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WAKING UP TO hippos and birds in the Mara is terrific, but waking up to a direct view of the Indian Ocean, that's magical.

Zanzibar is quite the city, and unlike Maasai Mara, I opted out of a tour guide and almost regretted it yesterday when we got lost, walking for nearly two hours in the maze of old stony buildings and narrow stoney streets. The good thing is that we discovered that almost every route leads to the beach and we ended up watching the sunset on the beach.

Today the plan is to go on a boat ride on the Blue Lagoon and probably snorkel in the reef, however, here we are, an hour after taking the thirteen minute taxi ride, standing on the beach both of us in beach shorts, white vests, flip flops and sunglasses.

"I think we got duped," Boma says.

"I believe so too."

So yesterday, I paid three hundred dollars to a man who claimed he was Marina, literally, the captain of a private yacht that caught our interest. Today, he is nowhere to be found.

"I'm sorry about your money, we should go back to the hotel," Boma says.

"You're joking," I tell her.

"I'm not, we can't keep standing here and hoping that he will show. If it's about my snorkeling stuff, don't bother. It's not even safe for me, wack lungs and underwater suspension don't work together."

I look at her, then around us. Other tourists are getting their tourism going with sunglasses and colourful dresses flaying in the cool breeze.

A few metres away from us, a middle aged white couple is getting off a boat, a small wooden boat with the inscription Ride or Die. The lady looks like she could vomit while the man argues with the local, who is obviously the captain of the boat.

Looks like an opportunity.

"Wait here, at least let me try to make our dreams come true." I say.

"How do you intend to do that?"

"That couple"-I point towards them discreetly-"I think they're not going anymore."

"You're going to pay for another ride?" She asks.

"You want to do it don't you?"

"I'm going with you, I could bargain for a better price." She says.

I laugh.

"Watch me." She walks off, towards the deck.

Wait, she's serious.

I gather myself and skip up to her.

"Hi," she says to the couple and then to the captain. "Are you alright?" she asks the lady.

"I'm fine, just seasick so we can't go on our ride."

"I'm sorry about that. We got duped so we also can't go on our ride."

"That's awful." The woman says.

"Is that the problem?" Boma asks.

"Since we can't go on the ride anymore we've asked him to refund us fifty percent of the two hundred dollars we paid but he has refused." The middle aged white man says. His skin looks reddish, probably the sun.

"I run my business privately, I made this boat myself, and the way I run it, fifty percent refunds are only guaranteed when the ride is cancelled before the day of the trip, and for emergency reasons." The captain says. I check the boat out.

"Ride or Die." I chuckle in my head.

"How about this," Boma says. "You give them their fifty percent, hundred dollars, then we'll pay you that same amount. That way, they get what they want, you get full fee and we get our boat ride."

"That makes a lot of sense." I add. The captain looks at me, then at Boma and at the couple.

"Okay," he says. "I'm Morgan."

"Thank you," I smile. Morgan smiles then walks into the boat.

"See, now we only pay a hundred." Boma says.

"Well done. I couldn't have possibly done that."

The captain returns with some cash in his hand. I pull out my wallet and hand him the hundred dollar bill. Then he gives it to the couple. They say thank you and just after they walk away, the lady vomits.

°°°°°

The azure lagoon is endless. Translucent. Inside the floating boat, a turquoise light reflects off the rippling waters and on every surface.

"We'll anchor now." Morgan says. "The water is warmest here for snorkeling.

"We won't be snorkeling." I put the bag with the scuba diving gear away.

"That's okay. If we can't go to the fish, I'll bring the fish to us. So I'll treat you to a barbecue."

"You can do that?"

Morgan smiles. "Sure. It's part of the package."

"Wow," Boma chuckles. "The other guy was a real criminal."

"Sharp guy." I say.

"What was his name?" Morgan asks.

"He said everyone in Zanzibar calls him Marina."

Morgan laughs, hard and hysterical. "In Zanzibar, everyone's trying to make a living. Not everyone does it honestly."

"Noted." I say to Morgan. "Alright, Bo." I take off my vest.

She scans me, then diverts her attention to the water. "Are there sharks here, Morgan?"

"Not today," he says, more interested in the fire he's trying to kindle than the fact that we're talking about sharks.

"Wait, they're usually sharks?"

"Oh, yes what do you expect brother, it's the ocean." He takes a spot by the edge of the boat and throws in his fishing line.

I'm ready to throw my vest back on. Then he starts laughing. "Just kidding," he says. "The sharks don't come this close."

Boma laughs at me.

"You're laughing?" I say, she laughs more.

"Go on, jump in. I'm watching." She says.

I shrug and take a dive.

The water is warm and crisp, not chlorinated like the pool at home but it has a distinct fishiness to it. I submerge myself in the water then I pop up again to look at her.

"Aren't you coming?" I ask.

"Chinny didn't pack my swimsuit, she put something else in my suitcase and I can't wear that."

"What? A bikini?"

"The really small kind." she chuckles.

I see that Morgan has caught some fish, it's a fat one with scales. "Croaker." He says. I give him a thumbs up.

"Take a picture." I tell Boma.

She walks back to grab the camera and when she squats to take the picture, I pull her in.