10 Days in Zanzibar: shoki-shoki

Day 5, Sunday

We woke to the sound of monkeys scurrying across our thatch roof!

Breakfast:
Shoki-shoki, which is a strange looking reddish furry fruit with a beautiful pearl colored fleshy fruit and a pit inside (it's a cousin of the lychee); lots of mango; pineapple; coffee with milk; some kind of cheese pastry with a curried vegetable filling; grilled tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant (the zucchini was delicious); dates; orange sections; and a pinwheel pastry with sesame seeds

After breakfast we went to the dive shack to get fitted for wetsuits and flippers. Nate's first time snorkeling!  Mike-the-dive-shack-director introduced us to our crew: Babu and another guide, who's name I've forgotten. After we finished selecting our suits and signing some paperwork, we went down to the beach to board our own private dhow. A third crew member, who spoke very good English, greeted us and helped us aboard.

We sailed south toward a cluster of small islands, chatting and enjoying the sun along the way. Our crew waved to other boaters. Soon we came across a small gathering of three or four other dhows that had stopped to watch a group of dolphins playing nearby. We had read that swimming with the dolphins is a popular tourist activity, but b/c it's not regulated it has become a threat to the dolphins. We were glad to see that no one was jumping in.

We continued (using the motor now) to an open area where we suited up and got a quick safety lesson before jumping into the water, which was warm and incredible clear. Our guide asked us to stay close to him. As we swam he pointed out coral, fish, anemone, starfish, and giant clams. We definitely wished we had underwater cameras! Nate was a little nervous at first but he got the hang of and really took to the water. Since the water was so clear, sometimes I ditched the snorkel, held my breath, and dove as deep as I could (without letting my ears explode from the pressure) to get a closer look at something on the bottom.

I don't know how long we were in the water - I could have kept swimming for hours - but soon the guide called to us to get back into the boat. It was time for lunch! On the way we floated past some of the most incredibly beautiful islands and lagoons I have ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ42ca-0yKc&list=HL1351893304&feature=mh_lolz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLPPl-0s83I

Next we went to an equally beautiful beach where we dropped anchor for lunch. While the crew was setting up the grill, Nate and I explored the island and I did some more swimming. We were told later that this island is where the resort holds weddings, and we could see why.

Lunch:
Grilled beef, chicken, and whole snapper, salad, spiral pasta with marinara, spice cake

After lunch we sailed back, thanked and tipped our crew, and went to the bungalow to shower before a pre-supper stroll down the beach to the neighboring village. I covered up, not knowing just how close to the village we would actually get. I wore white linen pants and a pink linen button-down. The beach was mostly rock that had been worn down by the tide but was still extremely craggy. It was very difficult to walk in some places. There were remnants of the day's fishing activities, including fish guts and bait, left behind on the rocks. Some children and dogs played nearby, and we could see smoke rising from some of the huts. As we turned to walk back we heard shouting and saw our guide running toward us. He lived in the village and pointed to his hut. We chatted with him one last time before saying goodbye again.

Back at the resort we sat by the pool having drinks and playing cards while we watched the sun set. When it was time for supper we were greeted by a waiter who had yet another surprise for us. This time we had a private table in a little tree house overlooking the ocean. Later Jean came by with a bottle of champagne for us. We are spoiled!

Supper:
Appetizers of shrimp, sausage, and tomato kebabs, vegetable cakes, delicious mango salsa on both; followed by leek and potato soup; dinner rolls with butter, fish and fried potato wedges; champagne and wine; and I know we had dessert but I was pretty tipsy by the end of the meal and I don't remember what it was!

10 Days in Zanzibar: tangawizi

Day 4, Saturday

We were finally able to use the air conditioner last night. What a luxury!

Breakfast:
A boxed cereal called Alpen Meusli, coffee w/ milk, lots of mango, and a sausage, cheese, and green pepper pastry roll kind of thing. And of course crepes with papaya jam. I can't get enough of those!

goodbye, Dongwe!

We packed and got ready to leave. Not knowing if we would be among mostly locals again or mostly westerners, I decided switch back to conservative dress. I wore running shoes, pants, and a button-down shirt for the trip. We said goodbye to Blake and to the German family, checked out, and got a taxi to our next stop, Fumba. We had originally considered stopping at the Jozani Forest on the way (hence the running shoes instead of flip-flops) but decided against it, figuring it would be easier to combine it with a spice tour later in the trip when we won't have all our luggage.

The ride to Fumba lasted a little over an hour. It was just as interesting as our first car ride, busy almost the whole way with flurries of increased activity when we approached village centers and markets. We saw a woman riding a bicycle - the only female driver I've seen thus far.

