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Published: December 5th 2006
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Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar
Diligidently working on that tan! Version Francaise plus bas
Hi everyone,
Well, the title of this blog entry and the pictures (scroll all the way down) say it all. I have spent the last 5 days on this amazing beach, called Nungwi, about an hour drive north of Stonetown in Zanzibar.
I am typing this entry from Namibia. Just got here yesterday and I am already terribly missing Zanzibar and my perfect beach. You all know I am a beach girl (my swimsuit collection is the first clue) and I have been fortunate to lay my butt on many great beaches around the world; and I must say that I have found in Zanzibar the best sand - ever. So white, so fine, just like powdered sugar. Incredible. I completely fell in love with Zanzibar, the vibe, the beach, the colors, the slow pace and the super laid back locals.
I spent my days laying on the beach, swimming, running on the beach at sunset, eating giant prawns, passion fruits, and hanging out at Cholo's Bar, the best beach bar. Seriously, if you had to design or dream one, Cholo's would be it. You can see on the pictures, the bar is
right on the beach, the bar itself and the tables are made of wooden boats, a few hammocks have been strategically placed for naps, lounge furniture made of local wood and ropes are scattered around fire pits, awesome music all day and all night, and crazy fun staff that plays the best music and can't help dancing and swinging while pouring your drinks. Although the island is Muslim, this group up there in Nungwi does not quite follow the strict rules of the quran I must say. The favorite saying around Cholo's and the beach is Akuna Matata, which means no problem in Swahili. You just had to be there and see that relaxed look and smile on their face when they say "akuna matata sister isabelle" 😊
I made so many friends, not only the guys from the bar but lots of travelers that came on their own (thank god I avoided the beach with all the honeymooners - thanks Angie for the recommendation!). I met an American girl from NYC who had been on the road in Africa for months and was just dreaming about a hot shower and a clean bed. I met a guy who
is a Canadian working as an engineer for an oil drilling company in Qatar who came to complete his dive rescue course. A Dutch guy who is starting a wakeboarding operation on the island. A British girl who is managing a few restaurants and baking the best passion fruit pie. A french guy who is an anthropologist doing research in Tanzania...and more and more. We all hung out on the beach, at the bar and that was pretty much the extent of it. Long lazy days that could have lasted for ever. Each time we ran into each other the joke was "another shitty day in paradise" - obviously we were all quite pleased and mesmerized by our surroundings.
Running on the beach at low tide in the evening was magical. The sand was the perfect consistency, the temperatures right around 80 degrees, the sun setting on the Indian Ocean, locals playing soccer, dhows and fishing boats going out for some night fishing. All I could think of was capture this moment and take a mental picture of this amazing place. One evening Amis (one of the waiters at Cholo's) came running with me, and a couple other evenings
Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar
My view at breakfast. Please don't hate me :) I ran with my new friend, Mohammed, 12 yr-old avid runner who one evening started to run behind me and asked if he could join me. All he had was a pair of tired shorts on, no shoes, no shirt, and he ran with the most perfect form and with no signs of fatigue (I could not even hear him breathe) for 45 minutes. Way cool. What a great company and cool little kid. I told him to keep running and training and that one day he would be racing overseas alongside the Kenyans. He just gave me this huge smile and asked me if we would meet again at 6 pm the next day for a run...unfortunately that was last night and I will miss him on my next run. Keep running Mohammed.
So all good things must come to an end and yesterday I painfully extracted myself from my beach and headed to Namibia. My skin is all dry, this is desert like climate here. I think I will go back to Zanzibar, this time I will rent a car and explore all of the island, there is a lot to see and if I can convince
Cholo's Bar on Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar
Great fresh fruit juices. My favorite: passion fruit/banana/mango. myself to leave the beach for a few hours, I want to explore more.
I am in Namibia for the next two weeks. I picked up our 4x4 this morning, weird driving on the left side and using my left hand to switch gears. Must concentrate while driving. I am picking up my brother tomorrow morning and we are off to Etosha that same day. I think Namibia is going to be awesome for pictures, I plan on a few very early morning sunrises to get some shots of the red sand dunes in Sesriem and hopefully some shots of the Himba tribes up North.
That is it for now. Hope you enjoy the pictures and hope they bring a bit of warmth and sunshine to your day.
Take care.
Love
Isa
Bonjour a tous,
Me voici a Windhoek, capitale de la Namibie, depuis hier apres midi. J'ai laisse ma belle plage de Zanzibar derriere moi et elle me manque deja.
Comme vous pouvez voir sur les photos, j'ai trouve a Zanzibar une plage de reve et je ne voulais plus partir. Sable blanc poudreux, eau turquoise, des tas de gens sympas,
Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar
Perfect swing for viewing sunset ambiance de fete tous les soirs au bar de la plage, jus de fruits frais passion/banane, poisson et crevettes grillees, pleine lune le dernier soir, footings sur la plage le soir a maree basse....Bref, tous les ingredients pour 5 jours de reve.
Ca a ete le repos dont j;avais besoin, il fallait que je me pose quelque part sans trop bouger pour quelques jours. Mission accomplie. Je suis bronzee, reposee et prete a attaquer la Namibie avec mon frere.
Je vous embrasse tous et a bientot.
Isa
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Edmund
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Great pictures
Great pictures Isa especially as I look out the window at the Chicago winter ;-( Have fun in Namibia!