Fun and Sun in Zanzibar
Trip Start
Sep 02, 2007
1
9
35
Trip End
Sep 01, 2008
Stone Town,
Tanzania
Thursday, November 1, 2007
We had a nice three days staying with Mgullu and his family just outside of the city. He told us on the way to his house that he doesn't have an alarm system there, just 8 fully grown snarling German Shepherd dogs instead. We met them on arrival and they were good for the job. They also keep chickens at the house and we saw a few with no tails, the dogs got hungry apparently. They also killed all 50 of the ducks which the family kept when a door to their hut was left open.
We spent a day with Oni, a fijian missionary working with Mgullu's church and he drove us around town
Boat to Zanzibar
. We also went to the church on Sunday and enjoyed the lively service.Six days on one tropical island (Lamu) was just not enough for us, so we decided to head to Zanzibar too, we were so close anyway. The fast ferry takes 2 hours and the island has it's own immigration. We didn't know that and had left our passports at the Zambian embassy in Dar awaiting a visa. Thankfully we had photocopies and the immigration officer allowed us in!
In Stone Town on the island, we stayed at St Monica's hostel which is attached to the old anglican church. We went to Fordahani Gardens on the seafront where they BBQ fresh seafood for you. We had a great meal of lobster, calamari, giant prawns and King Fish, but got conned on the price. Always pay before you eat, we know that but forgot at the time.
The beaches on the north of the island are the best and we stayed in Nungwe. The places to stay there are of a good standard and you can really haggle for the right price (especially at low season). The photos we took actually do justice to the beauty of the area.
Again we had a really relaxing time, sipping cocktails and drinking beer overlooking the sea
Nungwe Beach, Zanzibar
. We met Steve from NZ and hung out with him which was cool. There was a bar on the beach which played dance music which normally we don't go for, but the atmosphere was cool and it fitted the beach life!Back in Dar after five days we boarded the Tazara Train Line to get to Zambia. It's a massive 1860km journey over 3 days and 2 nights which can be done faster by road but the train journey is an experience. We had a first class cabin which we booked outright for us although that meant paying for 2 extra seats. It was worth it for the privacy and security.
We stopped at the Zambian border for about 3 hours instead of the normal 30 mins. Later we found out that someone had nicked the diesel the night before so we actually couldn't get any further until fuel was driven in to us!
We arrived at the backpakers in Lusaka, Zambia 72 hours after leaving Dar. We were quite tired of journeys.
Comments
Missing you..
Hey Guys! Wow, sounds like you're having an amazing time, tiring but amazing! I know the travelling can be tough but just think about all that you are going to experience along the way and have been experiencing :-) Sarah, mum has just told me about your head. I really hope that you're ok. Thats good that you were able to get to a hospital. We will be praying for a swift recovery. Stay strong and safe. I am missing you guys loads..will send you an email with wedding updates when i get round to it. Lots of love, Kerry xx