Mbweni Ruins Hotel Stone Town

... we met Alex the next morning and set off to get a ferry to spice island, Zanzibar! Figured there was no point wasting time in a smelly city when you can instead explore this amazing little island. We are going to spend about a week here and haven't seen much yet, but already love Stone Town with it's fabulous mix of African - Arabic culture, that makes you think you have landed in the Oman. Off to wander the streets now and be a good tourist, so that I have more to report in a week's time.

... there. Perhaps misguided but I stood between them and told the Bob Marley wanna be I'd do what I want and I'd stick my head in any cool box I like, so there. Umm, I got something along the lines of "you're all the same, you come here and all I get is piece of ****".<br><br>too bad :)<br><br>I met an Israeli and a turk who maintained they knew THE pizza master. Ummm, Iºm happy I tried the local food but it's not really my thing. I was, however, all over the 4000 shilling ...

... and it is so nice to be near water again. I recommend a visit to anyone interested. There is a whole lot of history here, from the east indian slave trade to the sultans rule to the colonial rule. It is a very cool place. And the dhows are so cool. We are thinking about sailing one back to the mainland next week. <br>Well, we head to Tamarind on monday to write papers and enjoy the beach. I have to admit I am very excited to lay on the beach in my swimsuit. Women are not allowed to ...

... br>I looked at my watch. It was almost 3 A.M. and I felt tired. Very tired. It was time to go. I had had my fill of scandal and gossip and intrigue. Of things that presented themselves as one thing and then leaped out and rudely exposing themselves without warning - like those kindly old grandfather types who stand at the fences of children&#8217;s playgrounds beckoning unsuspecting innocents towards them with promises of lollipops only to gleefully unveil ...

'MZUNGUS!!!!!!', Marvin and I cry out in unison as we disembark from the &#8216;Sea Star&#8217; ferry that has brought us from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar. They are everywhere&#8230;.left, right, in front. It has been many weeks since we have seen so many of our own tribe and it feels quite nice to not be the only Mzungu (meaning wealthy person &#8211; in Africa often what you are referred to if you are white and seemingly have ...

... as the crossing over. Normally rougher going south!!!! I have already spent 3 hours wandering around the narrow winding alleys of Stonetown and its open air markets (fish, chicken, meat, veg etc) so this is an unexpected internet stop for me.<br><br>Last 42 hours spent at the top of Zanzibar. 2 sunsets were not magnificent as they can be (too much cloud cover) but I made something out of nothing when last night a couple of guys fishing in their dugout came in to view just as the ...

... out holiday. On the way back we had to stay over night in Dar es Sallam because the ferry and bus times didn't work. This was more than a little bit stressful but we survived. Then we had the long trip back to Arusha. It's really nice to be back. arusha kinda feels like home now. Ireally missed our house and how easy it is to get around here. Looking forward to getting back to teaching and the routine again. Lots of love to everyone. Hope all is well. Bex xxx

We took the ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Stonetown, Zanzibar. Our guide had warned us of the unpleasantness of the ferry trip - screaming kids, long ride, and the boat that was also known as the "Vomit Comit"- so Heath and I were prepared for the worst. If there is one thing we have learned on this entire trip, it is definitly to prepare for the worst....and then be surprised when its not as ...

... lot larger, with many more tourists, restaurants, souvenir shops and prices to boot. US$45 was the cheapest room we could find and meals were about US$10+, which isn't too bad if you are only there for 2 weeks but it is a lot more than we are used to paying. Also, I guess it was a little shocking to be in the midst of so many white faces after all our travels. It definitely didn't feel like a working town like Lamu did. Karl thought it was too brash and ...

... him to have his face covered in some nice red dye from a seed pod (can't remember the name but it's used as a natural lipstick - more of that would be seen later...). Having seen the many different plants that we get the spices from we had a tasting of some fruits and teas and then headed off for lunch. Back in Stone Town we had lunch and then had an hour to find ourselves some costumes for the party the next evening which was to celebrate ...