The Island Paradise of Zanzibar

After another half day in Arusha (which did nothing to change my feelings about the place!), I took a flight to my last destination on this trip: the island of Zanzibar. 

With six days on hand I decided to split my time between the capital Zanzibar Town (specifically its historic centre, Stone Town) and two of the east coast beaches: Matemwe and Paje. There's plenty of things to do here, including spice tours and dolphin-watching and trips to see giant tortoises, but the only thing on my agenda was complete and utter relaxation! 

First up, Stone Town. The old town has a mix of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences and a lot of character: white-washed stone buildings, ornately-carved wooden doors and a maze of tiny alleyways you could get lost in. Unfortunately the downside was the number of touts hassling me wherever I went. I guess I've had this a lot over the past months but my tolerance level is rapidly diminishing! 

Ornate Door

Never seen this before: long wooden poles nailed into the house to stop it falling down...?!

Stone Town was a nice enough place for a wander and I visited a couple of the "attractions": the site of the old Slave Market and the Sultan's Persian Baths which were interesting to an extent although there wasn't much to see at either. The recommended Beit el-Ajaib (House of Wonders museum) was closed for restoration (apparently). 

Persian Baths

On my first night I ate at the fish market which opens each evening in Forodhani Gardens on the waterfront. Grilled lobster and red snapper skewers and falafel, plus fresh lemon juice: delicious! Unfortunately I was so busy salivating that I forgot to bargain and got seriously ripped off afterwards. It's my own fault, but I'm just so tired of it now! Why can't people just be honest?!

The next day I took a daladala over to the east coast and the small fishing village of Matemwe. On the way through the alleyways to the daladala station, I met a man who started chatting and then showed me the way to the station and helped me find the right daladala. He didn't ask for money, or try to sell me anything, or ask if I was married: it turns out he had no ulterior motive at all and was just being friendly and helpful! My faith in humanity was restored!

Daladala: not the most luxurious form of transport, but definitely an authentic local experience!

After 1.5 hours of bumping along in the daladala, during which I honestly couldn't see how they were going to cram in any more people, I arrived in Matemwe. It had been raining quite hard for the last half of the journey, which wasn't ideal as my (non-waterproof) rucksack had been strapped to the roof. I then had to walk 1km through the village to get to my accommodation, so was soaked through when I arrived... but that didn't matter, as this place was PARADISE!

When I was working in the US, one of my big clients was Airbnb (an online marketplace for vacation rentals - anyone who doesn't know them... you should!). When I left, they very generously gave me a $150 voucher as a thank you/ goodbye gift. Finally I'd found the right moment to use it: to treat myself to two nights in this fabulous home, situated right on the sand in one of the most beautiful, pristine and deserted stretches of Matemwe beach. The house itself was stunning and my en-suite bedroom was one of the most gorgeous rooms I've seen and I loved it even more as it felt like a home, something you obviously can't get in a hotel.

The view in one direction when you step out of the house....

And the view in the other direction!

The majority of my two days here was spent doing nothing but relaxing, reading and wandering along the white sand, admiring the clear, turquoise sea. There were seaweed farms dotted through the shallow water and at low tide the local women waded out to harvest the seaweed (it's sold to other countries for use in cosmetics or for food). 

Seaweed farm in the shallows

A woman sorts through the seaweed she has collected

Seaweed drying in the sun

At night I fell asleep to the roar of the waves crashing on the sand outside my bedroom window: idyllic. I did go snorkelling on my second day, which was about as active as it got. There is a beautiful coral reef and lots of colourful fishes just offshore at Mnemba Island.

Matemwe Beach from the water

Then it was time to move on to Paje. I decided I'd made enough effort with public transport and opted for a taxi this time! Paje had another idyllic, wide beach and here I really did do NOTHING at all for 48 hours! 

The beach at Paje

The water was SO clear and blue

I must admit that I didn't LOVE Zanzibar. If I'm honest, I'm not really a "beach person" and although I'd thought I might enjoy a few rest days at the end of the trip, in the end I found myself a bit bored and restless (perhaps BECAUSE it was so near the end of the trip and I was so impatient to come home!). Of course, the beaches were stunningly beautiful, but lying on the beach on your own is not that fun - perhaps if I'd had someone with me I would have enjoyed it more. Still, I'm glad I went! And it was very, very beautiful.

Where to next?!

At the end of my six days I took a flight back to Dar Es Salaam and that's where I am now! Yes, for only the 3rd time on this trip the blog is again up to date! Tonight I head back to the airport and fly on to... LONDON! Hurrah!

It's been quite a journey!