After a day of relaxation in Moshi following our successful Kili climb, we hopped into a shuttle to the Kilimanjaro airport to catch our PrecisionAir flight to the island of Zanzibar. We shared the shuttle with a young couple from Dubai also going to Zanzibar. He was Algerian with a crew cut mohawk, she was Slovakian/Kuwaiti. They had just finished their Kili climb too. He caught my attention one day when he was running across the Barranco Camp, yelling for his girlfriend to get the hell out of the outhouse she was in because she would catch something in there. We learned he had proposed to her on the summit.
Spice Island
Zanzibar has a long history of rule passing through the Persians, Portuguese, Omanis, and British. The Omanis built spice plantations in the 17th century with most plants coming from other parts of the world. Zanzibar City became East Africa’s main slave-trading port in the 19th century. The worlds shortest war, all 38 minutes of it, took place here in 1896 with the British. Zanzibar is home to a million people, mostly muslim. While the spice and tourism industries thrive, most of the population live meagerly in poor conditions.
Baby Bush Lodge
We took a cab from the airport, which is on the heavily populated western side of the island, to the sparsely populated east side, facing the Indian Ocean. While mega-resorts dot the coastline around the whole island, we wanted to get away from glitz and luxury, and experience some local flavor.
Baby Bush Lodge is a small lodge built by a local fisherman named Msuli Haji. It rises out of the embankment next to the beach and is built in such a way that you feel like you are in a gigantic treehouse hovering over the beach. The rooms are basic, quiet, and comfortable. No wi-fi. No internet. No power from time to time. Simple, hakuna matata.
Our stay at Baby Bush was very relaxing. The treehouse served as the focal point for everything. Food and drink were available at any time. The wait (an African norm) for ordered food was relaxing, and worth it as it was excellently prepared and tasty. Seafood pizza anyone? How about Traditional Zanzibar Coconut Curry with Fish. Or Calamari. Or Octopus... There were several terraced decks with large cushioned platforms to sprawl out on. The music playlist was really good and played throughout the day and night.
Special Attention
It was low season and we were just about the only people staying at Baby Bush. A couple of young American women who had finished their Peace Corps work in Swaziland were camping there ($10/night) but that was it. The staff was super friendly and attentive to our needs, and left us alone when we wanted. Abdul, their concierge as far as we could discern, chummed up with us and arranged all of our activities and rides during our stay.
Snorkeling
We had a beautiful morning snorkeling in the Mnemba Island coral reef, about a mile offshore from the main island. It was my first time in the Indian Ocean, and my first snorkeling experience - it was fabulous and I became hooked. We saw loads of colorful tropical fish and coral. There weren’t a lot of bigger fish, other than some trumpet fish and snake fish. We learned later that some people diving 50 ft away had dolphins to play with. The water was a deep turquoise against pure white sand. Back on the boat, our guide chopped open a green coconut and passed it to us - the coconut water and meat were delicious. The flavors and consistencies were new and difficult to describe; this was my first experience with “young” coconuts and it took me by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. Reading later about the contents of young coconuts, it seems they are very nutritious too. I will need to include young coconuts in my diet. Somehow.
Spice Tour
We spent another morning touring one of the many spice plantations on the island. Our pair of young guides introduced us to the plants and uses of spices we’ve all got in little jars in our kitchens, like nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, cardamom, tumeric, lemongrass, and more.
We learned about the secret viagra-like powers that ginger and nutmeg had on men and women - fact or fiction? Some experimentation may be in order. Some plants had other uses, like the lipstick plant for its bright red pigment as demonstrated by our guides as they graffiti’ed their faces, and then ours.
There were lots of fruit trees like orange and tangerine, and of course coconut trees. The younger guide performed the climb-the-coconut-tree song and dance routine and dropped a young coconut to the ground for us to savor as we did on the snorkel boat.
Then they introduced us to my new favorite fruit of all, Jackfruit. Native to India, the Jackfruit is an intimidating beast of a fruit, difficult and time-consuming to cut, and no doubt hard to find in the US, but man are the fruit bulbs inside delicious. The tour ended with the obligatory sales pitch and bargaining session for souvenir spices to bring home.
