A Little Less than Perfect

My mom and I had the most wonderful of getaways. And yet, no trip is without its snags. Considering we were traveling alone in fairly unfamiliar territory, I think we did ok. Here are a few moments that make the “things we don’t want to repeat” list:

*ALL CAB DRIVERS ON THE ISLAND OF ZANZIBAR WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS. One charming driver, who couldn’t find our destination and became angry when I showed him a map, tried to abandon us in a dark alley late at night within the maze of Stonetown’s streets where twenty men sat drinking and smoking. (But my mama didn’t raise no dummy.) Another was—at best—completely lacking all sense of direction and—at worst—was trying to kidnap us. (We made a VERY quick exit from that cab as he tried to enter what looked like a deserted garage.) A third cab driver may-or-may-not have been conducting drug deals while taking us to a spice plantation for a tour. So...yeah. Cab drivers are our FAVORITE.

*My less-than-graceful leap off the top of the dhow into the Indian Ocean during our snorkeling expedition in Nungwi. Unfortunately, the entire boat—including the handsome German OB-GYN—watched as I tried (with little success) to redeem my past chickening-out regarding all high dives and cliff jumping opportunities. C’est la vie.

*An unfortunate situation in which my wallet was lifted from my purse in the home of a friend. I’m grateful there was only 2,000 tsh in it (about $1.50), and I know now that I need to be on my guard even in places that seem safe.

*A moment when I was not-so-charming after several hotel employees tried to convince us to embark on a CLEARLY unsafe sea expedition. I’m (sort of) sorry about losing it when they told me it wasn’t raining AND THERE WERE RAINDROPS ON THE GROUND, along with whitecaps across the ocean shore.

*Bei Mzungu. It’s exhausting to constantly be in suspicion that you are being overcharged simply because your skin is pale. (And yet, I know the reality of this is that I AM fortunate and I CAN pay for these oft-marked up items.)

*A request for a bribe in airport security...icky.

*The beautiful little girl on the beach who, when I asked in Kiswahili what her name was, replied, “dollar.” It makes me sad parents teach such things to their babies.

And now my Pollyanna side is begging to be heard...we were healthy, safe, and happy throughout the rest of our three weeks together. What more could we ask for?