Unforgetable Zanzibar

Zanzibar

Now that we had 2 ½ weeks of safaris, it was time for some R&R. So we boarded a plane for Zanzibar. Off we went to Pongwe beach resort. Both of us have done many beach vacations, but this was out of this world.

First, our accommodations were amazing. We had a little hut, on the beach (sand outside our door) complete with our own beach chairs, shade and trees as well as a hammock. It was just decadent!

Second, the tide in Zanzibar is very dramatic. When it goes out, it leaves less than 12 inches of water for about 1.5 kms. So for about 6 hours the equatorial sun is heating 12 inches of water. When the tide comes in at about 3pm, the ocean is about 90 degrees! It is like sitting in a Jacuzzi. It is always breezy in Zanzibar, but the breeze is very warm and humid (much like the Santa Anas in California).

Third: The Food. The chef there was quite incredible and I was amazed with the abilities of the kitchen given the humid climate. Karl was in his glory because they served 1-2 courses of fish with every meal (they also accommodated Julie’s picky tastes).

We lazed and snorkled for a day. We did a spice tour and wandered around Stone town for an evening.

Zanzibar is home to about 1 million people. They are mostly muslim. Their main business is tourism plus a good deal of spice export and agriculture. Seems to be a fair standard of living, and, unless you spend time in Stone town, you walk the streets relatively easily.

Of course, all of this was good fun until it was time to go. Our flight was over booked and we were put on stand by. And this resulted in us not catching our flight off the island. It was 6am in the morning, we could not find a ticket agent and panic set in. Eventually, we did make it off, but it was not easy and involved a very quick dash through an airport in Dar Es Salaam. But we did it and made our way back to Nairobi.


The Road to London

It was a long day in Nairobi, for numerous reasons. But we did eventually say good bye to our guide Philip and made our way to London on a red eye flight. By the time we touched down in Heatherow, Karl had been awake for 26 hours and we had to make our way to Wimbledon to stay with friends for a couple of days.

We did make our way to Stanley Avenue in Wimbledon and crashed for the morning before we explored the local area and Wimbledon village.

The next day, Christine, took us into metropolitan London where we explored the London eye, the parliament buildings, Buckingham Palace, Soho, Covent Garden, the Tate Museum, and Christine even talked us into catching a production of Mary Poppins which we thoroughly enjoyed.


The Road Home

We had a rather uneventful flight home. Again a long day with very little sleep. We are both still adjusting to time and climate. Julie is a little sick due to a rainy day in London, but other than that, both of us are well rested and anxious to get back to the other real world.

See you all soon. Look forward to a slide show presentation as soon as we have an opportunity to sort through all the photos.

Have a great day.

- Julie and Karl

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