Zanzibar In A Nutshell

Sunday, July 25th

• Adam, our local taxi driver, picked us up at the hostel at 5am and took us to the bus station
  
• 10 hour bus ride to Dar es Salaam
• Met a Denmark couple, Daniel and Stina, on the bus and shared a cab ride to the ferry
• 2 hour ferry ride to Zanzibar
• Spent Sunday night at the Haven Guest House in Stonestown
• Dinner at the outdoor food market with a few British volunteers, Aaron, Emma and Josephine, who we met at the hostel

Monday, July 26th

• 1 hour taxi ride to Nungwi, a beach resort in the northern region of the island
• Found accommodations at the Jambo Brothers beach bungalows
• Ran into our Canadian friends from Arusha
• Walked to Kendwa, the beach resort nearby, and met up with our friend Daaimah to celebrate her last day in Zanzibar/Tanzania
  
• Candlelight dinner on the beach and bonfire with the locals

Tuesday, July 27th

• Found cows on the beach
  
• Met up with Daniel and Stina for a boat ride to Mnemba for snorkeling
• Calamari lunch at the beach prepared by the locals
  
• Found new friends from Germany, Mark and Johanna, who are on their honeymoon
• Decided to try out a new restaurant/seafood dinner every night for the rest of the trip

Wednesday, July 28th

• Lazy day at the beach
• Sand castle building contest with two local kids
• Tasted amazingly fresh coconut juice, obtained for us by our landlord who climbed up the 50 feet coconut tree
  
• Started reading Model Home
• Watched another beautiful sunset
• Laid out under the stars and searched for constellations
• Wished on shooting stars
  

Thursday, July 29th

• Drove out to a nearby village for a Spice tour with our Denmark and German friends
• Tasted some amazing tropical fruits
• The locals decorated us with jewelries made from palm leaves
• Stung by a sea urchin and was treated with local remedy of papaya and kerosene
  
• Bongo drums, singing and dancing around the bonfire

Friday, July 30th

• Met new friends from Spain, Marc and Oscar
• Hang time with our Canadian friends, Sam and Courtney
• Village tour with the locals
  
• Being beach bums
• Volleyball match
  

Saturday, July 31st

• Swam in the sea
  
• Stung by a sea urchin, again
  
• Taxi ride to Waikiki beach with two sniper trainers
  
• Kite boarding with Oscar, Chris and Mark
• Philosophical conversations with a few Irish school teachers
• Celebrated a 21st birthday (definitely not mine) with a group of Scottish medical students
  
• Dance off to Michael Jackson

Sunday, August 1st

• Enjoyed a carefree morning with breakfast on our patio
  
• Last day to work on our tan
• Tropical rain showers
  
• Card games with Marc and Oscar
  
• Saying goodbye to my seashells
• Another amazing candlelight dinner on the beach with all the girls

Monday, August 2nd

• Back to Stonestown we go
• Music session on the patio with new Canadian friends: Paul, Nalin and Sam who are celebrating the end of law school
  
• A day out on the town: fish market, meat market, craft market, chicken market, spice market, historical slave market
• The hunt for the perfect red door
• Tried shark meat at the evening food market
  

Tuesday, August 3rd

• Said our final goodbyes to the island
• Stuck in a rainstorm
  
• Rough ferry ride back to Dar es Salaam
• Lost in Dar--the search for the YWCA
  
• Spontaneous daladala ride around the city in search for the Masai craft market
• Celebrated Kent's last day in Tanzania

Wednesday, August 4th

• Chaotic bus station
• Dropped off Paul, Nalin and Sam in Moshi for their climb up Mount Kilimanjaro
  
• 10 hour bus ride back to Arusha
• Back at the hostel--our home away from home