These things occurred on Monday November 11, 2024 through Tuesday November 12, 2024 in transit from Zanzibar, Tanzania to Caesarea, Israel
Based on a recommendation we received from a fellow Chabad goer, we booked a tour through Captain Muddy’s Diving Company for the Safari Blue experience. I would have rather gone on a spice tour, but I was fairly certain nobody else in the family would have enjoyed it. Safair Blue was supposedly great for kids the boys’ ages and was billed as a great introduction to snorkeling with beautiful reef life, mangroves, and a beach island. Though I still had a runny nose and cough from the day before, I was feeling grateful that I had woken up feeling much better that morning and was going to be able to join the family excursion. Growing up, my family spent a lot of time snorkeling, scuba diving (not me for ear related reasons, but my siblings), and sailing. I did not want to miss our boys’ first snorkeling experience outside of our pool at home.
Captain Muddy met us early to double-check all of our food items for us to make sure they worked for us and then sent us on our way. We had to drive ninety minutes to the opposite side of the island to catch our boat. The van had a small TV screen on the front dashboard. African hip hop music videos played. Matanel was sitting right in front of the screen and Shai was next to him. I am not kidding when I say I had to cover Matanel’s and Shai’s eyes. Some of the videos were so raunchy. The boys were cracking up in the back while in disbelief at what they were seeing. They kept laughing and saying, “That’s so sus! Why don’t they have any clothing on? Why does that man keep spanking that woman’s butt?” I tried asking the driver to turn it off, but I don’t think he understood me because he made it louder.
At the shore, the driver handed us off to two new strangers who helped us get our fins and snorkel masks. We were told there were no kid sizes available and then proceeded to wait on the diesel dingy for ten minutes while one of the guys figured out where to get kid gear.
Instead of clear, blue water, the water was a cloudy, murky, dirty, dingy, greenish, brownish, gray. Instantly I wished we hadn’t purchased a Safari Blue ticket. We were obviously contributing to the pollution and death of the shore life. After a few minutes, the water changed from brownish gray to beautiful shades of azure and aqua blue. Our first stop was an island to drop off food items and chefs. We were told we would return there for lunch. No one lived on the island. It was purely used for tourist purposes and by a few small fishing boats.
Our second stop was a mangrove area they called The Blue Lagoon of Zanzibar. This Blue Lagoon is a deep, natural swimming pool surrounded by mangrove trees growing out of coral. The water is crystal blue. When the tide is high, the pool is full of water. When the tide is low, the water completely empties out leaving a bare, muddy floor in its wake that can be traversed by foot. When we arrived, The water was placid and nothing was swimming in it. It looked like we were swimming inside an aquarium exhibit that forgot the fish.
Jumping in for a swim was a great opportunity for risk taking. None of the boys had done anything like this before. I was eager for them to enjoy the thrill of jumping off a boat and swimming with nature. At first, each of the boys questioned our judgement, especially since we told them they did not need a life jacket. There was no need. After a few minutes, one by one they took the risk and jumped right into the water. We had so much fun swimming around, floating, and just hanging out. I noticed an alcove of semi-submerged mangroves and swam over to check it out. Matanel and Shai were eager to see it too, but they weren’t strong enough swimmers yet to make it the entire way, so I took them to see it. Good thing I worked out a lot before our travels. Treading with each one on an arm took a lot of upper body strength.
For our third stop we sailed within swimming distance of a sandbar island. There, we were invited to snorkel near the boat. Finally, they were going to have their first snorkeling experience. My excitement quickly abated when the hiccups started. Matanel’s mask was too small. No problem, wear goggles. Well, as soon as he realized he was swimming with fish and they were touching him he got scared. Out he went. Shai didn’t like the taste of the saltwater. Out he went. Eitan’s scrapes were stinging. With some coaxing he ignored the pain and enjoyed the experience. Phew. Amichai enjoyed himself, quietly trying to touch the fish. I had stayed on the boat for an extra ten minutes just to manage everyone while Chaim was in the water with the boys who were going in and out. Eventually, all of the boys decided they would give it another try and got in the water to snorkel again.
