Coca-Cola... please bring "Stoney Tangawizi" to the states. I will miss that drink when I return to Florida.

YUM!!! I love my Tangawizi!

In addition to laying by the pool, eating, talking about babies, and reading, we got to do a little snorkeling. I would love to show you pictures of our adventure out on the sea, but from the following photographs you will see why there was no opportunity to picture take. Feast your eyes on our snorkel transport:

There's really no opportunity to bring a camera in a canoe!!!!

The one thing I really did love about being here at the lodge we selected is that the tide rolled out very far to the reef. So, for about three hours in the midday, you could walk a few hundred meters out on the ocean floor. All the local boats would be sitting in the soft sand, just waiting for the tide to roll back in. And the bright green seaweed would gently lay awaiting the arrival of the Indian Ocean's current. Amazing.




Ashley and I had a good time on this holiday. We had great fun hanging with the staff of our lodge talking hip-hop and pop-culture, putting on make-up (just because!), always reading a book, and going to Stonetown on our way out of Zanzibar. All in all, this was a great time for me as a volunteer, as a woman, and as a human being enjoying God's great beauty! I would visit Zanzibar again, but feel blessed if this is my only opportunity to ever see it. Now, its back to the babies. And here's a teaser for the next blog... Pendo has dimples!!!! Who knew? Anyway, here's more random pictures of our time. Enjoy.

Hannah R.- you would love it! Bring M. on a vacation here! You guys would have such fun.

Oh, one last thing... how could I forget? This final picture is of Ashley, me, and our beloved Almas! In true "brother" fashion, he took us to the airport, insisted that we call him to let him know of our safe arrival, and picked us up from the airport with a big smile on his face and much to tell us about the week. We love Almas. I think I will miss him as much as the babies when I return to the United States. Anyway, ciao!

~Shae