Zanzibar

Despite having had almost no sleep we were up, dressed and sitting at the rooftop restaurant of our noisy hotel well before 9am

Breakfast was fat balls, noodles and pineapple – an interesting and typically African combination.

After sampling the delights of our hotel restaurant, we went through our own fridge and cupboards either eating, drinking or giving away anything that was not going to last two weeks, before switching off the fridge and Henry´s batteries. We then locked him up with tearful farewells and jumped into our waiting taxi. Before long we were at the busy port.

It was a scrum. People everywhere – local travellers, tickets touts, porters, those just trying to make a quick buck by showing the tourists where to queue. We made our way through them all shaking our heads and waving people away and finally we were sitting in the waiting room, tickets in our hands and luggage between our legs.

The boat was fine, it left an hour late but once it got going it was quick and comfortable

The journey was only an hour and a half and we found ourselves on the beautiful island of Zanzibar by early afternoon

We had booked an AirBnB which had good reviews and whose host was supposed to be very helpful. The reviews weren´t wrong – Abdulah was in Oman visiting his sick Father but even so he was on Whatsapp every few minutes helping us negotiate taxi rates and routes and arranging for a friend to meet us out of the taxi and walk us and our bags to the apartment. When we arrived we were very pleased – it was clean, comfortable and spacious. It was also in a quiet neighbourhood right in the middle of historic Stone Town. We couldn´t have wished for more

To celebrate our safe arrival we walked two minutes to the famous Stone Town Café and had a wonderful lunch of satay pizza

Stone Town is the small but vibrant capital of Zanzibar, packed full of history, beautiful buildings and art

With Tanzania being the only producer of Tanzanite gems the town is also full of Tanzanite museums and jewellery stores.

And we must not forget one of the most famous children of Stone Town – the Freddie Mercury museum was our first stop after pizza

For once we had blue skies so we took full advantage of the dry weather and spent the rest of the day wandering around the town admiring the endless beautiful buildings

We browsed the night food market which was packed full of people celebrating Eid

We watched the local boys competing for the most daring jump off the sea wall

And got chatting to a fisherman who wanted to take us on a boat ride to Prison Island.

We then headed deeper into the heart of the town and ambled in no particular direction admiring the Zanzibar doors for which it is so famous

We poked around historic mask shops

And wiled away a few minutes talking to a wonderful old gentleman and his wife who offered to sell us their front door for a mere $2,000,000 – James shook on the deal on the condition he wrapped it for us!

As the sun set we returned to the harbour and watched the boats gently fade into shadow

That evening we fell into bed exhausted.

We returned to the Stone House Café for breakfast the next morning but as we ate the rain started again. It was far too heavy to go out into the town so we spent most of the day in our apartment reading, planning next steps and generally just relaxing. It seemed such a waste but we knew from past experience that getting soaking wet doesn´t make for a happy day.

By 4pm the rain had eased off so we decided to make a break for it and head out to the Old Fort on the sea front. We had only made it half way when the old fisherman from the day before found us and greeted us with a big smile. We chatted for a few minutes before he told us that he had been feeling very unwell recently and feared he might have malaria. He wondered whether we might be open to taking him to a pharmacy and buying him some malaria tablets if he showed us around the Darajani markets in return. He said he needed the tablets and four days of rest and sleep and then he could go back to work.

We could see no harm in it, we wanted to go to the markets and a local guide would be a big bonus. And at the end of the day how much of a scam could it be if we just bought him malaria tablets – we knew they weren´t expensive as we had bought multiple packets ourselves to keep in stock.

So off we went to the market, expecting to stop at a pharmacy along the way

But we passed many pharmacies and he showed no sign of wanting to go in. Eventually we found the markets and he met up with another friend who enthusiastically ran around helping us find a screen protector for my new iPhone and a pair of shorts for James. The screen protector was a success, the shorts weren´t but we had fun wandering round and chatting to the stall holders.