Stone Town
The historic core of Zanzibar City is known as Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. We walked its narrow maze of streets and shopped with local merchants one afternoon. Geared for the tourist trade now, there are many remnants from the slave trading days.
We learned the beautiful
carvings in the door frames adorning many of the old buildings revealed
the nature of the building’s original purpose. For example, chains
depicted former slave trading buildings.
Some of the sights we glanced off: House of Wonders (the largest and tallest building in Stone Town, a former sultan’s palace), the Old Fort (the oldest building in Stone Town, made with walls of corral), the Old Dispensary (with intricate fretwork and balconies), the open markets, and a modern favorite: Freddie Mercury’s house and birthplace. We watched the sunset from the balcony of the Africa House where all of the new tourists are brainwashed into going but I have to admit it was lovely. After the sun had set, we headed down to Forodhani Gardens, the main seawalk, where food vendors flocked under the lights. The smells and sights were mouthwatering. We had run into the Dubai couple in the open market and we stumbled across the Peace Corps girls in Forodhani Gardens. Small island.
Driving
We were treated to a most fascinating video game, Zanzibar Grand Prix. Your lane is filled with people walking, bicycling, scootering, motorcycling, busing, trucking, vanning, car driving, you name it. Everyone maintains a single file until they come upon a slower person. Slower people must be passed as soon as possible. Passing can be attempted anywhere. Bicyclists pull out to pass pedestrians, scooters pull out to pass bicyclists, cars pull out to pass trucks, and so on. Simultaneous passing is routinely attempted where 2 or 3 or even 4 people may be abreast of each other. This all takes place in your one lane. Oncoming traffic behaves the same way. Fun to play as a driver, unnerving to watch from the backseat. And that’s in daylight. The game’s night mode is called Don’t Breathe White-Knuckle Sphincter Cramp.
Beach
We took several long strolls along our beach paradise in front of Baby Bush Lodge. The sand was like white gypsum, much much finer than typical sand we’ve seen elsewhere. The long gradual tidal zone allowed us to walk quite a ways out before the swimwear got wet. Long walks in either direction, north or south, brought us to the land of luxury resorts, with families of large pale-skinned guests, raked beaches, and security guards to keep the “beach boys” at bay. Beach boys, as Abdul called them, were locals dotting the beach looking for tourists to sell souvenirs to. We groaned a little each time we saw one getting ready to approach us but we found they were pleasant to talk to and seemed to appreciate our wish that they have a nice day.
The Danish Furniture Maker
Abdul thought we might be interested in meeting Jacob, a Dane who recently acquired a plot of land near Baby Bush and was building a giant house in his spare time. Puzzling over how to save money on all of the windows and furnishings the house would need, he decided he would manufacture everything himself. Having no prior woodworking experience, he worked with a friend in Denmark and began shipping old industrial woodworking machinery to Zanzibar. He put up a tin roof over a work area, bought some logs, and started producing the goods. Now, he is working on building a line of furniture and showcasing it to businesses and residents across Zanzibar. Quite the entrepreneur, but I have a feeling he’ll never finish his own house.
ImprecisionAir
The regional airline, PrecisionAir, has a reputation for the opposite. We got a taste of it when departing Zanzibar. We had a cushy 3-hour connection in Dar es Salaam between our PrecisionAir flight out of Zanzibar and our KLM flight to Amsterdam. 3-hours eroded to 2-hours and then to less than 1-hour as we sat in the Zanzibar airport waiting for our plane to show up. We found the feral kittens around the trash cans and the shy lizard on the gate wall entertaining for a while but we were becoming concerned we’d miss our KLM flight and have to spend the night in Dar. Well, we had power in numbers since most of the passengers waiting with us were booked on the KLM flight too. KLM held the plane for us as we rushed through the Dar es Salaam airport to get to the plane. It was remarkable to feel the soothing air of civilization as we walked onto KLM’s 777.
