Lots to report, there is too much...."I will sum up"...
We left the resort on the east side of Zanzibar, sent Jason and Sherri on a plane back to Moshi, and we got on a little boat to an island called Chumbe. (That was after the taxi driver asked at least 4 people where the hotel was that the boat comes to!...thought I was at Menards asking the help to find some nails or something....) It's off the east cost and Chumbe Island which is a reserve for a coral reef. They are an eco-lodge and so everything is natural. You'll see our "cabin". No door, just wide open. Electricity is acquired by solar power, as is the hot water. And you have to be careful with the hot water as it can burn you after being warmed by the sun!. The shower has a trigger sprayer so you use far less water, and you still get nice and clean--which is great after a long day of snorkeling and sweating
Our bed was up in the loftt and had a view of the Indian Ocean! It was warm at night, but still comfortable. 
The meals were amazing! Red Snapper and octopus (incredibly tender and tasty) and we had Kingfish as well.There is no water on the island, so every two days they are re-supplied by the mainland. They re-use all the water and collect rain water, filter it and re-use. They filter any gray water and then put it on the plants, which are set in a clay base so it cannot leach beyond.
As far as snorkeling, it's the best coral we've ever seen. There are sting rays, a giant grouper fish, lots of fish right out of "Finding Nemo"...Angie got to go on three trips and I went on two. It was really nice to see this ocean because when Angie had her fish tank, the fish and coral came from here. It was kinda like swimming in her tank, only bigger! It was also nice to see how healthy the coral was. Many places we've seen the coral is dead or struggling. Here is was feeding and looking good. To the right is a Coconut Crab. The island crawls with them after dark. They are about 1 foot in size, not counting their claws. Don't let em grab you as they can cut your fingers right off, after all, they crack open cocunuts. They climb trees to get them. It was a very cool little walk.
Oh, and they give you straw hats so you can look eco-cool!. All kidding aside, it was not hard to imagine New World living where you have a plot of land, a solar panel and a nice simple lifestyle.
On To Safari!!
After Chumbe, we flew to Arusha (which is about an hour west of Moshi where Jason lives). We caught a 2 1/2 hour ride to our next destination. (Here's Angie on the back porch.) They provide a flashlight so you can "shine" animals in the valley below our room. Angie was out "shining deer" for a while last night and caught a glimpse of a couple of deer like things. It was pretty neat. And the birds are all different as well as their calls.
We saw Lake Manyara park today and will see the Ngorongoro Crater park Friday.
And still pigging out! Here's this morning's breakfast. The menu said "Traditional Breakfast"....sounded harmless enough. I think they think we are a party of four the way they bring the food!
So after getting stuffed, we are off to Manyara!
As we get inside the park entrance, here's this little blue monkey to greet us. He was just hanging around...I think he's waiting for someone to offer him a job or something. He was quite comfortable with the tourists gauking and taking his picture.
There are three types of monkeys in the park: Baboons (and gobs of them), blue monkeys and velvet monkeys. We saw plenty of all three. Zebra's were plentiful, as were wildebeests,
hippos (they have their own pool..."The Hippo Pool"), lots of giraffes, water buffalo, elephants, and lots more. A zoo without the popcorn and cages!
Everyone who goes on safari is hoping to see "The Big Five"...elephants, water buffalo, leopard, lion, rhino....hunters came up with this name as the five things that hunt you!...we saw two of them today and are hoping to see the others Friday. We are hunting with our cameras!
Closeup of a momma zebra and her colt....it was around lunch time!
I had to leave for a minute because there was some crashing in the bushes below our bungalow....grabbed Angie and the flashlight....it was two water buffalo....we shined em good....anyway, I can hear them going up the hill as they crunch their way through the bushes...just wait until Isa. 11:6-9 is fulfilled!
I'll try to load some more pictures after a while. Hope you are all doing well and we look forward to being back in just over a week!
