Welcome to Zanzibar

Welcome to Zanzibar.Never a destination on my 'must do' list, but since I was in Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, it was the closest beach resort we could find.

Just off the Tanzanian northern coast, it is a relatively small island in the Indian Ocean. It's a short flight from Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar (less than an hour) on Precision Air. When we arrived at the airport we got off the plane onto the tarmac and were welcomed by warm, humid sea air - a wonderful change from the dry dusty air we were used to on Kilimanjaro and on safari. We entered the terminal and the baggage handlers pulled up in a cart and started unloading the luggage (from different flights) onto a counter. It was organized mayhem and seemed to work - at least on the arrivals level. We grabbed a taxi bus at the airport for the hour plus ride to our hotel.

Zanzibar is so unique and exotic. Since this was my first visit to an Islamic region I was overwelmed by the beautiful architecture that was Middle Eastern influenced. Zanzibar lies on the far east coast of Africa and has a long history of doing business with the Arab world. The women were all modestly dressed - some wearing the hijab, others in full berka.

School girls wore white cotton veils and dark navy blue uniforms. Along the way we had to stop at a police checkpoint. They checked the driver's papers and looked us over and then sent us on our way. Not too unusual except that it happened not once but FOUR times in less than an hour! They apparently only stop taxis with passengers but I don't know if it's for our safety or theirs. On another trip into the city our driver said when he got to the local bureau to get his travel papers it was closed. So everytime we were stopped he had to bribe the cop with a 10,000 shilling note (about $9us).

The accommodations were not what we were expecting - we had seen photos of this beautiful thatched hut hotel on a beach next to a turquoise blue sea. But when we got there, the tide was out - way out! It looked like we would have to walk a mile to get to the surf. The hotel seemed like it wasn't well care for and we all became nervous - a one star at best. The washroom had a shower in the centre of it and plastic bucket if you wanted to bathe - turns out it was a favourite spot for mosquitos - dangerous at night! Certainly not what we expected for $130 a night. But we decided to get over it, and as it turned out when the tide came in, it came right up to the hotel beach. The room was relatively clean; there was a solid bed (instead of sleeping on the rocks of Kilimanjaro or on a cot in a tent. There was (usually) some water pressure, and the area really was beautiful...especially the sugar white sand beach. It was a fairly quiet beach area, although there were a lot of 'beach vendors'. Women were offering beach massages. 'Masai' were selling jewellery on the beach (not anything a traditional masai would consider). They also pitched you to take their boat snorkelling or rent out of their beach bicycles (that you see riding back and forth along the beach all day).Some will let you go when you say you are not interested, others are very persistent. They would often try to speak to you in Italian, because so many Italians visit the island they assume that if you ignore them when they speak English to you, that you must be Italian.On our first stroll up the beach, we discovered what great beach combing for shells it was - and that became a morning ritual.

And in the evening we would sit out on the hotel bar deck overlooking the beach and have a glass of wine. As the sun set, a cool breeze picked up. You may be in Africa and on the equator but that doesn't mean it doesn't get cold, especially in the evening so bring some warmer clothes. After a great morning at the beach we hired a taxi van - Kiro, the brother of one of the hotel staff - to take us into town and to a spice plantation for a tour. The taxi trip would cost us $120 us for the entire day for all 6 of us - so about 20 bucks each.

It was a terrifying ride, people all over the road, it's narrow - barely 2 lanes wide. Our van had to dodge people wandering all along the road, crossing the streets, riding bikes, push carts, ox carts and cows. Someone asked what side of the road they drive on in Zanzibar, and it turns out, it's whatever side they can get past. I wonder how many people are killed on the roads every year.We passed through the ancient area of Stonetown, full of amazing ancient buildings, Islamic architecture, carved doors, some very intricately.There are many spice plantations in Zanzibar the one we chose was a family spice plantation and our guide was none other than 'Mister Spice'!It was an amazing educational experience as we saw how exotic spices are grown and prepared. I was surprised at how interesting it really is... if you are a foody at heart or just have an interest on where things come from, a spice tour shouldn't be missed. Mr. Spice opened a cocoa nut and let each of us eat one of the slimy beans inside; hard to believe it would become rich chocolate. We saw coffee beans, and pepper. He opened up one pod to show us the beautiful ruby red plastic spider of the mace flower as it wrapped itself around the nutmeg. He showed us soap berries that he crushed and added water to create a lathery soap. We were able to sample and smell the various spices and exotic fruits.

There was one seed that was brilliant orange coloured... used in tandoori, for bindi and the circle mark on the top of the forehead by Masai, it's also used as lipstick and nail polish.