-------------------------------------
Honeymoon in Tanzania
Part 1: Arrival
Part 2: Safari
Part 3: Kilimanjaro
Part 4: Zanzibar
Part 5: Memories
Spice Island
Zanzibar has a long history of rule passing through the Persians, Portuguese, Omanis, and British. The Omanis built spice plantations in the 17th century with most plants coming from other parts of the world. Zanzibar City became East Africa’s main slave-trading port in the 19th century. The worlds shortest war, all 38 minutes of it, took place here in 1896 with the British. Zanzibar is home to a million people, mostly muslim. While the spice and tourism industries thrive, most of the population live meagerly in poor conditions.
Baby Bush Lodge
We took a cab from the airport, which is on the heavily populated western side of the island, to the sparsely populated east side, facing the Indian Ocean. While mega-resorts dot the coastline around the whole island, we wanted to get away from glitz and luxury, and experience some local flavor.
Baby Bush Lodge is a small lodge built by a local fisherman named Msuli Haji. It rises out of the embankment next to the beach and is built in such a way that you feel like you are in a gigantic treehouse hovering over the beach. The rooms are basic, quiet, and comfortable. No wi-fi. No internet. No power from time to time. Simple, hakuna matata.
Our stay at Baby Bush was very relaxing. The treehouse served as the focal point for everything. Food and drink were available at any time. The wait (an African norm) for ordered food was relaxing, and worth it as it was excellently prepared and tasty. Seafood pizza anyone? How about Traditional Zanzibar Coconut Curry with Fish. Or Calamari. Or Octopus... There were several terraced decks with large cushioned platforms to sprawl out on. The music playlist was really good and played throughout the day and night.
 |
| Baby Bush Lodge entrance |
 |
| Treehouse bar patron |
 |
| Treehouse terraces |
It was low season and we were just about the only people staying at Baby Bush. A couple of young American women who had finished their Peace Corps work in Swaziland were camping there ($10/night) but that was it. The staff was super friendly and attentive to our needs, and left us alone when we wanted. Abdul, their concierge as far as we could discern, chummed up with us and arranged all of our activities and rides during our stay.
Snorkeling
We had a beautiful morning snorkeling in the Mnemba Island coral reef, about a mile offshore from the main island. It was my first time in the Indian Ocean, and my first snorkeling experience - it was fabulous and I became hooked. We saw loads of colorful tropical fish and coral. There weren’t a lot of bigger fish, other than some trumpet fish and snake fish. We learned later that some people diving 50 ft away had dolphins to play with. The water was a deep turquoise against pure white sand. Back on the boat, our guide chopped open a green coconut and passed it to us - the coconut water and meat were delicious. The flavors and consistencies were new and difficult to describe; this was my first experience with “young” coconuts and it took me by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. Reading later about the contents of young coconuts, it seems they are very nutritious too. I will need to include young coconuts in my diet. Somehow.
 |
| Snorkeling in Mnemba reef |
Spice Tour
We spent another morning touring one of the many spice plantations on the island. Our pair of young guides introduced us to the plants and uses of spices we’ve all got in little jars in our kitchens, like nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, cardamom, tumeric, lemongrass, and more.
 |
| Nutmeg nut |
We learned about the secret viagra-like powers that ginger and nutmeg had on men and women - fact or fiction? Some experimentation may be in order. Some plants had other uses, like the lipstick plant for its bright red pigment as demonstrated by our guides as they graffiti’ed their faces, and then ours.
 |
| Lipstick plant pod |
Then they introduced us to my new favorite fruit of all, Jackfruit. Native to India, the Jackfruit is an intimidating beast of a fruit, difficult and time-consuming to cut, and no doubt hard to find in the US, but man are the fruit bulbs inside delicious. The tour ended with the obligatory sales pitch and bargaining session for souvenir spices to bring home.
 |
| Jackfruit tree |
 |
| Typical Stone Town street |
The historic core of Zanzibar City is known as Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. We walked its narrow maze of streets and shopped with local merchants one afternoon. Geared for the tourist trade now, there are many remnants from the slave trading days.
