Zanzibar (27 Feb - 2 March 2010)

We flew from the Serengeti air-strip to Arusha, got out of the plane for 30 mins to stretch our legs and have our picnic box and then boarded it again to go straight to Zanzibar. I seem to recall it took about 2 hours all in all (incl. the 30mins stop over). NOT bad. We were hoping to fly over the migration area to appreciate the huge numbers, but it didn't happen... sometimes they have to make additional stops to pick up people on private air-strips, but not this time.

It was 35C when we landed and absolutely baking... the sun was biting your skin so much that we just couldn't stand in the heat for very long at all. Once we'd collected our luggage and found our driver, we turned the A/C full on and drove the 45mins to the Shooting Star Hotel.

I was sitting at the front and was pleasantly surprised by how very lush the island was. Lots and lots of coconut trees, banana plantations and hardly any cars at all (most people seem to bike it once you leave Stone Town). Truly one of the prettiest islands that I'd ever seen.

Our hotel was much smaller than the Sopa ones but it was quaint with an infinity pool and a lovely four poster bed as well. It also had a resident cat, Link, who was a lot of fun as he "talked" a lot :)

The beach itself was very poor, with lots of seaweeds and some rocks and though we wanted to walk towards the nicer end of the beach (smoother sand, cleare waters), we were told off my various security guards as each beach was 'private' to each hotel.

I wasn't planning to spend a lot of time on the beach myself (as snorkelling is very poor on Zanzibar due to the fact that they still 'fish' with dynamite !) but Roberto did want a whole day doing nothing and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep still for that long.

Nathalie knew this too and felt 'caught in the middle'. She had been approached by a guy on the beach who sold private tours and so she introduced me. I was a a bit reluctant, as you can imagine, to embark on a 1:1 tour with a guy I'd never met but the rep from the Zanzibar company never showed up and I knew I couldn't be 3 days doing nothing so I had to take a chance. I prayed a lot :)

The guy charged me $90 for a tailor made tour of the island ($150 for 3) and I selected to go to the spice plantation and the town centre to see the famous 'carved wooden gates', but most importantly, I wanted to see the N.W. beaches as they were supposed to be the most beautiful ones (and we were on the East coast where the tides were more 'obvious').

That evening I went to join Nathalie & Roberto who had managed to 'negotiate' a way to use a better beach and the Indian ocean was really warm. Just like bath water ! It was just lovely to sit in the sea, by moonlight and the sky was a very unusual blue.

We then had dinner in the restaurant (you have to be 'half board' at least when staying at Shooting Star as there really isn't anywhere else for you to go and eat without a car) but there was sand everywhere so it was nice to walk barefoot. They also provided sandals and light colourful bathrobes to help us feel more 'at home'.

The next day Philip (my tour guide for the day) was right on time to pick me up and the first stop was the Spice Plantation. As usual, they give lots of facts and figures on the various spices but the two that made me smile the most were about the hot chilli peppers called the 'pili pili ho ho' and the 'ho ho' is because once you bite into it, it's SO hot that you go 'ohh.... ohhhh' as you try to catch your breath. The other interesting plant was one whose leaves would curl up if you touched it. He said that jealous husbands usually plant them around a house and when they come home, they can check if their wives has been out or if anyone has visited because if you step on the plant, its leaves will 'shut inwards' for a good 6 hours (depending on the pressure applied). So it was like having a little invisible spy !

The next stop was Stone Town, but I was very disappointed by it because it is incredibly run down and they are not investing much money at all to refurbish it. There really isn't much of interest to see, even the Sultan's palace is barely furnished and looks rather plain compared to the extravageance of Versailles or the Taj Mahal ! The wooden gates were ok but nothing spectacular and I personally could not understand what all the fuss was about. I didn't even 'smell all the flagrances in the air' as promised by the guide book. Besides, people really do NOT want to have their photos taken so it's always disappointing when this is the case. Tanzania is 80% muslim so a lot of women wore veils (at least in town).

