Two Tickets to Paradise (Part 2)
Trip Start
Aug 21, 2009
1
14
52
Trip End
Nov 09, 2009
Zanzibar, Tanzania
Thursday, September 10, 2009
We see plenty of beautiful white and purple shells and a number of spiny sea urchins, nature's version of a marine landmine. Don't step on one of these babies or you will really be sore for some time! For now, we decide to pass on swimming in the ocean. Later in the afternoon, we took a 40-minute ride in a ngalawa, offered complimentary by the hotel. The vessel itself is shaped like an outrigger with a mast, and everything about it looks home made, including the hand-sewn sail
Matewme Beach, Zanzibar
. It requires two people to operate it, one to steer and control the sail and the other to balance and stabilze the craft so it doesn't tip over. The speed of the boat is amazingly fast and thrilling.On Tuesday we leave the hotel after breakfast and go on a snorkeling tour with One Ocean Dive Center which has an office right at our hotel. We are going to snorkel at the Mnemba atoll, the most famous diving and snorkeling location in Zanzibar. Enroute by boat to the site, a humpback whale lurches and breeches several times in the water some 300 m. (1000 ft.) next to us. According to the dive masters, it is very rare for humpbacks to be in the Zanzibar waters at this time.
Our snorkeling tour entails two dives, the first at a place on the atoll called Kinchwagi Spot. The visibility today is not very clear, in fact it is quite "snowy" due to an overcast sky, a strong current, and heavy wave action on the reef which is stirring up the sandy bottom floor. We do manage to see a scorpion fish, which is poisonous to humans. Our first dive last 45 minutes and then it's back on to the main vessel for a snack and water replenishment.
We are taken to the other side of the atoll and Mnemba island (which is privately owned) to a place called the West Gardens
Matemwe Beach, Zanzibar
. This place is outstanding for viewing an array of different corals in terms of shape, color, and form. There are many tropical fish, and we also see some lizard fishes, a lion fish (also poisonous), and some flounders. The sky is overcast but the view is still good, at least up to 10 m. (32 ft.). This dive lasts one hour and then it is back to the mainland to catch a dala (a truck converted to haul passengers and cargo) over a very bumpy 45-minute ride back to the hotel.This evening the hotel is serving dinner in their boma. A boma is a fenced-in, open-air eatery area, usually circular in shape and this one is. They are serving a curry buffet and have brought in some local entertainers as well. There are four older gentlemen (about Earl's age) who are all dressed in white Muslim ceremonial outfits. Two are playing different drums (one is a higher pitched snare drum sound and the other is a lower bass drum sound). One is playing a violin and another is playing a guitar-like instrument but it is only about 60 cm. (2 ft.) long and oval in shape. They play a variety of music, including Bach, in a Morrocan style and it is very good and soothing. Above us is a sky with more stars than we have ever seen. It is really an enchanting evening. We are sitting at a table for 8 and our table continues talking and mixing well past the end of dinner and the entertainment. It's almost 11 PM before we give up our seats
Matemwe Beach, Zanzibar
. The almost full moon is rising in the sky and lights up the Indian Ocean in front of our room. Oh, what a night!Wednesday is our last full day at the beach and we take in all that we can. An early morning rise to catch the coffee on the beach and watch the sunrise, a quick breakfast and then a one hour walk along the beach, this time to the south. By the time it is 9 AM we are ready to hit the pool to cool off. Most of the clientele are either off on diving or snorkeling trips and it seems we have the hotel to ourselves. It's great. We're just chillin' and talking to those who are also just chillin'. Rose is using the complimentary massage this afternoon while Boyd practises broken Swahili at the bar between sips on his Kilimanjaro beer. We decide to take a taxi to the airport tomorrow instead of taking the shuttle to Stone Town and then a taxi to the airport, so we can enjoy our surroundings just a little longer as it is such a precious piece of paradise.
It's 6:15 AM on Thursday, September 10, and it is high tide. We have noted that the temperature of the water at low tide is 24-25 C (75-77 F) and during high tide it is about 3-4 C (6-7 F) warmer. Today there is not a cloud in the sky as the sun rises. We have decided to risk the sea urchins and go for a swim in the warm ocean and then head for breakfast
Matemwe Beach, Zanzibar
. We spend the rest of our time slipping in and out of the refreshing pool and have a lunch snack with one last Safari beer at the bar.This was a great spot with the perfect atmosphere and attitude to just relax and recharge our batteries before heading out on our next leg. Just what we needed and were looking for after the safari.
Our taxi driver is early. The trip to the airport takes just over an hour and we notice that Zanzibar has a dark side. While it looks pristine from above, ground zero is not that picturesque. We pass through a number of villages and the rural area and we are surprised
to see garbage everywhere. It is strewn along the road and also piled high and deep, and then burned. We found the same thing in Stone Town but wondered if it was just Stone Town that did that. The smell in the air is aromatic, but it is not from the variety of spices that are grown on this island. It is definitely foul, with the smell and toxicitiy of burning plastic combined with all other forms of garbage permeating the air. Zanzibar is in a state of environmental distress. There is no garbage collection and no recycling. It is a perplexing situation. The people and country need to do something quick about rectifying this situation or it will environmentally (and therefore economically) ruin this island.
The airport at Zanzibar is very small and in need of much repair. We guess that's why they charge a $30 US departure tax for international flights. There seems to be some problem with checking us in, and the delay takes about 45 minutes. Finally, the destination tags are placed on our bags and they are whisked away to the baggage area. It's been over 2 hours since we left the hotel but we are now in the waiting lounge. Next stop, Johannesburg. Here we come.
Comments
Now you've done it!
OK,OK, so we'll blow the kids/grandkids inheritance to do this trip. You guys are having too much fun and we need to be in on it!!
G&P