On the Ocean Blue

I have a connection with the sea and am so happy when I find myself on a beautiful island surrounded by the most beautiful water I have ever seen. For this vacation my only stipulation was that we were on the water as much as possible. While Rachel doesn't seem to share the same connection, she was happy to oblige my request. We went out snorkeling twice and spent all of the other days at the beach or in the pool!

Here we are in the Eastern part of Zanzibar, where the water is greener than in the north. We saw quite a few amazing fish, but my favorite were the bright blue starfish sprinkled in the coral! If the pictures from our underwater camera come out, I'll be sure to post them. Seeing as there aren't any one-hour photo shops here in Sudan, it might be a while. While we were snorkeling, the captain managed to catch this pufferfish. The implements were quite primitive...I only saw a long pole with a hook. Meanwhile the mate of the ship took great pleasure in showing how to carry it (just poke your fingers in its eyes) and how it puffs up. It all seemed a little cruel; regardless, they promised to eat it that night and even invited us to partake. In Japan, I've had pufferfish (and realize just how toxic it can be) and was quick to say, "No thank you". I love this picture of Rachel reading "The Mermaid Chair" while sailing back to shore. The water was so calm the sky was reflected perfectly!