You'll also be given palm woven purses to carry home your spice samples. We also received some 'jewelry' palm woven rings, bracelet and a cut frog necklace for the women and a woven hat and necktie for the men. When it was all over we were presented with a counter of personally blended spices, perfume oils, soaps, coffees, teas, all that we were able to purchase. Our small group managed to spend $150 and the family was so pleased. That is a lot of money in Zanzibar, more than double or triple a month's salary for the average worker.





We headed back to Stonetown for some sightseeing, some bartering and some photo taking. I was so excited to start taking pictures, and I started clicking away as we wandered the maze like narrow alleyways. We had to jump out of the way of bicycles, motorcycles, and even cars, all trying to squeeze by on a road, no wider than a sidewalk
We saw stray cats, digging through the garbage on the sides of the road, for any scraps of food they could find. I also understand the streets become open sewage channels when there is heavy rain. As we wandered past one place, there sitting by the open windows of a restaurant were Jody and Paul, having a coffee and cake. We went inside for a snack and I had the most amazing ginger, cashew cake. I also bought a cake and soda for our taxi driver who was keeping us from getting lost, or into trouble. As I prepared to take a picture of the group of us, my camera battery died. It was so disappointing; it was one of the parts of the trip I was really looking forward to. There were so many wonderful photo ops, but I had to leave it up to others to capture them.And here's why it pays to do your homework BEFORE you travel someplace... I was disappointed when we missed going to the Mercury Bar... a tribute to Zanzibar's most famous and controversial son - Freddie Mercury from Queen. The island has a strange relationship with him... on one hand they are proud of his international success but he is also looked down on for being gay. Homosexuality is still illegal in Zanzibar and Tanzania. Zanzibar has banned gay tourists and has a penalty of 25 years for those in gay relationships - 7 years for lesbians. Like most Islamic areas, not the best places to be 'out'.

On our last full day we had a relaxing day... beachcombing and then tanning on the beach. We even got massages as we lay under the thatched umbrellas on the beach... the masseuses hang around the beach looking to earn their $4 for a half hour massage.We wandered up the beach later in

the afternoon, our cameras catching some of the interesting beach scenes we'd come across. We stopped by a teahouse run by a German couple,

who served us spiced teas and pineapple cake. And because Jody and Linda brought some clothes to give to the orphans they wouldn't let us pay for our snack.

One warning for those who like to stay plugged in when they're vacationing, communication in Zanzibar really sucks... even worse than the other parts of Tanzania we had been in.

And it seems Zanzibar has one more surprise for departing tourists... it seems they don't want to let you go. At least that's

the impression I got after trying to get to our flight. At the 'check-in counter' everyone was standing out in the blazing hot sun, trying to jostle their way to the front of the haphazard line-ups to check in. There were about 5 people in front of us when we arrived and it still ended up taking

us about 75 minutes to get through. It was filled with pushing, shoving, yelling. The agent takes your luggage and puts it on the other side of the counter, then takes your ticket and passport and goes into this small office to get your boarding pass and luggage tags. But everyone else shares the same office so it takes forever. We finally got our ticket then had to go in through another entrance, and make our way to another counter where we had to pay $40 for an exit visa. Then we had to carry our luggage over to the screening area. The security guard said, 'Seashells are forbidden, you can not take them' so I said 'no problem, just give me my suitcase and I will take them out'. So he says 'Oh no my friend, I will let it go' which is followed by the punch line ' won't you give me a tip for doing you this favour?' Unfortunately neither Deb nor I had any US or Tanzanian cash left after paying for our visa. After the look he gave us, we were certain he would take off our luggage tags and send our bags to Timbuktu. (Turns out our bags did get lost... but when we transferred in London, they missed the flight, and arrived the next day- it wasn't his fault).

On Safari in Tanzania

I couldn't visit Africa without going on a Safari. I was there anyway to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, so when I was given the option of a 2+ day safari in Tanzania... I jumped at the chance. And I wasn't disappointed. It's something I think just about every kid dreams about, especially if you ever watched those Disney films or National Geographic or when I was a kid it was Animal Kingdom.

We had arranged for our safari tour as part of our package to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, so everything was taken care of. We hopped into our safari jeep at our hotel in Arusha for the 3 hour drive to Lake Minyara. Just the drive itself was captivating... there was lots to see, Masai herding animals beside the roads, Camels grazing,

a steady stream of roadside shops selling tourist 'art'. We saw what looked like a long range of mountains in the distance, which we were told was actually the Great Rift Valley.

