On Being a Beach Bum

I have a ridiculous amount of time in Zanzibar. Two weeks to be exact, which is at least a week longer than I have been on a "beachy" vacation before. I am definitely worried about going a little stir crazy, especially without some decent books to read. The following has been our plan to adjust to the art of living in Nungwi (small town on the northern tip of Zanzibar).

• Realize we're not in a first world country anymore: A minimum of two hours, sometimes three, needs to be allotted for every meal. This means sitting down and ordering well before you are actually hungry. Check the next blog entry for restaurant management 101. With so much time dedicated to meals, the day actually fills itself more quickly than I anticipated.
• Complete a day excursion: It is important attempt at least one activity a day; any more might be too ambitious since I have two weeks to fill. Yesterday we went snorkeling; today we were supposed to be sailing. Unfortunately, with hangovers and no wind outside, our group (now of 5 since we made new friends) opted instead to practice the art of being lazy. In addition to getting my scuba certification, I intend to be a certified master of the art of laziness by the time I leave on August 5th.
• Rock the 'stache: For the boys, to complete the beach bum look, it is necessary to shave the beard that has grown over the last two weeks on Kili and safari, but keep the mustache. Give it a comb before going out and try to use it to pick up girls. (Our new friend, James, was working this last night... I don't think it was very successful.)
• Adjust the internal clock: Our first two nights here, we tried to stay awake until midnight and sleep in later than 6:30 a.m. We failed miserably. Yesterday after snorkeling, we discovered the key: pre-dinner power nap(or at least rest). We dominated (yes, Leems, I threw that word in for you) Cholos, the local beach bar, until 3 a.m. I was very proud of us.
• Determine the necessary tactics to deal with locals who never have change for large ($10) bills: Jared accepted a credit last night. Sam at some point decided he didn't trust the credit and it was better to just get 5 half-liter beers for $10 all at once and then drink them quickly before they got too warm. I'm not sure, but this might have been the start of our downfall last night.
• No shirts, no shoes, no problems: I woke up this morning, rather reluctantly, and did the usual check after a night of drinking. Purse? Check. Wallet? Check. Money in the wallet? Not so much, but luckily I didn't bring much out to begin with. Fleece? Check. Camera? Check. Shoes? ummm... Shoes? Definitely missing. I must say, it is the first time I made it home from a bar with everything but shoes. Since the journey home included jumping several fences and a detour for a 3 a.m. swim, I guess I should just be grateful nothing else was missing. (Mom, don't worry, our new friends--the same guys we met on the safari--are firefighters and paramedics in LA and have decided it's their job to look out for me once Sam and Jared leave tomorrow. I told them it was a shame we didn't have them with us in Arusha.)

All things considered on day three of being a beach bum (in a third world country no less), I think I am adjusting rather well.