Zanzibar

Before continuing my journey on the Tanzanian continent, I offer myself a week of holiday in Zanzibar.

The Zanzibar archipelago is a great cultural crossroads between Africa and Arabia and is full of history that can be discovered with the local architecture and culture. It is also now increasingly popular with tourists for its beautiful beaches of fine sand and turquoise water.

I arrived at Stone Twon by ferry from Dar es Salaam. On arriving at the port you can already see on an alley along the sea, the beautiful buildings with Arab and oriental influences. After my temperature was taken and the passport tamped, being very busy, I went straight to the hostel I had booked. Surprise! It had closed since the beginning of the crisis but had not indicated it on the Internet. Luckily, I found another one right next door where I could stay for two nights.

During my two days at Stone Twon, I walked down the alleys and discovered the atmosphere of the market. I bought myself a Zanzibar flower perfume and had a henna drawing made on my hand and ankle by a nice lady in the street. On a square full of foodtrucks in the evening, I also had the opportunity to taste Zanzibar's pizza which, despite its name, looks more like a pancake. I tasted it with a view of the ocean accompanied by thousands of cats waiting to have a piece.

On the third day I took the daladala (local bus) towards the east of the island, to go to Paje, a small village on the coast. I stayed in a lodge with my feet in the sand, not even a minute from the beach.

I stayed for five days in this heavenly place.

I was able to enjoy the long sandy beaches where cows roam and where womengrow algae to make beauty produ cts.

Every night I would leave the tourist areas to go discover the local food in the village, by chance it was just the end of Ramadan so there was choice and atmosphere.

I often ate the classic “chipsy mayai” (omelet with chips) or chapati with vegetables, but I also tasted the best soup, called Urojo, a delight!

I didn't just fling along the Indian Ocean, I also made two excursions. The day after a big sunburn, I went to cool myself in the forest of Jozani. I went there with a guide to find the different animal and plant species. The main attraction of this forest are the monkeys, but there are also all kinds of plants used by the locals for natural remedies. The walk is very peaceful in the shade of this magnificent vegetation.

The second to last day, accompanied by Juliette, a French woman who shared my room, I took a boat ride on the west side of the island. We first stopped on a sandbank to eat fresh fruit and then went to find the corals for snorkeling. I loved being able to swim in the middle of all these fish even though I am aware that all this tourist activity is done at a loss their environment...

We had freshly cooked fish for lunch on an uninhabited island and then took the boat back to a natural swimming pool where we could swim a little before returning home. On the way back, we got the most fun part, the engine broke down! The boat staff called friends to help us. We waited a little over an hour before two men arrived in a small boat. They got to six to get the engine of the little boat and put it on our side, and the big waves really didn't help, but they finally got there. Once they left, the guys started dancing and singing. We were treated to a festive return accompanied by the sunset!

After a last day's stroll in the village of Jambiani, where I could really discover the local life of the inhabitants of Zanzibar, I took the ferry back to the chaos of Dar es Salaam. But this time, only passing.

I will tell you in my next article the next destination, somewhere in the South of Tanzania ...