Snorkelling, Seasickness, and Shooting Stars

Trip Start Nov 30, 2007

Trip End Dec 03, 2007

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Flag of Tanzania Jambiani, Tanzania
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

I didn't sleep well during the night for a variety of reasons - mosquitoes buzzing just outside of my protective netting, and the fact that I was terribly congested. I thought I was snoring so I kept waking up in an effort to not disturb Mary. PLUS I was super hot due to a slight case of sunburn. Apparently, I hadn't been snoring though cause Mary told me in the morning that she hadn't heard a thing. I got up at about 7 and we went to breakfast at 7:30. Fresh juice, fruit and a Spanish omelette - decent breakfast grub. We had arranged through our hostess Wilhameena to go snorkeling at 9 AM. Captain Haji rowed us out to the reef on a traditional wooden boat. The sea was quite calm and yet Mary was terribly seasick throughout the whole experience. It was a pity for her and for me as I had to cut short my snorkeling experience due to her extreme nausea. Still, in the 20 minutes or so that I got to do it, it was magnificent! The best sighting for me was a long spotted sea snake slithering along the ocean floor

View from Casa Del Mar

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We returned to shore and I went for a swim while Mary went inside to recover. After my swim, I showered and then went for a walk in the village. I took some photos of a family at the post office and I gave away coins and nuts I'd bought to the local children I met during my stroll. One child I encountered seemed to be mentally handicapped. He had his fingers in his mouth and he was drooling continuously while making loud and seemingly nonsensical noises. I didn't put 2 and 2 together about his condition until a few seconds after I'd taken his picture. I partially regret having snapped his photo because I hate to think that I was exploiting him, but honestly, it didn't hit me straight away that he had mental issues. And the photo turned out really well. Sigh. The age-old moral dilemma of photography rears its head and spins my conscience for a loop.

Mary and I had a light lunch around 1:30 - salads with fresh bread baked on the premises. After that, I went for another walk through the village, went shell seeking, and then wrote in my journal for a while. The two of us went for a run together on the beach at 5 PM, but I only managed to run for about 25 minutes. I was too hot and my knee was a bit swollen. However, I was glad to have gotten the exercise

My Moral Photographic Dilemma

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For dinner, we once again ventured out of the Casa Del Mar and ate at the Jambo Restaurant - home to Mr. Smiley and geckos galore. I had yet another vegetable curry but it was decidedly so-so. We stopped afterwards at the African Queen Bar, situated directly next to our hotel and the hangout for my stalker "buddy", James. I had another Safari Beer and we chatted with a few of the locals there. They all sported nicknames such as Rasta Baby and Mr. Tall. Before turning in for the night, I sat on the sand for a while, staring up at the stars. I sang some of the opening lyrics to the song "Vincent" and waited for my very own shooting star to fall. At long long last, I spied one and feeling spent, I headed in to dream...

Jambiani hotels Slideshow