Day 32. Spice Tour

Friday January 14th. This morning started at 5:00 with Muslim wailing, 5:30 the crows and a rooster, and church bells at 6:00. So we got up and had a quick continental breakfast with an egg and then we went for a walk about Stone Town. We walked to the harbour area and explored a couple of good hotels. Then we ventured across town to get back, and surprisingly we didn't get lost again.

Then at 9:00 the whole group plus the new ones boarded a couple of vans for the ride to the north end of the island and the beaches. En route we took an inland detour to the Zasooka Spice Farm. We saw breadfruit trees, avocado trees. Lichee fruit, Jack fruit, pineapple, passion fruit, almonds, pepper, coffee, passion fruit, lemongrass, cassava, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and many others. It turns out that none of them are native to Zanzibar, it's just that the climate is perfect and all the explorers and invaders used the island as a farm. I learned a few interesting things: people eat the roots of the cassava plant but the fruit is tapioca; red, green, black and white pepper are all taken from the same vine, just at the different times and prepared differently; passion fruit, vanilla and pepper all grow on vines that are epiphytes; vanilla is pollinated by hand which is why it is so expensive. At the end of the tour we were able to sample a few fruits: pineapple, mango, passion fruit, banana, coconut and a large fruit that is kind of a cross between a banana and a pineapple, but I've forgotten it's name (I'll ask around later).

Then we boarded the vans again and continued our trip. We arrived at Amaan Bungalows on Nungwi Beach by 1:00. After checking in and dropping off a few items for laundry, we headed to the beach. This place is beautiful. The water is turquoise, the sand almost white and the resort has a restaurant that overlooks the beach. Stunning place and a terrific place to relax for a couple of days.

John went for a swim (he has goggles) and I just relaxed in the very warm water. It was a very hot day and the water was amazing. You could just lay back and float or sit at the shore and just let the gentle waves wash over you (and shove sand up your shorts!). I talked to Filip for awhile and Ed too.

Later I went for a walk along the beach to take some photos of Masai warriors, mokoros with balancing wings and some of the boats in the area.

Then we went for happy hour and enjoyed a couple of drinks before a buffet dinner at the restaurant. A yummy vegetable curry, seafood kabobs and rice. While we were eating a 'live' band butchered some songs, including Wonderwall and Time of Your Life (by Green Day, but I know that's not the real name).

We hung out and talked for awhile before heading to the room to update this and go to bed. The rooms here are very nice and we even have an air-conditioner! No tent for four nights, nice break.