Zanzibar

This blog was written from the shade of an outdoor bed, on Kendwa beach, at the northern tip of paradise...

Zanzibar is an island off the coast of Tanzania, and we would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful, relaxing place to spend 10 days. Looking around, there are young people from every country lazing about on the comfy beach mattresses of Kendwa Rocks, the resort we have been staying at. The open air restaurant and bar on the beach covered with large thatched roofs are great spots to enjoy meals and drinks at night. Breakfast is included, and the only motivator to get up in the morning is to make it before the 10am closing time to enjoy the eggs, toast, fresh fruit and coffee.

Then it’s to the beach for lounging around, walking along the sand, chatting with friends and playing a good game of beach volleyball.

The day ends with a beautiful sunset, as the local dhows return to their fishing villages.

As the light fades we head up to our banda, a hut with it’s own little veranda, cozy bed with bug net and fan – what more could we ask for? It’s a home away from home, and if there’s an afternoon shower, a great place to sit under the awning, listening to music and chatting along to the sound of the rain.

In the evening we would head outside the gates to the street, a dirt road dotted with small local businesses that we were so excited to find on our first day of exploration. A small seafood restaurant (Peace Restaurant) run by the friendliest local Rastafarians quickly became our favourite spot for dinner, and by the end of the week we would have a constant stream of friends, all locals (such as our favorite, Alfonso), stopping by to chat. The owner, Oday, and his sometimes waiter, sometimes chef Omar were such genuine people that we ended up becoming fast friends. We looked forward to every chance to say hello and had an emotional goodbye at the end of our trip. On the spur of the moment Ben gave Oday his hoodie, perhaps not really giving proper thought to the warm island weather…

Although Zanzibar has many things that make it special, the most striking feature has been the incredible friendliness of the local people, including those working in the resort. Every morning we are greeted with big bright smiles, every encounter is a friendly greeting, and even those trying to solicit business are quick to set aside their “selling mode” and have a conversation. As a result we have been walking about in a perpetual state of happiness, and feel completely re-energized as we pass the midway point of our trip around the world! Wow, time flies…

One of the best aspects of Kendwa Rocks was meeting other travelers, which was made easy by the relaxed and friendly crowd, who were always willing to strike up a conversation. This made the night parties very enjoyable, and the locals sure know how to put on a good party – there is one every Saturday night on the beach, and people from all over the Island come to enjoy the good times. We arrived on a Saturday, which meant we had a ready-made party to attend that night. As a result the resort was almost booked, so we had to stay the first night in a pricier but beautiful room with a view until the next day when we could switch to our banda.

We took full advantage of the room by resting there in the afternoon and then headed to the beach towards the sound of the pumping dance music. Lights were strung up everywhere, and it was a beaufitul setting for a party on the sand and in the open air buildings. A group of break dancers came from Stone Town to provide some entertainment and we were blown away by their skill. Then the dance party started and we stayed up to the wee hours of the morning getting our groove on.

It wasn’t all fun and games though…actually, it was, but we managed to be productive as well. In anticipation for meeting Mama and Papa Branco in Koh Tao, Thailand, for some diving and beach time, we got our Open Water Diving certificate at Scuba Do, the outfit right beside our resort. It was a very busy three days, which meant doing an hour and a half straight of underwater skills one morning followed by an hour dive in the afternoon, and “homework” at night while watching the Euro soccer championship games at the bar. Our instructor Haji was wonderful and made us feel very comfortable in the water.

We got incredibly lucky and our open water dives happened to be at two of the best places to dive in north Zanzibar as we joined other groups. We saw the most amazing things under water including sea turtles, huge schools of colourful fish, walls of red coral, sting rays… And last but not least, Patricia had the experience of a lifetime – a group of dolphins came alongside the boat and she was able to swim with the five females and two babies with snorkel gear while Ben captured the moment on camera from the boat. Unforgettable!

Tomorrow we leave for Stone Town to spend the night before saying our final Kwahere (goodbye) from our Asia bound plane the next day. It’s hard to avoid the reality that it is our last day here...we have to enjoy every moment and only hope that another adventure will bring us back to this African paradise again.

Ahsante Sana Zanzibar!!!