At one point we were stopped at a kind of checkpoint, which had no formal signage that I could see but there were several uniformed guards sitting in the shade by the roadside. An unarmed, ununiformed man approached the car. The driver greeted him with "Mambo vipi" and the two had a brief, seemingly pleasant exchange. Then the driver held up a bottle of what looked like ginger ale, the other man nodded, and the driver gave it to him and started off again. I don't know what happened, but I felt like it was some kind of bribe. Please excuse the goofy commentary from yours truly...

a bribe?

aaaaand one more driving video

We were told it would be a $60 ride, which we should have clarified when we got into the car bc the driver told us $90 when he dropped us off in Fumba. Nate's pretty sure we were supposed to barter.

boaboa tree

After we settled up with the driver, we went into the lodge and were greeted by a receptionist who asked us to sit and fill out some paperwork. We noticed in the register that a guest from Golden, CO, had checked out that morning. Soon a young white man, who turned out to be from South Africa, came to greet us and introduced himself as Joan (pronounced like the French "Jean"). He took us into the resort to the main bar, where a bartender handed us both coconuts of cold coconut water with drinking straws.

our bungalow - check out the swan made of hand towels

beyond the path in front of our bungalow: hammock, chairs, and our own stretch of beach

Fumba Beach Lodge is a sprawling development of 27 bungalows centered around a central infinity pool and restaurant. Adjacent to the pool is a bar made from a converted dhow, which is settled beneath a huge boaboa tree with a treehouse deck for lounging. There is a long stretch of beach that is subdivided with landscaping into smaller sections for lounging, boat launching, and a bar. You can choose from regular poolside lounge chairs to wooden benches to canopied daybeds to hammocks to full-sized bed swings covered with throw pillows and bolsters. Life here does not suck.

Joan gave us a brief tour of the resort, explaining the daily meal schedule and some of the day trip options such as snorkeling and fishing packages (we plan to take the picnic cruise tomorrow). Then he showed us the dive shop and the spa, and finally took us to our bungalow.

Our bungalow, number ten (kumi in Swahili), features a huge canopied bed, a porch with two upholstered club chairs, and a private section of beach with lounge chairs and a hammock. The floors are stained concrete, the walls pained white stucco over concrete block, and the roof is thatched. Instead of glass windows there are dark wooden louvers on hinges that can be opened and closed from the inside of the bungalow. Additionally, on the inside of the windows are screens on hinges that swing into the room. The openings are framed with dark wooden trim. Two enormous wooden sliding doors with massive wooden door knobs open onto the ocean.

Nate and I thanked Joan, then waited for the porters to arrive with our luggage, which was only a few minutes later. One of the porters was extremely jovial, giving us a lesson in Swahili and then in Spanish, too! Nate tipped them both and then we unpacked and headed to the restaurant for lunch. I changed out of my running shoes into a bathing suit and the yellow strapless coverup.

Lunch:
Stoney tangawizi (ginger ale), Tusker (east Africa's first bottled beer), Swahili vegetable chapati wraps made with chickpeas, spinach, and other vegetables in a delicious cardamom sauce. Nate had a nicoise salad with enormous capers.

The Tusker label reads: Tusker lager has been brewed in East Africa since 1922. Named after the elephant that killed one of its founders, Tusker claims that special heritage of being the first bottled beer in East Africa.

There were three Australian men at the table to one side of us, and an English family to the other. So far all of the people we've observed are English-speaking.


After lunch Nate and I went to explore the resort on our own. There are lots of little tucked-away areas that happen to be great for smooching. We settled on a bed by the beach and lazed there until we were ready to get cleaned up for supper.

I felt like dressing up for supper again, so I put on my black-and-white chevron striped skirt, a black top with spaghetti straps, a wide black belt, and dangly earrings. I've gotten used to wearing my hair pulled back here. Since it was sundown and since the resort is so much more wooded than the Dongwe Ocean View, we decided to douse ourselves with bug spray. This turned out to be a wise decision.

At the dhow bar I ordered a gin martini. We sat listening to the variety of accents and languages around us and were soon joined by a language we'd never heard before: monkeys! The bar sits under a huge tree, and the monkeys were babbling from the branches above. Occasionally the bartenders would leave a little food on a platform attached to the tree trunk. The monkeys would cautiously scurry down to the platform for a nibble.

We finished our drinks and headed over to the restaurant where we were greeted with a surprise. A special table was set for us on the beach! With sand under our feet and nothing but candles lighting the table, we definitely felt like honeymooners.

Supper:
Red snapper grilled whole and plenty of wine

Returning to the room we found the bed turned down and a bedtime story on the pillows: The Hare, the Elephant, and the Hippo. We received a book of Swahili fables as a shower present (thank you, girls!) and we quickly found the fables to be a little graphic and not necessarily methods for teaching a moral like we're used to in the US. They often involve a villain who wins or a character who is mean just for the sake of being mean. This story was no different! The hare ties a rope to a tree and then tricks the hippo into a fake tug-of-war contest. The hare proclaims himself the winner, and that's the whole story!