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On the road by 5, we stopped after a few hours to knock up a roadside breakfast before ploughing on to Dar Es Saleem. On the outskirts of the city we stopped at a supermarket to pick up supplies for the next few days in Zanzibar and as we left the car park we ran into a spot of bother. As we drove through the exit gate, the high roof of the truck snagged on a rope attached to the barrier, bringing the gate crashing down onto the truck and wrenching it out of the ground. Pandemonium ensued as the guards began to remonstrate with our driver Lawrence and then several passersby got involved. Shouting in both english and several local dialects and angrily gesticulating at the guards, the locals thankfully appeared to be on our side - the guards had agreed to lift the rope and then failed to do so, perhaps hoping to make some money from a bribe! As the argument intensified, Joel and Lawrence were forced to go to the security office to straighten things out and with the gathering crowd growing restless, Joel locked us inside the truck for our own safety - a bunch of walking wallets stranded in the middle of the road like sitting ducks!
20mins later it had all been sorted and we were on our way again, but we had lost valuable time and were in danger of missing our ferry to Zanzibar. To make matters worse we then ran into heavy traffic and with the minutes ticking away became convinced that we'd need a plan B for the night. Fortunately the traffic began to ease off and Lawrence seized the opportunity, driving like a man possessed towards the ferry terminal. With barely minutes to spare he dropped us off and we hurried into the departure lounge, cutting roughly though the chaotic crowds loitering outside. Safely on board, we enjoyed a sun baked crossing, arriving 90 minutes later on the honeymoon island of Zanzibar. Again the terminal was chaotic, but once through we boarded a minibus and sped towards our hotel for the night. With decadent rooms and a sunset bar, the sprawling beachside hotel was a level of luxury we were not accustomed to. Suddenly the worries of the day were forgotten and we sat in the bar watching the sunset and smugly toasting our adventures over ice cold beers. After a slap-up dinner in the hotel restaurant we sat and chatted for a while before calling it a night. It had been a very long day!
After a buffet breakfast we checked out and went on a city tour of Stone Town. Our first stop was a local market. Set in an old stone building, it wreaked of rotting flesh and was filled with catches of the day covered in flies and vendors standing behind their 'stalls' hacking up cow heads with huge machetes. It made for some great photos but there was no way I'd have ever bought anything from there! We moved on to an old church, learning about the British abolition of slavery before a depressing visit to an old slave holding pen. The final part of the tour was a walk though crumbling local streets and shops that reminded me a lot of Marrakech. Souvenirs purchased, most of the group continued on to an Island Spice Tour but Kate, Marco and I had had enough of the sweltering heat and headed to our next hotel to relax. The rooms at our new place were not quite as luxurious as the previous nights but the resort had two restaurants and an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, so there wasn't too much to complain about either! We spent the afternoon chilling by the pool, the others joining us later after their tour for happy hour cocktails as the sun went down. We enjoyed a luxurious group dinner in one of the resort restaurants before heading to bed thoroughly relaxed.
Despite having the entire day free we were wide awake and up by 9am - since when did that constitute a lay-in! - and after a buffet breakfast we headed out for a walk along the beach with Jo and Kev. At the far end of the beach we reached a turtle sanctuary set up for turtles washed in by the ocean and stranded on the beach. Inside we were able to feed fully grown turtles as well as hold baby ones. The guide was very helpful and informative -despite his attempts to sell us a sundowner tour at the end - and we came away pleasantly surprised at how well-run and professional the place had been, making a note to tell Joel it should be part of future tours. We then walked back along the beach, past our hotel and on towards the other end, ignoring the relentless hassle from the local beach boys constantly trying to sell us their local 'art'.
By the time we got back we figured we'd walked around 6km and rewarded ourselves with an afternoon by the pool. Overcast skies were replaced by sunshine and aside from a brief period of panic when we couldn't find Kate's camera - that's a lot of photos and memories to lose - the afternoon was a very relaxing affair involving massages, swims in the sea and plenty of sunbathing. Later on the four of us went for a nice dinner in the restaurant of a neighbouring hotel.
Checking out after breakfast we took a minibus back into Stone Town where we hung out for a couple of hours waiting for the ferry. Back on the mainland Joel grabbed us from the chaos at the arrivals terminal and herded us into local taxis. Furiously beeping their horns and literally battering their way through traffic, the taxis whisked us to a local ferry port. Waiting for the ferry, I don't think we could have felt any more out of place. Ten white walking wallets amongst a cast of hundreds of locals - everyone was on their guard as we made the short trip across the estuary. On the other side we ran the gauntlet, hurrying through crowded local streets before climbing, relieved, into a waiting Jimi! Five minutes later we were at our hostel, a quaint resort on the beach featuring open air wooden huts on stilts with ensuite bathrooms, balconies and hammocks. After a quick swim in the sea we lay on the beach, before hitting the bar and enjoying dinner by the truck.
Following the lay-ins of Zanzibar we were back on the early starts and after a 6am breakfast we started the long drive to Mikumi. For the first hour Joel had told us to be on guard, vigilantly watching the road as we crawled though traffic. The particular spot we were driving through was renowned for thievery and it was apparently not uncommon for locals to steal petrol, headlights and anything else they could get there hands on from vehicles sitting in traffic. Sure enough, we watched gobsmacked as a local siphoned diesel from the tank of a stationary truck in front of us! Not only that but after his first failed attempt he went home to get a spanner - presumably to help loosen the cap of the tank - before returning to complete his theft! Still, Jimi escaped unscathed so we didn't much care and by 8.30am we were back in the centre of Dar Es Saleem. There we picked up five new tour members - 3 more Germans and 2 Dutch girls - before heading on to Mikumi. Arriving around 5.30, accommodation was pretty basic but it was adequate for one night and there was a bar so it was more than acceptable!
The next day was an early start for most as they went on a game-drive in the nearby Mikumi National Park. Having already been on quite a few game-drives, Kate and I decided to stay at the hotel and sleep in. We had a large breakfast and when the others returned from their safari, we headed on to Iringa near the border of Malawai. Our accommodation for the night was a farmstead run by an expat Englishman where dinner was a delicious, 'traditional' Masai meal that reminded me very much of a lazy Sunday roast - beef, vegetables and roast potatoes. Later on, after an hour or so of sleep I was woken at midnight by the sound of bags rustling. Flashing my torch over the bags on the other side of the room I decided it was just my imagination and went back to sleep. Several hours later Kate woke me up, convinced again that there was something in the room. Shining my torch to the other side of the room I saw a mouse scampering all over my bag! I got up to investigate and noticed a half eaten packet of sugar in the corner of the room under the table. As I went through our bags I discovered the mouse had chewed its way into both our gym bags containing food (dragging out the sugar in the process) as well as finding its way into Kate's shoulder bag and gorging on bananas! Securing the food away in one of the nearby outside showers we spent the next couple of hours watching the mouse scurry across the walls looking desperately for its next meal. Eventually it found its way into the cabin next door where it was Kev and Jos turn to get woken up!
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