The friend then asked us if we would go with him to see his spice stall at the spice market and we happily went along, more as a thank you than anything. He had every spice under the sun but we had little use for them with a cupboard full of spices and sauces back in Henry. So we settled on a bottle of Zanzibar vanilla essence to flavour my morning cup of Rooibos tea and everyone was happy.

We then turned to our fisherman guide and asked him about his malaria tablets. He looked at the floor and said that with the time it had taken to do everything else the pharmacies were now all closed. No, James said, there were open ones on the road we just passed. The fisherman looked even more sad and said that they only sold tablets from China or India which make him come out in a rash, he needs African ones. According to him the only place he could go now was the hospital pharmacy on a bus so if we could give him TSh40,000 to pay for them he would be on his way. That´s the equivalent of about £15, a huge sum around here and we knew malaria tablets cost only a fraction of that.

The scam was becoming apparent. We took him to the nearest open pharmacy but he didn´t want the make of tablets they sold and got quite angry with the lady serving. I apologised to her and took him away. Once outside I offered him TSh10,000 for his time in taking us around the market. He grumpily demanded TSh20,000 but I told him to take it or leave it and he took it (funnily enough, we saw him again the next day running happily across the road to greet another tourist with big smiles and plenty of energy – his malaria seemingly cured quicker than expected!).

Our next stop was the slave market, a memorial to those who suffered and died from the horrific trade in human beings based along the east coast and centred in Zanzibar

A church has been built where the whipping post had been at the centre of the slave market itself

We spent some time exploring the cellars and museum reading the gruesome descriptions of what went on here in past centuries

It was getting dark now and whilst the town looked even prettier in the twilight

We didn´t want to get lost in the narrow, winding streets.

We had heard good things about a nearby restaurant but when we arrived it didn´t look very appetising or very clean so we decided instead to head back to the sea front and try a beach-side restaurant instead. It was a good decision. The prices might have been higher but it was a nice place with friendly atmosphere, good food and good wine. In fact I pushed the boat right out and indulged in lobster linguine – well, you have to when you´re on Zanzibar don´t you!

The view from our table was spectacular. Serene and peaceful….

Although Zanizibar is all about the angle from which you look at it!

That evening back at the apartment we contacted a guide who our host had recommended to take us on various tours of the island. We agreed an itinerary and a price for the next day but then he changed his mind and started renegotiating. In the end we told him no and contacted a different guide from the other side of the island who Lulu and Flo had recommended – and indeed he had great reviews on Google. He immediately agreed to everything we asked for at the price originally agreed with the first guide. We were to meet him at 10am after breakfast at the Stone Town café.

Too good to be true? Quite possibly!

He arrived at the right time and place but with a second guide who seemed a bit too smooth although spoke reasonably good English. At first we were told he was our guide´s apprentice but later on that story was changed to the opposite way around.

Our agreed plan was to go north up the coast to the Mtoni Palace Ruins then the Slave Chambers then on a spice tour with lunch included then back to Stone Town. However on arrival, the first thing the new guide said was that we would start at Prison Island. We looked confused and told him we weren´t going to Prison Island. Yes we were he said, it was on the itinerary. We asked how they were going to do all that in one day and for the price we had agreed. They looked at each other and back at us in confusion, claiming never to have agreed the price. I showed them the text messages and our main guide claimed it was not with him. He had to backtrack when I played him back his own voice message agreeing to the arrangements!

The second guide then said we would all go in our car. No, we replied, we do not have a car on the island, the arrangements included transport – and again showed them the messages. Ok they said, they would get their brother to use his taxi to take us around.

By this time we were feeling less than confident with all this and had a horrible feeling our fun day out was going to turn into a disaster.

The guides suggested that we pay for everything as we went along and give them whatever was left at the end of the day. It was yet more evidence that they had no idea what they were doing but at least it seemed to keep us in control.

