Zanzibar Revisited

I just got back from another vacation in Zanzibar.  The point of this second trip was to do the activities that I missed out on the first time.  In December, my friends and I went on safari in the Serengeti, and then met up with a bunch of other Peace Corps Volunteers for a birthday celebration.  We went snorkeling in the coral reefs but missed a bunch of other tours available on the island.  So I went back.

Day 1 – Ashley, Aditi and I arrived on Monday at around 7:00pm, and by the time we got to our hostel it was dark.  So we just lounged around and went to bed early.  We stayed at St. Monica’s Hostel (the same place I stayed before) because I knew it was cheap, clean, and had a good breakfast.  I also knew how to find my way through the labyrinth of alleys in Stone Town and get back to the hostel.

Day 2 – The first thing on my agenda was to go to Prison Island and see the giant sea turtles.  We didn’t book a tour or anything, instead we just wandered down to the beach and asked around for a boat captain to take us to the island.  (It was much cheaper this way!)  Sure enough, we found a guy, and hopped on his boat.  Prison Island was never actually used a prison, although it was built for punishing slaves.  After it was completed, it turned into a quarantine hospital for people with diseases and plagues, which were spreading through Zanzibar at the time.  There is also a giant sea turtle sanctuary there now.

 

Ashley, Aditi and I spent a few hours there, then headed back to Stone Town and grabbed some lunch.  After walking around for a couple of hours, we decided it was time to go to Matemwe and begin our beach-side relaxation.  We stayed at Keys Bungalow in Matemwe, which was recommended by another PCV.  When I booked this trip, I didn’t want to go back to Paje beach (even though it was absolutely gorgeous there) – I wanted something different.  Paje is on the south side of the island and the beach was very secluded; Matemwe is on the north side and the beaches are used by the locals for fishing and trading.  There were a lot of local people around everyday.

 

Day 3 – Keys Bungalow offers a snorkeling tour for a decent price, so of course we went.  They took us to yet another smaller island with beautiful coral reefs and fish.  For part of the snorkeling tour, we stopped in the middle of the ocean and jumped off the boat.  This allowed us to see the schools of fish that were at deeper depths.  I can’t even begin to describe the iridescent colors of fish that shimmer in the sunlight under water.  It was stunning.  Unfortunately, swimming out in the deeper waters gave us a few minor jellyfish stings too! 

After about 7 hours in the water/on the boat, the tour was finished and we were exhausted.  Later that evening, we all realized how severely sunburned we were!  Even though we wore tons of sunscreen (SPF 55-70), we still got roasted.

Day 3 – We unanimously agreed to stay out of the sun this day, in order to nurse our burns.  We casually lounged around in the morning, reading our books/Kindles, and then decided to go have lunch the fancy hotel down the beach.  And because we ate lunch there, they allowed us to use their free wi-fi and swim in their fancy pool.  It was a good day spent in the shade.

Day 4 – Ashley and I were ready for another activity in the water.  We had researched a few options and decided on parasailing.  It was a little pricey, but how often do I get go parasailing??  :)  We had to go to a town called Nungwi, on the northern tip of Zanzibar.  Again, more beautiful beaches.  Nungwi seems liked a tourist-friendly town with shopping and lots of activities and hotels.  Maybe that’s where I’ll go next time.  ;)  Anyway, parasailing was awesome.  I love the feeling of soaring – whether it’s parasailing in Zanzibar or zip-lining in Costa Rica, it’s so much fun!  And I had to take my camera with me to capture the views from the parachute.

                     

We returned to Keys Bungalow in time for lunch.  And since it was low tide, we all ventured out to the sandbank that was in the distance.  The staff warned us to wear shoes because of the rocks and coral that covered the sand on the way out to the deeper water.  So with our Teva/Chaco sandals on, we headed out . . . but we quickly realized how much we underestimated this trek.  It was a minefield of rocks, coral, and sea urchins!  Each footstep had to be carefully placed and each move planned ahead to avoid a dead-end path into the coral.  Ashley and Aditi got about halfway to the sandbank and decided they could go no further.  I got about 20 feet away from the sandbank, when my sandal got caught on coral and I tripped and fell.  My knees got scraped up and a sea urchin stung me.  When I stood up, I couldn’t see a clear path to the sandbank, so I turned around.  The walk back was one of defeat and pain (as the saltwater washed away the blood on my legs).  I decided to lift my spirits by going back to the fancy hotel and indulging in some chocolate.

 

Each night we had dinner at Keys Bungalow and watched the moon rise over the Indian Ocean.  The staff at Keys (whose names were Simba and Chips) would drink and speak incoherent Kiswahili mixed with English to us.  Then they would proceed to turn up the music and dance around the restaurant.  It was very entertaining.

 (Simba, me, and Chips)

Day 5 – It was time to leave Keys Bungalow and go back to Stone Town.  We arrived around 9:30am and arranged to go on a Spice Tour.  (This was another activity that I really wanted to do.)  I loved it!  It was so fascinating learn about the spice plants and uses for each one.  At the end of the tour, they offered us fresh coconut, mango, grapefruit, lemongrass tea, and pineapple.  And they made us hats from banana leaves.  Ha ha.

After lunch, we had the remainder of the day to wander around Stone Town and shop at the craft stores.  A lot of the crafts are the same as in Uganda, but if you look hard enough, you can find some unique gifts from Tanzania.

And then, I took Ashley and Aditi to experience the street food market that gets set up every night around 6:00pm.  Every if you don’t eat seafood, there are plenty of other options – and the experience itself is worth it.  :)

 

So that was the end of our vacation in Zanzibar.  Our flight left the next morning at 8:00am, and now we’re back in Uganda.  But I have to say that Zanzibar is probably my favorite place on Earth, and I’m pretty sure I will continue to go back throughout the rest of my life.  It is my ideal vacation spot with beaches, seafood, coffee, history, spices, architecture, Indian food, and such a diverse mix of people and culture.  I love it!