Beach getaway-African East Coast
February, 2015
For the final week of our trip we flew to Zanzibar to relax and reflect. On the flight over there I was literally grinning from ear to ear when I realized the plane had to make a detour around Mount Kilimanjaro, as it did not quiet fly high enough to go over it. Zanzibar was a beautiful island. In fact it is leading in the tourism industry in east Africa. Zanzibar is famous for its historical sites, beautiful beaches, good climates, slave trading, gold and ivory trading as well as all different kinds of spices and oriental foods. It is a hot spot for tourists from Europe that escape the cold to the white sand beaches. In between trying to relax at our luxurious resort and not getting burnt, we did a number of day trips. We learnt a wealth of information on a spice tour, which gave us the complete picture as to why the island is called the ‘spice island.’ We drove through a profusion of greenery in the country side full of plantations, where we often had no idea what it was going to harvest until we were seeing it up close, tasting it and smelling it. As well as a huge variety of spices, many of which I had never seen in their raw state, we were also able to try mouthwatering tropical fruits as well see the iodine plant, Heena bush, ylang-ylang, the lipstick tree, coffee beans and suck the sweet flesh off coca beans.
Our time staying in Stone town was full of rich cultural heritage. It was a maze of narrow alleys, sand and stone ancient built houses, many of them over 200 years old and had arab-indian carved doors with spikes to avoid the elephants trying to enter. The former slave market was hard to forget, as we crawled into the dark dungeon cells with only a slit in the wall for oxygen. The rooms were no bigger than a modest small 4 piece bathroom and held either 50 men or 75 women and children. The chains still hanging on the walls was disturbing, as was the whipping post where many salves came to their death. As the six of us sat in chambers listening to our tour guide, we were all very uncomfortable and claustrophobic and more than relieved that slavery has now been abolished.
We visited Prison Island on a traditional Dhow sailing boat. The island is so named because it was built by an Arab slave trader to contain troublesome slaves or violent criminals, before shipping them to Arabian purchaser or for auction. Luckily it was built but never used as a prison, instead it ended up being used as a quarantine center for sickness. Today it is the home to giant tortoises, which was most certainly the main attraction. Many of the tortoises were over 200 years old and were enormous. They allowed us to touch them, feed them and even watch them mate, multiple times! Back on the mainland we were able to visit the Jozani forest, which is the supporting life source for the Red Colobus monkey. This monkey is one of the most endangered and rarest species on the planet, only found in Zanzibar. Knowing this, it was very special as these wild monkeys starred us down from a distance as we walked through their sanctuary. The Jozani forest also led us to mystifying mangrove swamp and mangrove forest.
As our final days approached we spent the last of our Tanzanian shillings bargaining for Souvenirs including paintings, wood crafts, tanzanite and even getting our hair weaved. Zanzibar was a gorgeous way to finish our journey. It was definitely a beach destination with its own flair. The time together with my family went way to fast and every night fabulous cuisine was enjoyed along with lots of laughter and memories of our stay in Tanzania, Africa. A month that had just embedded itself into our hearts and memories for ever. Live, Love, Laugh sums it up perfectly!
Recent Comments