Friday, October 28, 2011

Zanzibar - Safari

Zanzibar!!!
Infemous and Famous this African Island paradise has a dark history but today is a bright and wonderful place to visit. Our first night is spent in stone town and we are in a hotel! No tents tonight a real bed and we have a real bathroom. Our exitement is slightly deminished as we unlock the giant padlock on the door and see the room. A poured concrete floor battered old wooden shutters, dust on everything except the sheets and an airconditioning unti that looks like it hasten worked since 1990. Perhaps in a past life this room was rented by the hour not per night. But the bed and sheets are clean, the shower has hot water, there is toilet paper and the toilet works! We visit the old slave market, it leaves a strong impression, it reminds us of Goree in Senegal. Then we go out on a spice tour, did you know nutmeg is actually red? Or that pepper is a vine and its colour depends when it is picked, cloves are also red. I am shoked to learn cinamon do not grow in little round stick, No! it is jus the bark from a tree rolled up and dried into those little sticks you get in the super market. We also try things like Jack fruit, a bulging 15-20Kg greeny yellow fruit that hangs from and otherwise ordinary looking tree the sight is so alien it almost looks like its not real. (have the locals just hung these things up as a joke to tell tourists) But no jack fruit is real alright and has a very particular taste, like sweet mellon chewinggum with a hint of pinapple. Then my favorite new discovery is custardapple a green fruite with a white fruit which is creamy in texture. Almost like solidified sweetendmilk with some fruit flesh thrown in. We also sample a great selection o tea's from fresh lemon grass to masala (yes like the curry and yes its spicy and yes it makes you sweat, great when the ambient temperature is already 30+ degree's)
The next day after leaving our first hotel we set of for the North Beaches on a 2,5 hour drive. We get there the room is $5 dollars a night more than we agreed, grudginly we accept. Then we see the room... A king sized bed, balcony overlooking the pristine white beaches and turquise sea, fridge, airconditioning a fan, massive bathroom real fresh towels, a big power shower two large sinks, complimentary soaps. We are dancing with joy in the middle of the room as we cant believe we will be staying here for two nights. (camping will do that to you)
We walk down to the beach, if you ask a person to describe in there mind what the beaches of paradise look like they will probably describe something that looks like were we are. Kendwa beach Zanzibar no more words just look at the pictures...
Sofi spends time on the beach taking it easy as she is recovering from Mallaria, I go diving and in 10 seconds see more wildlife than 2 days on Safari, Lion fish, turtles, dolphins (inc a baby with its mother) mind blowing... we are sad to leave. If the rest of the world wasn't calling we might not have left.









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