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Zanzibar feels like a completely different country to Tanzania, with food, architecture and culture more reminiscent of Northern Africa or the Middle-East. Stone Town had us wandering through tiny cobbled alleyways with Gabby - an American who was living/working in Arusha and (lucky for us) fluent in Swahili. A spice tour gave a short (if not touristy) intro into the local history and agricultural industry of the island. Nungwi was next with it's white sand, turquoise beaches on the northern coast. Staying 10m from the beach was a nice way to work on our tan between reading, napping and drinking Konyagi (the local spirit) into the evening.
Our first night we opted to ditch the tourist clogged hotel restaurants and eat (and drink) with some locals, practicing our Swahili with "Captain Magic" or Sebastian as it turned out his real name was.
Feeling like the mzungus (white people) we are, it was nice to meet a few locals that weren't trying to sell us something!
Topped the night off with a power-out and a few Konyagis with ginger beer on the beach, listening to the peaceful sound of hotel generators - of course none of which belonged to our hotel.
A day of scuba saw us exploring the reefs around Mnemba, a privately owned island that costs $3000USD per person per night to stay on. Only slightly out of our price range.
Ocean diving was a fantastic new experience with technicolor coral teeming with tropical fish. It felt like swimming in a tropical aquarium, with so many different species, all different colours and sizes and even a few stingrays for good measure.
Spotting a pod of dolphins nearby as we surfaced for lunch was also a highlight.
The rest of our time in Nungwi was basically spent reading, sunbaking and eating delicious seafood pasta for less than $5. Not a bad way to spend 4 days!
Heading back to Dar on the 11am ferry today for a quick stopover before our 9 hour bus to Arusha tomorrow.
- comments
Em And Dad wonders why I don't read your blog more often...
shaneo Guys, all I can say is wow. Please keep the posts coming whilst I'm somewhat envious of ur adventures and life changing experiences I can't get enough. Hope you both stay safe xoxo