I then went to have lunch at 'Mercury's Zanzibar' a famous cafe on the harbour. They say that Freddy Mercury was born in Zanzibar and so this cafe is there as a reminder, with some photos of the guy on their wall. The menu was pretty good, fairly reasonable and very extensive, with lots for vegetarians and a lovely view across the harbour, so I was happy there for 30 mins.

It then started to rain heavily so we had to quickly make a dash for the car and head for the beaches. It actually poured down for a good 40 mins and I did worry that I would be unable to take any decent photos as I knew that the various hues of blue would not come to anything on a cloudy, rainy day. I did enjoy the drive across the country-side regardless as it did look so interesting and we passed so many villages with very humble homes (more like huts).

Thankfully though, the rain stopped pretty much 10 mins before we arrived. We walked along this most glorious beach with very white sand and went to visit a turtle centre for a few minutes. Then Philip had arranged for me to board a 'sunset cruise' as well and it was a fantastic idea because I knew I could take better photos from a 'high up' perspective. The beaches here were definitely MUCH nicer... the sand felt like flour... ever so fine, I'd never felt anything like it under my feet.

We were due to pick up another 5 people at various hotels but NO ONE showed up... So I ended up with 5 crew members 'for myself' and was able to just sit on the top desk and enjoy the view and the warm breeze... It was a fantastic view point and I just wished that Roberto and Nathalie had been here because I felt totally spoilt having the boat to myself.

It was supposed to be a 'snorkelling' trip too and if 6 of us had been, the captain would have taken us to an island where snorkelling was 'adequate' but because it was just me in the end, he soon changed his mind and suggested I snorkel much nearer to the shore.... however, it was just pointless, with hardly any fish and half destroyed corals. I really was not impressed but the water was so warm, it was delightful.

We then sailed along until the the sunset arrived and though it wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped, it was the first sunset I'd seen in the last 8 days.

By the time Philip drove me back it was pitch dark (9pm) and Nathalie was getting seriously worried (I think that if I'd been murdered she'd have never forgiven herself as she had made the introduction !). Philip was very decent man as it happens but as I told him, it's not easy for a woman to trust a bloke. In fact, at the first stop we made on the way that day, he told me 'we'll stop here, this is where they sell gas'.... but because of his accent I thought for a second that he'd said 'this is where they sell guests'.... ooops. He saw the worried look on my face and then laughed when I told him why !

I also noticed that he gave a lot of hand-outs to various people at various check-points and I'm sure that it's because he didn't have an official licence or an official car to drive tourists. So he had to pay bribes throughout the day. When he quoted me the fee, he said '$30 will be for government tax' and I realised, the $30 were for bribes, not tax at all !

As much as I find this despictable, it's such common practice the world over that you have to turn a blind eye otherwise you'd do nothing.

The next day Nathalie & Roberto joined me for a repeat of the Spice Plantation tour and the guide's assistant made up some really fun hats with some palm tree leaves. I took some great photos and it was actually good to hear all the 'facts' again because it's amazing how quickly one forgets things (hence this blog !).

Roberto also wanted to go to the ex-slave market and this was particularly sad but in some ways, it's the kind of tour that does make one realise how EASY we have it these days... and how our many complaints are just so meaningless compared to what these people endured.

They took us to a cellar with a tiny window (for air) and we were told that 4o people were usually kept / packed in this room where many died of suffocation or starvation. This was the first 'endurance test'. The ones who survived this one were then tied to a pole and whipped repeatedly to test their strengths as this would determine their worth. If they fell to the floor too quickly, they would be deemed too weak and sold off at a cheap price for human sacrifices. If they could withstand the pain for much longer it showed stamina and they would fetch a higher price.

