Zanzibar

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At 8:00am a small convoy of taxis came to pick us up at the camp site to take us to the foot ferry. Somehow I drew the short straw and was squashed into the smallest cab with three others and all our rucksacks. The cab was the size of a mini and had plastic seat covers which helpfully added to the enjoyable ride by making us stick to our seats with sweat - nice!!!

We arrived at the foot ferry and what a sight it was. As we made our way through the crowds we just about made it onto the back of the ferry as it pulled off. To say we were packed in like sardines is an understatement. At least it was all open air so we had a nice breeze as we made our way over to the centre of Dar. Once we got into Dar we had a 10/15 minute walk to the main port where we would catch our ferry to Zanzibar. Things went very smoothly and we were pleased to find that not only did we have reserved seats on the ferry, but that these were in air conditioned cabins. Heaven!!! The ride over to Zanzibar took about 2 hours and was really smooth. Mr Bean was on the TV but I just passed the time writing letters and listening to music.

We got off the ferry at 2:30pm in Zanzibar and the heat hit us like a truck after 2 hours of air conditioned bliss. We all piled into a small mini bus which was going to take us up to Nungwi in the north of the island. Nungwi is one of the nice beach resorts in Zanzibar and we were going to spend 3 nights there before heading back to Zanzibar City (Stone Town) for our last night on the island. When we reached Nungwi an hour later however, we were worried. Driving into Nungwi village is, how can I put it , not that inspiring. Where were the 'so good a bounty advert could be filmed there' beaches we were promised?? Our accommodation also left a lot to be desired (my room didn't even have a sink in it) and my dreams of paradise were dwindling. However, a 2 minute walk through tourist souvenir shops, opening out onto the beach and all was forgotten. It was perfect, absolutely beautiful turquoise ocean, impossibly white powdery sand, and to top it all off the tide never goes out so you can swim at any time of day or night easily. Just perfection.

We didn't arrive until later so the first thing on my mind was food. We popped into the nearest little cafe we could find in the village which was called 'Jambo Zanzibar' and run by a German woman called Leila. She cooks 3/4 home made dishes each day and is open until the food runs out. We were just in time to get some food and it was gorgeous. Pasta and Pesto with cheese on top. This was my first bit of cheese since leaving home as it is SO expensive to buy here. Finally I could stop craving cheese as much as I have been doing. Leila employs several of the local people in the village and most of the profits she makes go into local projects to improve the village and combat some of its problems. I made a mental note to come back and eat there again the following day.

In the evening we all met up in one of the bars along the coastline which had gorgeous views. A very nice meal and lots of drinks later we went to another bar on the beach. We had a campfire on the beach and drank the most potent (but lovely) cocktails I have ever had. Off to bed fairly early as there was some serious exploring to do the next day along with some activities which I was really excited about.

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