So off we went. We all piled into the taxi and headed to our first stop – the Mtoni Palace Ruins. When we arrived the place was not exactly a ruin. It was actually a rather beautiful old building

The caretaker looked mildly surprised to see us but was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. We spent a wonderful hour wandering around the rooms and learning all about the Oman Sultans who had lived there

At the end of the tour we paid the entrance fee and climbed back into the waiting taxi.

But something seemed wrong so as we drove to the Slave Chambers I consulted Google Maps only to find that we had passed the Mtoni Palace Ruins miles back down the road and the place we had actually seen was the Kibwemi Palace. I pointed this out to our guides who claimed there were two Mtoni Palaces and they had simply misunderstood which one we wanted. They said we would return to the real Mtoni Ruins at the end of the day instead of doing the spice tour but we resisted that emphatically saying that the spice tour was the main event so they reluctantly agreed to do both.

It was about this time that it became apparent we were not getting to the slave chambers very quickly. The taxi kept stopping and one of the guides kept jumping out and talking to people on the road. I could see from Google Maps that we were going in the wrong direction for the slave chambers but said nothing, a little weary of the day already.

Finally we arrived at the entrance to some caves which our guides declared were the slave chambers. The site was closed with locked gates and bulldozers everywhere. A government official came to speak to us and said that both the caves and the slave chambers had been closed for over a year for renovation. Clearly our guides were no local experts!

Fortunately the government official was another helpful person who really wanted foreign guests in his country to enjoy themselves. He kindly offered to jump into the taxi with us, show us the way to the slave chambers and do a guided tour for us personally – as long as we didn´t hold him responsible if we injured ourselves in the construction site!

We readily agreed and a few minutes later we were wandering around a fascinating site with a real expert as our guide

He took us down into the chambers – built by the Arab traders after slavery had been abolished to hide their now illegal activities

He also walked us along the forest route that the slaves would have taken to the chambers from the coast

Happy that someone had rescued our day we hoped that now things would settle down. We arrived at the spice farm with no further disasters and had great fun with our spice guide who told us all about the spices they grow and what they are used for

We had an amusing display of how to collect coconuts

And were made crowns and necklaces out of leaves

It was all horribly touristy but it made us laugh.

Lunch was at a family home across the road. We settled ourselves onto a big mat in the living room and were served tuna fish, rice and avocado juice. I loved it, James was not so sure!

Our final stop was the real Mtoni Palace Ruins. A huge stone palace built in the 13^th century

Again, a professional guide showed us around and we enjoyed it

When we finally arrived back in Stone Town there was $36 left in the pot – not including the entrance fee for the Kibweni Palace as we figured that was an added extra. We got out of the taxi and thanked our guides for an interesting day. I showed them the tally I had been keeping of the costs and handed over $40.

No, no they said, their brother wants $100 for the transport plus their guide fee. We shook our heads at the inevitable end to this ridiculous day but stood firm. That was their problem, we had an agreed fixed price and $40 was more than what was left. They looked dumbstruck as if the thought that two naïve tourists would expect them to stick to an agreement had never occurred to them!

In the end we had had a good day – funny, frustrating, but thanks to the people we met along the way, we had done everything we wanted and learnt a lot about the history of Zanzibar.

The next day we finished our tour of Stone Town

We went to the Old Fort but there was little there, just some stalls and an art gallery with a cute cat

We then wandered past the House of Wonders and the People´s Palace – both immensely historic buildings from the days of the Sultans but sadly closed long term for renovation

However at the People´s Palace we got talking to the manager who kindly showed us around the gardens, the cars and the Sultan´s graves

It was fascinating and as the tour ended we got chatting about Prison Island. He offered to arrange a boat to take us there whenever we were ready, for a price which they normally only charge the locals. We happily agreed and said we would be back in a few days.

We walked further on past the Old Dispensary, a very ornate old building which is now a hospital clinic

And had lunch at the Mercury Bar near the port.

