Blogs from Chumbe Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa
September 14th 2008
Yesterday morning we took a taxi to the coast, where we caught a boat going to Chumbe Island - a small island 6 miles off the coast of Zanzibar. Like much of Zanzibar, Chumbe Island is composed of "coral rag forest" - basically fossilized coral beds covered by a thin layer of dirt that only certain types of trees can grow on. Chumbe is surrounded by protected coral reefs, and we spent yesterday afternoon snorkeling and hiking through the protected forests on the island. Last night we stayed at the eco-lodge on Chumbe. There are half a dozen or so bungalows, and each one is completely self-sufficient. The power is generated through solar panels on the roof, rain water is collected for showers, and there are "composting" toilets with scoops of dirt rather than flushes. The ... read more
Ibuprofen, Sewage and Camera Problems
Published: August 8th 2008Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Chumbe Island
October 9th 2007
Well, the last few days on Zanzibar have been interesting as well as sort of frustrating. First of all, after a full day of errands on Sunday we went to Forhodani Gardens for dinner. This is like the local stands where men grill up fresh fish skewers, falafel (one of my new favorite foods!) sweet potatoes, "Zanzibari Pizza" (basically fried omelets with mayo, meat, "cheese", onion and cabbage...i have yet to try one...or you can get the banana chocolate variety that are really really good!) for dinner. It is really cheap, but kinda sketchy as to how it may agree with your stomach. Up till now, no one has been sick yet. It is a fun way to eat. So, after dinner we all headed home for bed, and in the middle of the night I ... read more
Zanzibar, Spices and Chumbe (Chubby) Island
Published: February 16th 2010Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar » Chumbe Island
August 20th 2007
Chumbe Island We enjoyed our few day stay at this award-winning, eco-friendly resort immensely. It was the perfect way to wind down after Kilimanjaro, and Andrew’s backup plan for our engagement. We spent a night in Stone Town at the Tembo Hotel (beautiful, pool, on the beach, historic room with a view). Stone Town did not make it high on our “visit again” due to harassment from the various people trying to take us places or sell us things. We ate at a hard-to-find restaurant with a confusing name, either Emerson and Green or 236 Hurumzi, but amazing scenery and food. We were actually escorted their by a plainclothes police officer when we went to the police station for directions, and he refused a tip. The restaurant sits on the rooftop of a hotel, and you ... read more
November 11th 2006
This blog is especially dedicated to our good friends Michael, Sue, Harry and Ruby. Thank you so much for your generous gift. We loved and appreciated our time on Chumbe and still to this day it remains one of the highlights of our trip. From our hotel in Stone Town we hiked the 7km to the Mbweni Ruins Hotel. By the time we arrived we were ready to accept a ride from one of the hundred or so taxis that stopped and told us that it was too far to walk on this hot day and that they would be happy to take us the rest of the way, naturally for a special price. "The Chumbe Express" was ready and waiting which meant that there was no time to get comfortable and have a refreshing drink ... read more
