Hello from possibly the nicest internet cafe in the world - view wise that is. We're sitting all of 25 metres from the water's edge....
Yesterday was Dhow-n time mk 2 (I'm sorry but I'm now sort of proud of that pun. Embarrassing, I know). Boat left at 9am for the Mnemba Atoll, round the top of the island and on to the eastern side. Fully suncreamed up as ever, we hopped aboard and they obligingly unfurled the sail (cheating as motor was on) to whisk us - relatively speaking, everything is as they say pole pole here - to the atoll. The reef was really beautiful, tho' rammed to begin with with other snorkellers so V and I paddled away a bit from them. Saw loads of fish again, proudest moment being spotting a parrot fish and also an extremely well disguised one that looks identical to the coral it was lying against so am guessing is probably called something inspired such as 'coral fish'. V also proving v.useful (!) in both knowing lots about what the fish are called, and how my camera works. Top marks.
Lunch was on board the boat - tuna wrapped in foil cooked on a barbecue in the most delicious herbs and garlic, with onion/carrot/tomato and chapatti, followed by mounds of fresh fruit. Amazingly good. More snorkelling in the afternoon and then back to the western side of the island. V and I wrapped ourselves up in sarongs and climbed up to the roof of the boat, snoozing there as we sailed back.
We were also separately both fairly sure that we heard dolphins, even if we didn't actually see them....
Today we slept in (through the thundering rain, that had cleared by late morning leaving behind the usual bright blue skies, mwah ha ha) and then wandered to exchange our books, and then grab lunch. Not as good as the excellent Manduka's tho' the view was incredible and the loos were the best I've seen so far in Africa. I'm not even joking about the latter part. It's quite amazing the joy clean white tiles can instil in a human being. We then purchased our first African friendship bracelets before wandering up the beach to the turtle aquarium (also containing python, thought immediately of Miss Little....). Set up by locals to protect the turtles, it basically works as a natural lagoon. Fishermen bring them turtles they've caught and they rehabilitate them before releasing them. They also collect the baby ones when they hatch and bring them up before releasing them (when they can find them - the mama turtles hide them all over the place apparently). We also met 'Mr Lucky', a tiny weeny 1 wk old turtle found by fishermen on the reef, obviously lost/drifting. So sweet and very small indeed. The sanctuary pays the fishermen not to kill the turtles and also marks the turtles so that when they are caught they release them again. Also took in the skeleton of a young humpback whale (HUGE) and very sadly dolphin skulls - about 400 died off the coast of Zanz in 2006, reasons unknown.
We then headed to Cholo's for a happy hour cocktail (Passion under the Palmtrees, yum) before heading back to the sea as the tide comes in around 5pm to swim.
Pretty much a perfect day. We've got in stocks of Konyagi and Pringles for a pre-dinner dancing session in our room (COOL) and then, well, it just has to be Manduka's.
Oh, and Cholo's played 'Club can't handle us' this afternoon, unprompted, and remix version of 'Waka Waka'. L11, thought of you....
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