 |
| Door frame symbols |
Some of the sights we glanced off: House of Wonders (the largest and tallest building in Stone Town, a former sultan’s palace), the Old Fort (the oldest building in Stone Town, made with walls of corral), the Old Dispensary (with intricate fretwork and balconies), the open markets, and a modern favorite: Freddie Mercury’s house and birthplace. We watched the sunset from the balcony of the Africa House where all of the new tourists are brainwashed into going but I have to admit it was lovely. After the sun had set, we headed down to Forodhani Gardens, the main seawalk, where food vendors flocked under the lights. The smells and sights were mouthwatering. We had run into the Dubai couple in the open market and we stumbled across the Peace Corps girls in Forodhani Gardens. Small island.
 |
| Learning about doors from our guide, Ismael |
 |
| Freddie Mercury House |
 |
| Courtyard inside Dhow Palace |
 |
| Old Fort on left, House of Wonders on right |
 |
| Sunset from the Africa House balcony |
 |
| Nightly food frenzy in Forodhani Gardens |
Driving
We were treated to a most fascinating video game, Zanzibar Grand Prix. Your lane is filled with people walking, bicycling, scootering, motorcycling, busing, trucking, vanning, car driving, you name it. Everyone maintains a single file until they come upon a slower person. Slower people must be passed as soon as possible. Passing can be attempted anywhere. Bicyclists pull out to pass pedestrians, scooters pull out to pass bicyclists, cars pull out to pass trucks, and so on. Simultaneous passing is routinely attempted where 2 or 3 or even 4 people may be abreast of each other. This all takes place in your one lane. Oncoming traffic behaves the same way. Fun to play as a driver, unnerving to watch from the backseat. And that’s in daylight. The game’s night mode is called Don’t Breathe White-Knuckle Sphincter Cramp.
Beach
We took several long strolls along our beach paradise in front of Baby Bush Lodge. The sand was like white gypsum, much much finer than typical sand we’ve seen elsewhere. The long gradual tidal zone allowed us to walk quite a ways out before the swimwear got wet. Long walks in either direction, north or south, brought us to the land of luxury resorts, with families of large pale-skinned guests, raked beaches, and security guards to keep the “beach boys” at bay. Beach boys, as Abdul called them, were locals dotting the beach looking for tourists to sell souvenirs to. We groaned a little each time we saw one getting ready to approach us but we found they were pleasant to talk to and seemed to appreciate our wish that they have a nice day.
 |
| Beach stroll |
 |
| Sue & Frankie |
The Danish Furniture Maker
Abdul thought we might be interested in meeting Jacob, a Dane who recently acquired a plot of land near Baby Bush and was building a giant house in his spare time. Puzzling over how to save money on all of the windows and furnishings the house would need, he decided he would manufacture everything himself. Having no prior woodworking experience, he worked with a friend in Denmark and began shipping old industrial woodworking machinery to Zanzibar. He put up a tin roof over a work area, bought some logs, and started producing the goods. Now, he is working on building a line of furniture and showcasing it to businesses and residents across Zanzibar. Quite the entrepreneur, but I have a feeling he’ll never finish his own house.
 |
| Jacob's woodshop |
ImprecisionAir
The regional airline, PrecisionAir, has a reputation for the opposite. We got a taste of it when departing Zanzibar. We had a cushy 3-hour connection in Dar es Salaam between our PrecisionAir flight out of Zanzibar and our KLM flight to Amsterdam. 3-hours eroded to 2-hours and then to less than 1-hour as we sat in the Zanzibar airport waiting for our plane to show up. We found the feral kittens around the trash cans and the shy lizard on the gate wall entertaining for a while but we were becoming concerned we’d miss our KLM flight and have to spend the night in Dar. Well, we had power in numbers since most of the passengers waiting with us were booked on the KLM flight too. KLM held the plane for us as we rushed through the Dar es Salaam airport to get to the plane. It was remarkable to feel the soothing air of civilization as we walked onto KLM’s 777.
-------------------------------------
Honeymoon in Tanzania
Part 1: Arrival
Part 2: Safari
Part 3: Kilimanjaro
Part 4: Zanzibar
Part 5: Memories
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