Chapwani Private island Zanzibar

... to do was play us at football, so we got a team of 8 together
and made our way to the pitch. The kids, some in football boots, some flip flops and some barefoot were wearing any football
shirt they could get their hands on, so we had, France, Chelsea, Canada and Barcelona as well as an Orlando Pirates I think!
To my horror, grown ups weren't allowed to wear any footwear and the pitch was no soft wembley turf, it was rock hard and
covered in stones! So tip toe ...

... jump over the side and the dolphins are forced to mingle with them. It's like a cocktail party they are forced to attend. Much resentment. As soon as I could see that the dolphins weren't keen I instructed my boatman to retreat (to his astonishment). What surprised me were the bright orange crabs swinging along near the surface of the water, their arms stretched out welcomingly towards me.

So, I am finding my way around ...

... jumped in the water and started to descend and about a meter down my mask was badly filling up with water including my nose. I readjusted my mask and tried to go down again. It filled up about the same but I was better prepared to handle the water this time and became quite good at clearing my mask underwater. I also learned that it is possible to have your nose filled with water and still breathe through your mouth. My ears did pretty well with pressurizing ...

... with turquoise blue waters surrounding the bright white beaches.

It's 30 C (86 F) when we arrive at 2:25 PM and about 80% humidity. When the cabin door opens, ohhhhhhh baby, we instantly start to make our own gravy.

A short 15-minute ride to Stone Town brings us to our hotel, the Dhow Palace. It is a Muslim hotel, like most in Zanzibar as 90% of the people in Zanzibar are Muslim. The hotel itself is styled and furnished in a ...

... parties. It’s not even tribal! Forget about tribe, man, just because of politics. One day she had malaria bad. I go to see her, I’m afraid she’s dying from what I hear. Her family don’t even let me through the gate, man. They get their servants from de house and make them carry her to the gate, coz she so sick, she can’t even walk. Carry her! Carry her and she so sick, man! They rather that than let me into the house! I tell ya ...

... pleasure, four legged animals of various size and shape now furless and hanging from meathooks in a musty slighlty sickly sweet smelling room and a colourful menagare of fruit, vegetables and spices spread out in maze. Oh and all the artisans and antique dealers peddling their treasures . A shoppers paradise...if you like your produce fresh and don't mind a bit of haggeling. Exploring Stone Town, a compact, twisting and winding ...

... day is long and lazy but none of us mind. We devour pages upon pages of our well thumbed books and break the day up by swimming, kayaking or just simply wandering down the shorline. This place was truly magical and I am considering another trip there before my time here in Africa is over. As an additonal note, Kim and I visited Amose and Happiness again this morning. We learned of Happiness' worsened condition but were able to spend more time speaking ...

... again surprised by this experience. I couldn't believe how I had so much fear about being there on my own and yet everything was working out so well and everyone was treating me so nicely. It made me feel really good. I was continually reminded that most people are just good people. Traveling in Tanzania was scary but I realized that I didn't need to spend my time there living in fear. It is necessary to be cautious always but you can't just think everyone is out to ...

Stone Town was brilliant - it was excellent, from the colourful fruit and spice markets, to the intricate labyrinth of alleyways that weave their way between buildings, shops and market stalls. First off we wandered through the vibrant, bustling fruit and spice markets looking at all the exotic (to us) fruit and vegetables available - I really wished we were self catering, it would have been a culinary delight of wonderful fresh produce. The fruit market led on to a fish market and ...

... around until they came back. They came back late so I decided to stay the night. What fun it was with there family and Christina's sister was there in which I shared a room. It was like a sleepover. I left that morning and arrived in Dar. Sain my good byes to the girls and then headed out on another dala dala journey around town and broke down and boght a pair of pants at the used clothing market. I always boot them while packing ...