Some of the men were sent to Oman to live in harems and they would be castraded very crudely beforehand. Their penis would just be chopped off with a sword, with no anaesthetics and as you can imagine, many would then subsequently die of blood loss or infections to their wounds (and how incredibly painful this must have been!). To think that a man could do this to another man just seems unimaginable.

It was just unbearable to hear all of these horrible, horrible stories and yet there were also 'redeeming' stories ('silver lining' in this dark, ugly cloud) of kind missionaries who did their utmost to rescue these people from their misery. One of them was bishop John Steere who bought as many slaves as he could and then built them a village so that they could re-build their lives. These people had been traumatised for months and had no more jobs or homes. They were nothing anymore and he tried to give them worth and a home and ... a future.

The other (more famous) man who helped to highlight their plight was the great Dr David Livingstone (one of my heroes). He spent 3 years in Zanzibar and witnessed the brutal treatment that these people had to endure. He reported it back to England many times and fought all his might to abolish such practices. As you may know, the treaty to end the slave trade was signed just a few days after he died. Dr Livingstone was in Zambia by then and he had told his assistant that he had such a heart for Africa and its people that he would like his heart to be buried here. And so when he did pass away his faithful friend removed his heart and buried it under the tree where he'd breathed his last breath. He then cut out a branch from the tree and had a cross made out of it that he sent to Zanzibar as a constant reminder of what he'd fought for over there. The cross is now on display at the Cathedral in Zanzibar. They also have a museum dedicated to Dr Livingstone but I ran out of time to visit - sadly.

I then suggested to N&R that we have lunch at Mercury's and they loved it as much as I had.

When we got back to our hotel we were told that our Zanzibar-Nairobi flight was on again and were SO happy. We had been told 2 months earlier that the flight had been cancelled and that we'd have to take a ferry to Dar-Es-Salaam and then fly to Nairobi from there. But this would have meant leaving the Shooting Star hotel by 11am instead of 3.30pm and having 6 hours to kill until we could check-in (what a total waste when the airport was boring and small and the island was so beautiful)... plus it'd have been a lot more hassle. This was fantastic news and we certainly made the most of the pool to celebrate.

We'd recommend the Shooting Star. The manager and his wife couldn't have been more helpful and worked almost round the clock (7am-10pm). There was internet access and they bring you a flask of tea, coffee or hot chocolate on your private patio every morning for those who prefer to breakfast alone. They were also able to give us 100,000 in cash whereas in town we could only withdraw 300,000 or 400,000 NO LESS (and believe me, we tried many banks!).

We had been told that we needed $30 departure tax but when we asked we were told that this wasn't necessary. Phew. It all helps ! Whether they got it wrong or not, I don't know... but we were pleased. Roberto used our last Tanzanian shillings to buy cigarettes in duty-free -- it is illegal to take local currency out of the country.

People have recommended we read "Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar" (ISBN 9987-8877-32) as it's a book that went into obscurity pretty quickly after it was published but then enjoyed a big 'revival' when it was re-printed. Many people read it again and again. I'm not a book worm myself (never enough time on my hands to finish a book !) but some of you may enjoy it !

The flight back was painless, I managed to sleep 5 hours so I was ok on arrival at 5.30am.

A whole month has now gone by since then and it feels like it happened more like six months ago but I've been sooo busy with work and various other commitments that I just haven't had the TIME to type this up any earlier... Time does slow down in Africa and it is like being given a 'new lease of life' when you can go there to recharge your batteries. Life in London is definitely tooo stressful (or maybe I just try to do too much) but I already can't wait for my next trip: Madagascar, out 19 May, back 30 May --- yes, Africa, again ! Well, it is my favourite continent in the whole world... and Madgascar is unique, with 80% of its flora and fauna found no where else on earth ! They call it the 'African Galapagos'... :)

Obviously, with the recent volcanic ash from Iceland having crippled air travel for a whole week a few days back I just hope that the volcano won't decide to spit ash again when I'm there as coming back could prove an expensive business. A case of 'watch this space'....