When we arrived at Lake Minyara, we stopped at a reststop for a quick box lunch, and the first thing we saw was this huge spider in a web crossing our path, then it was a band of baboons, that stayed far enough away so we couldn't get any pictures. We also saw a huge tree covered in squawking storks and herons. So far so good, but of course the best was yet to come.

As we drove into the park we started to see an amazing range of animals, Blue Monkeys, Vervet Monkeys,

Baboons including a tiny baby that couldn't have been more than a few days old. We were looking for anything and were excited for the photographic hunt. As we approached the Hippo Pond we came across a herd of Zebras and a herd of Giraffes all grazing peacefully together. Then at the Hippo pond, the Hippos were mostly underwater so it was tough to see anything. By the way, it's not such a bad thing that they are so far away, it turns out more people die from Hippo attacks in Africa than from any other animal! They look like big lumbering animals but you don't want to piss one off... when provoked they can pick up speed pretty fast. Ironically there was a band of rocks around the pond which was supposed to be our barricade to keep us safe!?

And there are few animals that are cuter than the Dik Diks. The name is hilarious, but the animals are very cute... like little deer with big eyes.

But enough with the Dik Diks were were in search of something a little more substantial... and we quickly found it... the giants of the African savannah... a large herd of Elephants. There were several pachyderms, all different ages wandering back and forth in the middle of the road. Keep your wits about you though... while we were taking pictures, and videos of a couple of elephants crossing the road in front of us, someone said 'turn around' and there were these massive elephants just a few centimeters away, walking right alongside our jeep!

That gets the adrenaline pumping so again it was off in search of the king of the jungle. And sure enough we peered through the brush and trees and there was a lion staring back at us.

It was hidden in the forest, but we still managed to see it - obviously eating something it had just caught. We hoped to get a little closer to a lion next time. It becomes easy to get blase about what you are seeing... when you are surrounded by so much of what nature has to offer.

Soon it was 'oh it's just another zebra or antelope' or 'oh that's just another elephant'.

Even without the wildlife... it is spectacular... the huge trees, some that looked dead but in fact were good shelters for animals and even tribesmen travelling through the bush. The termite hills are scattered across the landscape, looking like giant sandcastles.

High above Lake Minyara, there's a roadside vista point where tourists often stop to take beautiful pictures of the park from high above it all.

This was a no hotel trek, we would be tenting it at an established campsite... set at the top of the ridge and surrounded by spectaculr vistas. And the campsite itself is luxurious compared to what we had been living in on Mt. Kilimanjaro. The tents are spacious and you can actually stand up in them (you have no idea how the small things can make or break your spirits when you are really 'roughing it'.

There is also a huge open enclosure with a fireplace that serves as a dining room, where they served us a delicious dinner of fish (from Lake Minyara), vegetables, mashed potatoes and pumpkin soup! And the bathrooms have flush toilets and showers! Believe me, after the way we lived on the mountain, this was like a 5 star campground!

The next morning we would drive up long and winding mountain roads shrouded in fog en route to Olomoti Crater for a photo hike with an armed guard. It was a white knuckle ride all the way, with huge drop offs on either side of the road and the driver was fearless, speeding uphill and swerving all over the narrow mountain pathway.

When another vehicle approached on this tiny mountain road (barely more than one lane wide) we had to pull way over to the edge to pass. At one point we came across a broken down bus in the middle of the road, blocking traffic in both directions. But that didn't deter our driver Peter. He manoevred around it all... good for our schedule but had us all trying to find religion again. We continued along the fog shrouded road and then suddenly stopped at the side of a road next to a Masai home. One young man came over to talk to the driver, and it turned out that he would be our guide, not an armed ranger like we thought, but a Masai herder armed with a spear. Well it turns out that Yonah had actually fought lions and buffalo with that spear... I know it was to put us at ease but instead made us wonder exactly what we were about to encounter. When we asked if he ate what he killed he said 'not really'. The Masai don't eat wildlife, although he said they did eat the Buffalo. He turned his nose up at the suggestion of eating the others. He led us down into this valley, but in order to get there, we had to trek UPHILL. And it took us about an hour of hiking through the fog. We could barely see anything except for the fog shrouded forest, plus we had the added misfortune of still suffering with muscle aches after hiking up Kilimanjaro just a few days earlier. When we finally got to the valley, we could see a herd of cows headed uphill after getting water in the ponds at the bottom. And then we saw a waterfall... it was nice and the views were nice, but the hike was really not worth it. We took pictures with Yonah by the waterfall, and he let us hold his spear, which was pretty cool, but the only wildlife we saw were some donkeys, cows and goats. We did see this very fragrant plant that Yonah told us they boil with water to make tea. I bet it would be delicious.

