Today felt like vacation. After seven months, of Peace Corps service, in Ethiopia, I gave myself permission to have a beach day.

I spent most of the late afternoon just looking at the ocean. When I served in Kenya, back in 1987, I would leave site (after each school term), walk 5k, to the village, get a “speed” taxi, and make my way to Nairobi. Once there, I would take the overnight train to Mombasa, grab a bus to Malindi, overnight (or hang a day or two), then make my way to Lamu. Today, I was back. The Indian Ocean was before me and all was right with the world.

I enjoyed a chicken burger, for lunch, with a Pole Pole (an ice cream and Coke float), while storm clouds passed over the water.

When I was sure that rain was out of the question, I made the short walk, just beyond Forodhani Gardens, to the Palace Museum.

I went there to see Princess Salme’s room. She’s the author of Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar, first published in German in 1886.

The photo opportunities from the second floor are well worth the $3.00 entry fee. One of the museum guides was a tad annoyed with me, when I said I didn’t need a guide and would rather just read the descriptions on each display. “So, you’re saying that you don’t want to learn?” He asked. “No. I’m saying that my masters degree, in Public History, makes me want to “see” (for myself) how museums use displays to educate their visitors.” This was, of course, all said in my head. I simply nodded to the guide and quickly walked into the nearest room.

–GGT