Zanzibar

Hello everyone!

I thought I was headed to civilization in Zanzibar, but it turns out that power and water are in very short supply. This has been my first chance to go online in several days.

Day 1: we settled into our hotel, which is in a renovated Sultan's Harem. Our room was nice with 3 beds, an en-suite bathroom and a fan. The only problem is it was terribly hot with no power.

Day 2: Spice Tour. In a min-van type vehicle, we headed up to the highest point of Zanzibar. Our guide walked us through a spice plantation and showed us a variety of spices including cinammin, pepper (looks like peas!), and lemon grass. We also tasted some fruit: oranges, star fruits etc. On the way back to town, I had my first bath since I left Jess's place in Edmonton (don't worry, I have been showering!). It was in the Indian Ocean! I really enjoyed the white beach, the waves and the warm aqua-blue water. I even tried swimming (read: floundering)!

Day 3: This day was dedicated to exploring Stone Town. We followed the map and saw all the big sites including the 2 sea-front palaces, the Natural history Museum (including a dodo skeleton minus the head). The Anglican Church over the old slave market was very sad. The holding chamber we entered was tiny, tiny and they said it would hold 75 slaves before they were sold.

Day 4: Out to the coast we went to swim with the dophins! We had a nurse from Holland join us, Monique. She was very fun. The 2 boat drivers suddenly told us to get ready and then to jump! My initial fear of the water (the waves looked really big) combined with my poor swimming skill (and lack of recent practice) made me quite apprehensive about the whole thing. Once I saw the sleek, grey dophins arching out of the water, my fright evaporated and I very ungracefully jumped into the water. I got a good look at a few below me and also saw several jumping out of the water. They were amazing. We snorkled a while near a coral reef. The fishes were great, but the Jelly Fish were not! I must have been stung 10 times, it felt like a mosquito bite, so not too bad. Yes, Teri, I was takin' on the Jellies!

Day 5: we hired a car to drive us to the North coast. We stopped at a local fish market on the way. They fish for sale were layed out on these cement tables. There were all these people arounds staring at us. I felt like a fish out of water. Our guide explained the different species. I watched as a toothless old man gutted a shark. To my delight, a small fish hit the ground. Then I realized it was a fetal shark, not something the big one had eaten. The shark minus the fins sold for 80,000 Tanzanian Shillings, which is around 80 US dollars. The beaches so beautiful! I really enjoyed walking down the beach with the waves trying to wash me out to sea. I found some pretty shells, but I have to leave them behind because I have bought too many books! The turtle sactuary hosted about 10 turtles in a natural pond. Maria went swimming with them, but I didn't want Salmonella so just petted them from outside the water. They are very fast and elegant swimmers. I held a baby one and have some great pictures! On the way back to town, we stopped at a Place Ruins. There were several individual baths with a couple really big ones including one with water lilies. Sadly, the local people actually use these for bathing (water shortage and all). I don't think it is very clean...
Day 6: we are just hanging around Stone Town today. I finally managed to buy a newspaper from a guy who is home for the holidays. He is studying math (ewe!) at Waterloo and actually knew where Saskatchewan is! I took a stab at my German lessons and I realize I have a lot of work to do.

We fly to Dar es Salam tomorrow then Entebee. Next post will be asap but I have no idea when.