I really want to back to Africa and not just to be doing this (I have a very similar photo of my time in Zanzibar). I’ve started reading a few Africa-related blogs and the itch that is the Africa drug is getting louder by the day. I’ve also just heard from the little girl I am sponsoring in Ethiopia and I so would like to meet her.
To execute this plan I have to get a job and then persuade the Beloved to take time off and come with me. Or win the lottery – oh well may be a bit of a long term plan then.
I am having a party with my ladies tomorrow so may or may not get another chance to blog and then there’s the packing and the other saying goodbye and crying and all that jazz.
Have no fear though because I will be uploading pictures and the entries from my paper travel journal as well…yuou have been warned!
So I haven’t blogged much about Zanzibar yet. This is largely because it was SO nice and SO lovely that you wouldn’t believe me if I told you: think Bounty advert without the annoying and not-very-nice-tasting coconut chocolate.
I ate my bodyweight in seafood (fooling myself somewhat that fish and fruit and veg is incredibly healthy – yes I know this is the diet of supermodels but they probably don’t have a seafood platter which is made up of a whole crab, a whole lobster, a whole something else that looked a bit like a lobster, some octopus and tiger prawns!)
Also Zanzibar people (Zanzibarbarians possibly?) do not shout “mzungu” at every passing white person (it would take up most of the day given the number of tourists) which is refreshing. It was very odd being a tourist though. Can’t really put my finger on why, I suppose it’s because I’ve been away but not a tourist for quite a long time now.
Anyway, top tips for Zanzibar:
if you can try to take all luggage out of Zanzibar as hand luggae (it means sacrificing the remnants of your sunscreen but saves you no end of hassle).
lots of tourist shops in Stone Town means low prices – so do your shopping here.
don’t too many of you go at once as it will get all over run with tourists (including towel wielding Germans – I kid you not).
In the sprit of trying new things I think I may have gone a little OTT. Yesterday I jumped out of a plane!
Okay, I was attached to a very nice man from New Zealand called Russell (is it the law that all men from New Zealand are called Russell?) and he had a parachute but it was still jolly scary, exciting, amazing and just about every other adjective.
I can see how it might be quite addictive because as soon as I got down I wanted to do it again! However this is not a practical hobby so I’ll probably try stamp collecting or knitting instead.
Anyway I’m sure I will bore everyone with the photos and the DVD (yes, I decided to have the whole thing filmed!) so I won’t go into too much detail but suffice to say I would recommend anyone who has a chance to do it. Okay, so probably more scenic coming down on a parachute looking at Mount Meru and Kili than say an airfield in Milton Keynes but I ssupect no matter where the location it’s FABULOUS!
It’s a daily excitement let me tell you. Today we saw a lady carrying a live chicken in a plastic shopping bag with the rest of her groceries. Do you think the poor chicken knew it was about to become very intimately acquainted with the carrots and potatoes? Deborah has taken a photo but promised me a copy which I will upload when I get it.
Getting on a dala dala (the local bus service) is an exercise in cramming as many people as physically possible into an ancient mini bus. It’s usually about 30 in a 16 seater vehicle and today I had the misfortune of being the 31st.
Basically I was standing on the step into the bus, holding onto anything that looked fairly solid with my face in someone’s armpit and all the locals finding it quite amusing and/or worrying that the mzungo was in such a predicament. You also have to pray that the conductor – who generally has 80% of his body outside the minibus is sort of holding you in and doesn’t fancy having a passenger pancake on his hands.
Do you know, I’m really rather looking forward to travelling on the Northern line again!