We had little success finding Swahili House or the City Hall but the Persian Baths were fascinating

Again, a local guide took us round and told us all about how the baths were used

And even demonstrated the acoustics!

Next stop was the Peace Memorial Museum but it too was closed for renovation. We got to see the outside

And the kind lady in charge allowed me to step inside for a moment to take a couple of photos

She then suggested that we went across the road to the natural history museum.

The staff there spoke no English but tried their best to talk us through the exhibits. But the main attraction here were the rescued giant tortoises….

We headed home to the apartment back through the winding streets, past more beautiful buildings

and the beach

We were exhausted but managed to find a wine shop enroute so had a relaxing evening back at the apartment with a movie and a glass of wine.

We had spent four days around Stone Town and seen a lot of history and culture. Now it was time to travel across the island to the famous sandy beaches for a few days of rest and relaxation.

There was a taxi rank by the Stone Town café and we had arranged a taxi to take us to Jambiani Beach the following morning. Our driver, Danial, had agreed a good price and was waiting for us at the right time. We jumped in with him and he took us through the winding roads to the eastern side.

We chose Jambiani Beach because it is supposed to be beautiful but quiet with fewer tourists and no loud nightlife. Most of the beach-front hotels were very expensive but our Stone Town AirBnB host had put us in touch with a friend of his who ran a guesthouse a few streets back from the beach for a very reasonable price. When we arrived we were delighted.

We had not seen such a clean, well built and well managed hotel since arriving in Africa

The room was lovely

Once we had settled in we wandered out to find the beach. We had to walk through flooded streets for quite a long way, zig-zagging through the little village, until finally sand and sea appeared

We could not fault the views!

We walked for miles in our bare feet, paddling in the warm sea and squishing our toes into the soft sand. It was idyllic.

But this was the low season and the peaceful beach seemed rather desolate and deserted. All the cafes and hotels initially seemed closed with lots of renovation work going on and we didn´t see any other tourists anywhere. I was a little worried we wouldn´t have enough to do here for three days.

We found an open restaurant and sat down for a small but very tasty lunch and a cool drink.

As we made our way back home along the beach a group of four men dressed as Masai warriors wandered along with us chatting about England, London, the weather and where they were from. They were very interested in us and in Europe and we enjoyed their company on our walk. Only at the very end did they ask whether we wanted to look at the jewellery they were selling and we told them we would be back at the restaurant the following day and would look then. They just smiled and nodded and wished us a nice evening.

Our three days at the beach were, in fact, wonderful. We found a fabulous beach-front restaurant where we had dinner on two of our nights with great food, great service and lovely views as the sun set over the sea

We walked for miles along the beach watching the fishing boats

On our last day we walked a couple of kilometers through the town to the Kuza Caves which were lovely

We had them all to ourselves as James braved the cool water

And I sat and dunked my feet in

Afterwards we went back to the restaurant we had found on our first day and enjoyed coconut smoothies and pizza. The staff came back after I´d ordered my chicken and avocado pizza to apologise that they didn´t have any avocado. They offered me a huge plate of fruit instead which more than made up for it.

We were thoroughly relaxed and contented by the time Danial arrived back at the gates of our guesthouse the next morning to drive us back to Stone Town. He offered to drop us off at the Jozani Forest on the way and wait whilst we did the trek to find Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkeys and mangrove trees. When we asked him how much extra he wanted for that he simply said we could give as much or as little as we wanted as we were family now.

By the time we arrived at the forest the rain had started yet again. Danial showed us where to find reception but it was crowded full of government officials on an official tour. It was all completely chaotic with dozens of other tourists milling around not sure what to do. Danial took charge and found us a guide and two umbrellas. Eventually we all set off into the forest in the pouring rain, getting liberally covered in mud and water.

Apparently monkeys don´t like the rain much either and despite best efforts from our guide we only saw fleeting glimpses of two monkeys high up in the trees hiding from the wet

We were wading through tall grasses and dense bushes. James was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and I got stung all over my hands and arms by some stinging plant.

