Cait: “How’s Africa? What have you been up to?”
Me: “Not too much, I had a day off from the hospital today so we went to a coffee shop for a while today and then grabbed some gelato before heading back to the house to surf the internet.”
Cait: “Really seeing the real Africa aren’t you?”
Me: “Um, uh...”
Cait: “Tell me you didn’t fly half way around the world to do the same things you do every day in Seattle.”
Cait is my younger sister whose observational sarcasm is annoying but generally, tragically, accurate (almost...for the record, I don’t eat Gelato everyday in Seattle). While it wasn’t the only factor, the thought I having to tell my younger sister that so far this week I had just managed to explore the inside of an English bookstore and a Thai restaurant...not sure my ego could handle that retort. So thanks to the organization of Vijay, my roommate, I have just returned from an under-the-water safari!
(Safari is what I am choosing to call it because it sounds more ‘African’ than snorkelling)
Vijay gathered a group of ex-pats (from Nicaragua, Canada, Sweden, Germany and the United States) and we headed off to one of the coastal islands to rest on the abandoned white sand beaches with the sparkling blue Indian Ocean lapping the shore.
We actually started to plan this excursion a few days before the weekend and I started to panic because – once again, I did not bring snorkel gear. I do have my wetsuit (yes the same wetsuit I lugged around Africa for 6 weeks a few years ago) but no mask or snorkel. Unsure if I could rent it on the island and absolutely not wanting to take the risk, I headed down to Slipway (it’s the Rodeo Drive of Dar Es Salaam) to purchase the necessary equipment for my water safari.
I know there is a Wal-Martesque place somewhere in Dar, but I a) do not know where it is located and b) do not possess the Swahili language skills to accurately describe such a place to a taxi driver. I actually think that as soon as they see a muzinga get in their cab, they just drive us to Slipway. This is my justification for spending 170,000 shillings on a mask and snorkel – I am not doing the conversion for you...trust me, the phrase ‘too much’ is enough info. But the salesman assured me...it’s “an investment that will pay for itself” – I explained that I live in Seattle and he countered with “there’s water there too”. I didn’t have the willpower to explain that I was not likely to snorkel in Puget Sound. Besides, I rationed, it would be better to invest now than getting out to this turquoise ocean paradise and not being able to see what’s in there...
I really should have known better...as soon as we pulled up to the island; vendors were there upon us to rent snorkel equipment – for 5,000 shillings.
Determined to get my monies worth that day, I was in the water far longer than anyone else...to the point where I actually could feel my body’s electrolytes shifting to try and maintain a new equilibrium with the water world it viewed as its new home.
Shrivelled and extremely thirsty, but victorious at exploring the underwater world, I calculated that I will need to snorkel 33 more times to make my gear “pay for itself”. Considering I have spent more on this equipment than I have spent on most of my clothes, don’t be surprised if I meet you for dinner with it on when I’m home.
Asante for reading!
Dinner 2014? You make sure the gear continues to pay for itself and I'll so the same with my overly priced diving fins.
ReplyDeleteHad I known sooner we could have arranged for you to wear it in the jungle with us... Perhaps scare the howler monkeys quite.
ReplyDelete