Yay! Everyone’s issues handled; it was my turn to get in. As soon as I entered the water my heart sank. The entire reef floor was dead and there were only three kinds of fish that I could see. Devastated, I started to complain to Chaim about what was happening to the reef. He was right to shush me and remind me that our boys were having a great time and that we could discuss the sad environmental situation another time. I put on my best smile and continued to snorkel. Not ready to return to the boat, I opted to swim to the sandbar. It was a decent swim and helped boost my mood.
The sandbar island was a strange experience. A few women remained there throughout the day offering massages and henna tattoos. The boat captains handed out cold drinks and refreshing fruit. I found it strange and uncomfortable, as if the sand was placed there just for the tourists. However, the boys’ knack for finding ways to have fun in the oddest of places lifted my spirits quickly. Strong waves coming crashed sideways into the shore, making it a perfect place to try to jump over or get pushed around by the waves. Each wave pummeled, shoved, and moved the boys several feet down the shore. They greeted this with enormous smiles, hysterically laughing the entire time.
We returned to the first location for our vegetarian lunch, which we barely ate. After, we were led to what our guide told us is the largest Baobab tree in Zanzibar. It is 300 years old and gigantic. We were invited to climb it, so we did. Another great risk-taking opportunity. One that I absolutely questioned as Matanel and Shai climbed higher and higher. They must have been twenty feet off the ground. At least they were on a wide and sturdy part that they could easily walk across. I willed myself to keep my mouth shut when Amichai and Eitan climbed out onto another branch that was even higher, narrower, and jutted out away from the tree. Instead, I encouraged their risk taking. Truthfully, I didn’t breathe until they came back down.
While hanging out at the Baobab tree we saw giant coconut crabs that are bigger than our heads. I’ve never seen crabs so big. They kept trying to climb, but it was futile. Someone next to the tree kept grabbing them when they got too high and put them lower down again.
When we arrived back at the mainland, our driver was there ready to pick us up and take us home. Everyone fell asleep on the drive back. We were so itchy from all of the sand in our bathing suits. We couldn’t wait to shower. Captain Muddy was waiting for us when we arrived at our villa to check in. We spoke with him quickly before making a beeline for the showers.
Our evening plans included Chaim showing the boys OK GO music videos. If you haven’t seen them, you must. They are an amazing feat of genius with some excellent examples of Rube Goldberg machines. The boys oohed and aahed. We spent the evening talking about how creative the musicians were and how much thinking and planning goes into making a video concept like what we just saw.
After Chabad leftovers for dinner, I read The Little Lion Rescue to the twins. It is part of a series about a young girl in England who loves animals. Each book takes her on an adventure where she has to rescue a young animal and teaches the reader about the environment and animals through the story. The twins loved it. The best part is that the book takes place in Tanzania. It was neat reading about a lion lost in the plains and be able to talk, with firsthand knowledge of the area, about what the author was describing.
As I went to sleep that night, I couldn’t help but wonder how our time in Tanzania and Zanzibar was coming to an end. We had spent more than a year talking about the possibility of visiting Tanzania and now it was going to be over just like that. I reflected on our visits to the different villages and markets. Our experiences in Addis Ababa, Tanzania, and Zanzibar certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone. I wondered if our family, including myself, would be able to handle an entire year of traveling through places like these. I imagined that while they might look, smell, sound, and feel different in different countries, they will also have many similarities in terms of economics, trash, and crowds. I also vowed that if I ever came into loads of money, I would dedicate some of my energy and funds to creating a non-profit organization committed to educating the people and local tribes on the detriments of burning trash, providing garbage pick-up services, creating a composting program, and upcycling plastic for other purposes. I am sure these exist in some way, but they need help. I fell asleep hoping I would be up for the challenge and able to keep an open mind.
The next morning, I awoke seriously questioning if we would have a flight back to Israel. As far as we knew, this was the very last flight of the season on Israir and there was no real confirmation from the airline that we were on it other than the original receipt of payment. We left for the airport extra early to make sure we would get seats and ended up one of the first people in line. Instead of a nondescript white plan like the one we took from Athens to Tel Aviv, this plane was fully decked out in Israir colors. We felt better already, but the boys were soon disappointed to discover there were no screens on the plane. They spent their ride journaling, reading, and sleeping. We arrived in Tel Aviv at 11:00PM. My mom was waiting up for us with tons of food for hungry stomachs. I ate very little; my stomach bug was back.