So we weren´t too disappointed when the guide gave up on monkeys and we jumped back in with Danial who drove us to the mangrove swamps. There we reunited with our guide and walked along the winding pathways through the magnificent trees and swamps

Eventually our trip was done and we crawled, bedraggled and dripping with mud and rain, back into Danial´s taxi heading to Stone Town.

We had rebooked the same apartment directly with our host and when Danial dropped us at the door we gave him a large tip for all his help at the forest – he was truly a great ambassador for Zanzibar.

Our first stop in town was the People´s Palace to see the manager and agree the details of our boat trip to Prison Island. He said to meet him back there at 10am the next day. We then headed to a beachside restaurant for an early dinner of chicken and fish and collapsed into bed with a glass of wine.

After breakfast the next morning we went back to the Persian Baths to find a seamstress we had noticed when we were there a few days before. James´ shorts are about 20 years old with the pockets hanging down and one had ripped off entirely. She was happy to fix them and asked TSH2,000 – about 60p! We left them with her and went to meet our man for our boat to Prison Island.

We had expected that he would show us to where the boat was and leave us in the hands of the driver who was to take us there. Instead, our man got into the boat with us and took us round the island as our personal guide, telling us all about the history and significance of the area. For this he asked no more than the cost a local pays just for transport to the island and back

Prison Island, or more accurately Changuu Island, has an interesting history. It was used to imprison rebellious slaves for many years until the British took it over. They constructed the current building originally intended as a prison but it was never used as such. Instead it was turned into a quarantine centre and then a hospital before being abandoned. It is now a museum and restaurant but the island itself is also home to a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises that can weigh up to 250kg and live for 200 years!

We started with the tortoises and they are huge

Although some still had a lot of growing to do!

There were so many of them, endangered in the wild but kept safe here whilst their numbers multiply.

There were signs around saying not to touch them but everyone was, including the guides and staff. So I gave in to temptation and tickled one under the chin much to his gratitude. It felt like stroking a wizened old man which, I suppose, is what he was

And this one seemed to take a bit of a liking to James!

The tortoises were kept company by a few peacocks

One of which was giving an impressive display

We then looked around an old hotel which must have been grand in its day

Our tour ended at the restaurant which was the original prison/hospital building

We looked at the exhibition showing various local crafts

Then sat and had a cool drink

Behind this main building is the landing point where the slaves disembarked from the boats in the days of the Arab slave traders

We stood and looked out over the lovely views, wondering how it is possible for a place of so much beauty to be the scene of so much misery.

Back at our waiting boat we waded off the beach into the sea to climb back aboard. I stood for a moment before getting in, enjoying the soft sand in my toes and the warm water lapping over my ankles

The view across the beach was unbeatable

Zanzibar really is a paradise – at least for current day tourists like us

Back on the mainland our driver gave us a ´foot shower´ before we put our boots back on which consisted of pouring warm sea water over us to clean off the sand.

We thanked our guide for his time and trouble and gave him a generous tip then wandered into town to an amazingly good Indian restaurant.

Before heading back to the apartment we collected James´ shorts from the seamstress and they were like new. We couldn´t bring ourselves to give her the small amount she had asked for so we doubled it and still felt as though we should have done more.

We were heading back to Dar es Salaam the next day and it was very sad to be going. But we had been here for nearly two weeks and were getting a little homesick. The manager of the hotel that was taking care of Henry text us every few days to reassure us that he was fine but even so we were keen to get back.

So after one last beach-view breakfast, the ever-reliable Danial picked us up and drove us back to the port for our ferry to the mainland. As we pulled away and watched the skyline of Zanzibar disappear over the horizon I couldn´t help but shed a tear – there are just a few places on this earth that become home to us even if just for a short time and I realised that we had just added another one to the list…..