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Tanzania & Zanzibar

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At the end of our previous update we mentioned that we still had something to do before leaving Malawi - well, we didn't get to do it! A road closure for two weeks meant that we had to give up our plans to visit Livingstonia, a Victorian village at the top of a very steep hill overlooking Lake Malawi. We had the choice of waiting around for two weeks or leaving Livingstonia for the next trip - we chose the latter option.
And so as a result, here we are in Tanzania. The Immigration and Customs officials were all friendly and helpful as they relieved us of over US$300 for insurance, road tax and visas! Okay, to be fair, the insurance covers us for most of Africa for the remainder of our tour, but it was a bit of a shock to the wallet. We were in for another shock when we soon hit some large hills - we ascended 2000m in 56 kms which took us 3 hrs!!
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Tanzania is exceedingly beautiful; lush and green, with large mountains and baobab- filled valleys. Locals are keen market gardeners with fields planted with tomatoes, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassava. Huge tea and coffee plantations help to both provide employment and bring in foreign currency. The women mostly dress in brightly-coloured clothes and take pride in their appearance.

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Tanzanian bus drivers believe that they are part of the Schummuker family and that their huge buses are one of Ferrari's Forumla One race cars! Potholes, hairpin bends, traffic, steep ascents and descents are not enough to deter these guys from tearing up the "racetrack".

The main road - with a constant stream of "crazy buses" - winds through the Mikumi National Park where we managed to spot impala, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and even buffalo!

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We meandered slowly through Southern Tanzania before making our way to Dar es Salaam and across the Ferry - in the Mog - to Mikadi Beach, our homebase for a while. It was pretty scary driving onto the Ferry in our heavy vehicle; I could just imagine it sinking!! But then a really huge brick-laden truck pulled up next to us; it was then I realised that we are light-weights!

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Mikadi Beach is a popular stopping place for overland trucks while their passengers take a trip to Zanzibar. It is a great vibe and their Vodka Slushies are very....... interesting??

We took a day trip into Dar - this time as walk-on passengers on the ferry - to sort out our trip to Zanzibar. I, (as in Sandy) was sure that we were being ripped off, I just couldn't work out how! An elderly, but very sprightly, man - known as Mr Pipe due to his previously being a pipe welder - led us from dark and dingy office to dark and dingy office. We got first-class ferry tickets (just US$5.00 more expensive than a second-class ticket, but well worth it!) and sorted out our accommodation. We handed over cash for the hotel in Zanzibar and got a receipt in return, with a promise that someone would meet us at the pier. I just couldn't believe that any of the promises would ever materialise. Gee, was I surprised when the taxi arrived on time (at 6.00am!), then we were given a place to sit and wait for the ferry away from the seething masses, our tickets were accepted and we were escorted to first-class, and yes! there was a man on the pier to guide us to our hotel and the receipt was accepted and there were no hidden costs!

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Forget the sanitised tourist brochures about Zanzibar; the crooked and dirty narrow alleys are a maze of broken buildings, paint-peeling buildings and humanity living side by side with businesses. The smell in the air is not from exotic spices, but from rotting seaweed, fish and people living without adequate sewerage. Now that may sound like we didn't find much to like about Zanzibar... we absolutely loved every second we spent on the island - I even wanted to cry when we left!
The beautiful carved wooden doors, the ancient byways, fascinating culture, exotic spices and flavours meld together to create an environment which never ceases to entrance and amaze.

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There was not enough room for both a donkey cart with a load of wood and a scooter. The scooter had to back up and turn around!

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Zanzibar's population is 95% Muslim, 3% Christian and 2% Hindu. Over the centuries the cultures have blended with strong influence from Persia/Iran and West India. The largest ethnic group are Africans, followed by descendants of Arabs and Persians.

We spent time in Stone Town and went on a Spice Tour. I never knew that everytime I've eaten Lemongrass I've actually been eating Mosquito repellent - another name for Lemongrass is Citronella!

After really soaking up the ancient feel of Stone Town we headed north to the beach at Nungwe for some diving. Overcast weather slowed us down but it did eventually clear and we enjoyed some fabulous diving. We found an unbelievably good coffee and cake shop, ate too much, slept too little and generally had a marvellous time.

We could not put off the inevitable forever, so we returned to Stone Town for another night before heading back to Dar es Salaam. Thanks to Steve and staff at Mikadi Beach, our Mog was safe and sound and exactly where we left it!

Right: Alan learns to play Bau; this board game is played throughout East Africa and Malawi.
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So, just at Livingstonia in Malawi is on our "To Do" list, Zanzibar is definitely on our "To Do Again" list! That is in our distant future... Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti and Arusha are in our immediate future.

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The open-air food market in Stone Town.
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A fishing dhow on a perfect day.

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Highlights:
Best meal: It has to be the fabulous meal at Kisolanza camspite; maize soup followed by fillet steak, new potatoes, a HUGE platter of organically-grown vegetables with chocolate brownies to finish. Superb! But I also have to mention the incredible Red Snapper with Orange & Ginger that I had in Zanzibar.
Best moment: There were too many wonderful times to choose - our entire week in Zanzibar was our best moment.
Worst moment: When the time came to leave Zanzibar.
Rotary meetings: We attended two meetings - one at the Dar es Salaam Club and another at the provisional club of Zanzibar - Stone Town.
Interesting people we've met:
- Mark and the staff at Kisolanza Campsite; thanks for the warm hospitality, the hot showers, the great organic vegetables and the wonderful food.
- Sven; from Baobab Valley Campsite who gave us tons of information on Zanzibar.
- Paul & Lindsay; this soon-to-be-married couple are fellow Rotarians whom we met at Mikadi Beach. They are on a nine month round-the-world adventure.
- Steve; the manager of Mikadi Beach who is a great host and took care of our Mog.
- The Rotarians of the Dar es Salaam Club and the Zanzibar - Stone Town club. There are too many to mention all their names, but we were made to feel so welcome and we will remember our visits (and the great food at both!)
- Mr Pipe; if you ever find yourself in Dar es Salaam, seek out "Mr Pipe" at the ferry station. He can organise anything at a better price than anyone else and it's all legitimate!

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