Hanging in Paradise again! Zanzibar
So our time in Africa has been a whirlwind and to say that some serious R&R was in need would be a understatement. While our time in the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater was unbelievable, our overland safari as a whole was definitely what we thought we signed up for. Between our not so nice tour guide, being stuck in a truck for over 10 hours every day, and being in a group dominated by very opinionated Dutch people (except for two awesome couples that we will definitely stay in touch with and already miss), we decided that it was time to ditch the tour and do our own thing. We knew that staying with the tour we wouldn't be able to experience Africa the way we wanted to and would regret our time here. While it was a hard decision, it has been the absolute right one and beyond a blessing in disguise. Leaving the tour has allowed us to spend five days in honestly one of the most beautiful and magical places we have ever seen...I know, I am sure we have said that before but truly, Zanzibar is just magical.
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Zanzibar is a small island off the coast of Tanzania. 95% of the island is Muslim, so we are here during a very interesting time since it is Ramadan. Most of the shops and restaurants are closed during the day, but honestly, we didn't mind at all because it made the experience feel that much more genuine. After breaking free from the group, we made our way to Nungwi Beach - the northern most point of Zanzibar. Our new friend, Yussef, drove us there. Meeting Yussef was just amazing. He just happened to be our taxi driver up to Nungwi but he became our friend and a man we respected within minutes. Unfortunately, much like other parts of Africa, you can see corruption almost everywhere you look...especially when dealing with police and military officers. On the drive to the North, there are various military checkpoints along the way. Before getting to the checkpoints, Yussef pulled over explaining that he needed to fill out the appropriate paperwork. We went through multiple checkpoints with no problem until we came to one where it all changed. The military officer took Yussef's insurance and driver's license and told him that he had to pay 10,000 shillings even though he did nothing wrong. Yussef refused. We left the checkpoint and Yussef said to us "I know the law and I will not let that man try to take away what is rightfully mine". Kyle and I were honestly in awe of Yussef. Most people, probably even us, would have just paid the money in order to get it over with it and not have any problems but Yussef stood up for he knew was right and it honestly was amazing to see in person. I never thought something like that would touch me as much as it did.
The beaches in Zanzibar are as pure and raw as Yussef's actions. The sand is the whitest and finest sand we have ever walked on and the water is a crystal, turquoise blue that no picture or description will do it justice. Nungwi beach was wonderful, but Matembwe was by far our favorite beach thus far...not just in Zanzibar but out of our entire trip. It is completely secluded from all of the big hotels and tourist traps. The beach is lined with villages and local seaweed farmers. Our walks along the beach consisted of adorable children waving and saying "Jambo, Jambo" (hello, hello) and local teenagers walking with us so they could practice their English. The staff at our hotel in Matembwe were such a delight as well. Destin, our other new friend (so popular, making friends left and right), taught us Zanzibar's version of Mancala, Bao. Our first game took over two hours! Clearly, we were beginners. But after, we started to get the hang of it and even beat Destin. We made sure to buy the Bao board so we could take a piece of Zanzibar home with us.
Zanzibar is also known for Stone Town, which is in the Southern part of the island. Since it was Ramadan though, we didn't spend much time here because most everything was closed during the day. Just walking through the town was amazing though. The architecture and history is so unique. Zanzibar was once the central slave trading center for East Africa and they had the shortest revolutionary war in history...a whooping 45 minutes....seriously..f-o-r-t-y f-i-v-e minutes.
Honestly, Zanzibar was beyond perfect. Kyle and I kept looking at each other on the beach and saying this is the life. Our time in Zanzibar ended with a beyond generous and thoughtful gesture from Yussef. During our first couple of car rides, Yussef was always educating us about the various fruit (or as he said, fruity) in Zanzibar. When we got into the car, he had a brown bag waiting for us with all of the fruits that we did know so we could try them before we left.
We were so thankful for our time in Zanzibar to remember what this trip is all about it and to truly just enjoy being together. If we hadn't already booked our flights to Cape Town, we would have stayed even longer. While we are sad to be missing Lake Malawi and Victoria Falls, we could not be more excited about what waits for us in Cape Town.
Zanzibar is a small island off the coast of Tanzania. 95% of the island is Muslim, so we are here during a very interesting time since it is Ramadan. Most of the shops and restaurants are closed during the day, but honestly, we didn't mind at all because it made the experience feel that much more genuine. After breaking free from the group, we made our way to Nungwi Beach - the northern most point of Zanzibar. Our new friend, Yussef, drove us there. Meeting Yussef was just amazing. He just happened to be our taxi driver up to Nungwi but he became our friend and a man we respected within minutes. Unfortunately, much like other parts of Africa, you can see corruption almost everywhere you look...especially when dealing with police and military officers. On the drive to the North, there are various military checkpoints along the way. Before getting to the checkpoints, Yussef pulled over explaining that he needed to fill out the appropriate paperwork. We went through multiple checkpoints with no problem until we came to one where it all changed. The military officer took Yussef's insurance and driver's license and told him that he had to pay 10,000 shillings even though he did nothing wrong. Yussef refused. We left the checkpoint and Yussef said to us "I know the law and I will not let that man try to take away what is rightfully mine". Kyle and I were honestly in awe of Yussef. Most people, probably even us, would have just paid the money in order to get it over with it and not have any problems but Yussef stood up for he knew was right and it honestly was amazing to see in person. I never thought something like that would touch me as much as it did.
We were so thankful for our time in Zanzibar to remember what this trip is all about it and to truly just enjoy being together. If we hadn't already booked our flights to Cape Town, we would have stayed even longer. While we are sad to be missing Lake Malawi and Victoria Falls, we could not be more excited about what waits for us in Cape Town.
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