As we drove to Ngorongoro Crater we passed numerous Masai settlements with their round homes. But the Masai were always sure to tell us that they don't live in any one place, that they are nomadic and keep moving their animals to food and water. But it still seemed like they were pretty settled.

When we arrived at Ngorongoro we started to see wildlife almost immediately. Male and female Ostrich, a couple of female Hyenas with a litter of pups, and lots of different Antelope and Gazelles.

Turns out the big hangout for tourists here is the Hippo Pond... it's one of the few places where you can actually get out of your vehicle and wander around, or stop off for a little picnic lunch. The place was packed with safari tourists... all with the same idea. We sat on a giant rock overlooking the hippo pond and ate our lunch. A couple of Superb Starlings came over looking for some crumbs. There was also a large hawk or vulture type bird that kept hovering over us. Peter, our guide, warned us that the bird would attack and fight you for food, so if he dives, look out. I was staring up just about the whole time I was eating... tough to relax when you know you might have to fight a raptor. After lunch we wandered over to the pond and saw some activity to our left. It was a herd of zebras running away from something, and then we saw it, a lion. It wandered into some nearby bushes and we lost it before we got a camera shot, but it was sure exciting. We ran back and rounded up everyone, and drove over to the spot where it was. But it was too hidden to see.

We also checked out a third Hippo pond - and this one you don`t want to get out and wander too close to.

You could watch dozens of Hippos as they rolled around in the mud and flipped water onto their backs.

We then drove around for the next several hours witnessing a whole range of wildlife. Lots of Wildebeest, Buffalo, a Jackyl, and warthogs - that I discovered only run in single file. Hilarious!At one point we pulled over and our guide grabbed his binoculars and was looking at 3 black dots in the grass... turns out one of the dots were the ears of a cheetah. That was as close as we'd get to one.

We also saw a pride of lions just off the road. It was a couple of females and a couple of cubs, and it turns out the other group that we were with saw the lions trying to catch a zebra. The lake in the crater is actually a salt water lake and it smells like the shrimp farms in Hawaii. Of course there were hundreds of pink Flamingos but the lake had dried up so much that we couldn't get very close.

As we neared the end of the trip to Ngorongoro, we pulled over to a rest stop so some of us could go to the washroom. There were all these Vervet monkeys running around, and the guide told us to be careful because they knew we would have food in the jeep. So as soon as our driver got out of the jeep, he forgot to roll up HIS window... and sure enough a monkey jumps up on the back of the jeep. It was obviously a planned manoevre because as we are all distracted by him, someone yelled fromm inside the jeep... 'one is inside, one is inside and he stole your nuts!!!'

The monkey ran in through the window, went straight for my knapsack, grabbed a plastic bag of trail mix and ran out the window and up the tree, where he gobbled it up.. you`d think he`d done this before.


It was hilarious, and as other tourists pulled up, it became a great story. One Japanese family was inside their jeep and kinda freaked out by what we told them, when a monkey suddenly jumped onto the mirror of their jeep and sent them into a flurry of screams.

You couldn`t help to notice the tree that the monekys were on... it was all old and narled and actually looked nd the amazing thing too was the tree they were in. It looked like monkey heads had been carved into the trunk but in fact it was the natural knotting of the tree trunk.

We drove up to our next campsite and were greeted by a hyena at the entrance and zebras grazing outside the tents. How cool is that! Unfortunately the washrooms are shit holes in the floor that stink! Turns out we would be camping in party central. It was a cacophony of languages, all slurred by too much alcohol and the African air.

Around 1am I woke up and desperately had to use the `facilities` but as I crawled out of my sleeping back I could hear wildlife outside the tent... it wasn`t enough to stop my natural urge... and it turns out it was zebras grazing outside our tents (pretty innocuous). When I came out of the outhouse I headed for our tent... counted two in and unzipped only to discover it wasn't our tent! Good thing it was empty - or I would have had some 'splainin' to do. We were actually one row up... all the tents look the same.

We headed out in more dense fog and another scarey ride down from the crater rim. It was a long drive to Kilimanjaro Airport, and luckily the fog lifted and it was much more scenic. There were hundreds of kids walking along the road on their way to school. They all wear different uniforms and we were told that their parents have to buy the uniforms and the books for the kids and it can be a couple of months salary. In some areas, the kids were also carrying big sticks and we were told that was for the lunch meal fire and if they forgot their stick they wouldn't get lunch. We also saw kids along river banks filling up containers of water, to take back to school.

Stay tuned for the next part of my adventure: Zanzibar!