Tanzanian Holiday: Part 2 - Zanzibar

Looking back, we should’ve just paid the extra money and flown from Mt. Kilimanjaro airport to Zanzibar.  Instead, we were cheap Peace Corps Volunteers and decided to take the bus to Dar Es Salaam, then ferry to Zanzibar.  At first we heard it was an 8-hour ride (no problem, the same as my usual Arua ride), then we heard it was a 9-hour ride (ok, we could still make the ferry in time), but it actually turned out to be a 12-hour bus ride.  Ugh.  We got on a 5:45am bus and were delayed twice because of traffic.  Apparently there was a big accident and traffic was stopped for miles in both directions.

We finally reached Dar Es Salaam at 6:00pm and missed the last ferry by two hours.  So we had to get a hotel room and wait until the next day to go to Zanzibar.

*The good news is that buses in Tanzania are way better than the buses in Uganda.  The seats are larger and more comfortable – and they recline!  The bus company gave us water, sodas, and snacks, as well as several bathroom breaks at very nice facilities!  And the roads are paved in Tanzania!  I was very impressed.  :)

Dorothy, Katie, and I got on the 9:00am ferry to Zanzibar – which actually was delayed an hour.  (Are you picking up the theme of this vacation?  Answer: delayed transportation.  If you ever make vacation plans in Africa, factor in time for delays!)  Anyway, the ferry ride was great – there was air conditioning and flat-screen TVs playing ‘The Lord of the Rings.’  But I preferred to look out the window at the coasts of Dar Es Salaam and Stone Town.

We arrived in Stone Town and had to take a taxi to the east side of the island to meet the rest of our friends who were already on vacation there.  We spent the day swimming in the ocean and stayed in beach huts that night.  My friend Rebecca was a PCV in Uganda, but sadly ended her service a couple of months ago.  This whole trip was centered on celebrating her 30^th birthday in Zanzibar, which she came back for (all the way from San Diego!).  It was a sweet reunion and we celebrated by going to a really special restaurant called the The Rock.   

It’s on it’s own little island – we had to take a boat out to the entrance (during high tide), but by the time we finished dinner, it was low tide and we were able to walk across the sand.   

              

SO COOL!!!  Being that I was on an island on the Indian Ocean, I totally indulged in seafood.  Yum!

The next day we bummed around the beach some more, but Katie, Dorothy, and I had to leave and get back to Stone Town.  (The other group had already been to Stone Town and was going to stay on the beach for the rest of their vacation.)  We said our good-byes and made our way to the next hotel.  We had a chance to walk around town that evening and check out some of the architecture and street food markets.   

              

Such life and history in that city!  I completely fell in love with it and intend to return someday.  :)

There is so much to do in Zanzibar and we knew we couldn’t do it all, but snorkeling in the coral reefs was a must!  We booked a tour that took us to a sandbank island for the day.   

                   

 We snorkeled for hours, had a lunch of grilled king fish and local food, snorkeled some more, and went back to Stone Town for drinks and dinner.  Tom and Ilse (PCVs from Arua) were also there that week, so we met up with them at the Africa House Hotel, which had a sunset bar overlooking the ocean.  It was gorgeous.

Our final day in Zanzibar was spent wandering the alleys, shopping, and eating.  Our flight didn’t leave until 8:40pm, so we soaked up every last bit of culture that we could.  We visited the former slave markets, Freddy Mercury’s house and restaurant (FYI – Freddy Mercury was born in Zanzibar and they have historical spots dedicated to him), and took tons of pictures of the buildings and beaches.  It was extremely hot and humid which gave us the excuse to stop frequently at different restaurants and have a drink.

What an incredible vacation.  And since my Tanzanian visa is valid for one year, I’m definitely going back.  There’s so much more I want to see/do in Zanzibar.  Anyone want to join me???  ;)