Zanzibar, Part 1

Hi Mom,

Well, after a long delay, here finally are our pictures from our Zanzibar honeymoon last October/November! What's below represents a very small sampling of all the pictures we took - a larger selection can be found on my flickr page. But these are the highlights of our trip!

We left on a Friday morning, flying to New York, then London and finally Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where we landed very early Sunday morning. That our plane was early was perfect timing, as we managed to catch a cab and get to the ferry terminal just in time to be rushed onto a 7:30 ferry to Zanzibar. The our and a half ferry ride was just enough time to relax and actually absorb the fact that we were in Africa!

Boats in Stonetown harbor.

We called ahead to let our hotel know we were on our way, and were picked up at the ferry terminal (a good thing, as it was total chaos at the arrivals area!) and brought to our home for the night in Stonetown, historic 236 Hurumzi (formerly Emerson & Green). We were given the Tour Suite, which was beautiful - it had it's own little rooftop deck with a view of the Hindu temple next door and the harbor beyond.

Tour Suite, and it's view of Stonetown from the rooftop gazebo.

It was great to get in to Stonetown several hours earlier than planned, giving us time to relax over a lunch of hummus and falafels at a restaurant named for famous Zanzibari singer Bi Kidude, and then get out and explore the town.

An outside view of a Muslim temple, and one of Stonetown's many carved doors.
(More pictures of Stonetown and it's sights are on flickr!)

That night we had reservations at the hotel's TowerTop restaurant, where we were served a feast and treated to dancers and singers between courses. At the end of the meal, they invited selected diners to come up and dance with them - guess who was chosen to hit the floor!

My husband, dancing!

The next day we headed about 20 mintues outside the city to Mbweni Ruins hotel, where we were to stay for most of our trip. Right on the beach, this hotel is set next to the ruins of a former girl's school after which it's named.

Some of the Mbweni Ruins.

The beach and dock at Mbweni.

With friendly staff, a wonderful restaurant and just a generally relaxing atmosphere, this was a great base for the next few days exploring the island. We went to Jozani forest to see the red colobus monkeys:


We went back to Stonetown for more exploration and a little bit of shopping, including the quilted pillowcase for you from the Sasik women's collective:


And we went on a Spice Tour, were we learnt about all of the island's spice crops (pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, curry and on and on...) and were hosted by a great guide.

My husband, decked out in style for the spice tour, while I enjoy some coconut milk at the end of the walk.

We also took every opportunity to capture the spirit of Zanzibar:

Two coconuts waiting for a ride?

Schoolchildren on a break between classes.

A special kind of palm tree, and how to get your satellite service in style!

After three days at Mbweni, we packed our bags to head out on our next series of adventures - more on that to follow!