Pakachi Beach Hotel Paje

... we went out on a hunt... scarves! Zanzibar is known for their wide array of gorgeous and colorful scarves! After only going to two little shops between the two of us we had bought 17 scarves... at that point we figured it was probably a good idea to head back to the guesthouse and eat our supper of bread and jam because we were too poor to spend money on a nice supper. Oh well, the scarves are more than worth the hunger! Yesterday we went on a Spice Tour that a local friend of ...

... Yet I am also grateful for the patio and the green tea my life in America has been able to provide for me as well. Wealth, and I mean relative wealth because I certainly do not have the same wealth as the Arabic family from Dubai with bodygueards in tow who had dinner near my table the other night, is nothing to hide or few ashamed of. It is a priviledge and I believe also a responsibility. All of these thoughts cascade and tumble through my mind as I await a flight to ...

... I have been in. Driving up the steep steep slope of the crater, looking out to the huge expanse of plains I felt at complete peace. The drive back was certainly not uneventful either, with one car broken down, we crammed into two cars, boys in 1 and girls in another. And lucky for us we found 3 bottles of spirits in the front seat and that was basically it with many a negotiation between the two cars. That night tired as we were we still went out partying and another ...

... I think was too late for you as you had to leave for the airport before then. Anyway, for the next time you'll know.) Another thing I did today was to buy a local SIM card for my PDA phone. So now I'm "mobile" again and will be able to call and book the spice tour on my own, thereby saving myself the commission. By the way, the SIM card cost only 1,000 Shillings, or about 80 US cents. On top of that I bought 80 cents worth of calling time. Let's see how long that lasts. Given that I ...

... the Winnipege munitions explosion a la Heritage Minuite commercial). Nat and I also wandered Geneva quite a bit (I've discovere that's the primary activity for people there) and had a really nice time together (we also watched Chicago at her apartment, a last dose of musicals before Afrique!). I then made my way to Zurich where Julia's brother, Nic Planta, put me up for the night (he and his girlfriend also made me dinner and fed me wine all night - possibly why I ...

... our friends Matt, Nina and Laura (also UCL elective medics) came over to Zanzibar from Dar Es Salaam to join Chloe and I for a nice weekend at the beach! East coast again and a small town called Paje, and yet again the beach took our breaths away. At low tide the sand stretches almost half a mile outwards and the beach is so quiet, bar the odd fisherman, that most of the time all you can hear is the waves crashing over the ...

... worse. I think it had something to do with the amount of alcohol consumed... On, I think, our 3rd night there, we met up with 2 girls who were staying at Paje as well, and became mates with them. Now i must say, they were pretty cool, and put up with 10 savages pretty well. Mind you, i'm sure they didn't mind being with 10 guys THAT much... The next day, we had planned to hire motorbikes and ride across the island to the north western end, and see what lay ...

... been a really amazing few days and a chance to relax, lie back and read our books - in the shade!!!! It is very hot here - 30oC++ and the sun is a lot stronger than at home. We stayed in a little white stonewashed cottage with a roof made of palm tree branches. This time we upgraded to a shower after the past two budget cutting options where a) I had to walk past everyone at breakfast in my pyjamas to reach the communal shower and b) I had to walk across a ...

We flew in to Zanzibar Wednesday afternoon on a 54-seater propeller plane. I would look out (every minute) to ensure all gadgets were still turning and counted down the fifty minutes until landing. It was raining when we walked onto to the tarmac and CNN was reporting at least five days of thunder and downpours. The past few days have been nothing but showers of sunlight. We've decided not to leave. The food here ...

... to board a bus the following morning back to Mkoani. The town provided us with everything we had been dreaming of.  The hostel was comfortable, beautifully maintained, friendly and offered great food.  We stayed for 3 nights, and spent the vast majority of it sitting on the terrace, nattering endlessly, and watching the changing light over the sea.  Mrs R's back slowly recovered.  Mr R continued to worry that every sign of tiredness or headache was the prelude to malaria ...