Ferry to Zanzibar

We arose very early for breakfast again after a noisy night at the campsite which left everyone feeling very tired. We got tuk-tuks to within walking distance of the ferry terminal and then had a twenty minute walk with a heavy bag to the terminal. It took a long time to get through the security processes and departure lounge to get on the ferry and those of us with larger bags were separated from them as they were stored at the back of the ferry I was able to get on the front deck of and enjoy the dark blue sea flowing beneath the fast moving ferry. I saw a flying fish sail across the water having been disturbed by the ferry. There were also many old style fishing boats and sailing vessels along the way. Eventually the spice island of Zanzibar appeared on the horizon with the old turrets and buildings of Stonetown rising above the cliffs. After docking and waiting some time to retrieve our bags we passed through yet another immigration post without too much difficulty. We were then loaded onto an air conditioned bus and driven to a wonderful dinner cooked with local spices. Our gregarious and humourous host, Daniel, who is a Zanzibar local gave us a potted history of Zanzibar as well as saying he is an Arsenal supporter which led to a football oriented conversation. After a wonderful dinner in a local house surrounded by cute and curious local children, we headed off in the bus to a tour of the various local spices grown in an agricultural university. It was fascinating to see how bananas, cinnamon, pepper corn, cardamon, turmeric, ginger, lemon grass, star fruit, jack fruit, flame flower and many other spices and fruits are grown and taste fresh from the plant. It was a very interesting and informative tour in the blazing heat of the Zanzibar sun. Daniel also told us about Zanzibar having the largest slave trading.market in Africa. We drove on to our accommodation, The Nungwi Inn Hotel, on the long white sands of a 'paradise' beach. We checked into our shared rooms a d I then headed out in a taxi with my fellow traveller, Lauren, to organise a scuba dive the following day. We travelled through the back streets and past busy and lively, but very poor areas of the town with children playing football and women colourful Muslim dress sat together sowing. When we got to the dive centre we put in wet suits and had a practice dive in a small pool at the centre. This helped build my confidence for our beginners dive in the local marine reserve the following day. After some initial difficulty getting my balance and weight right, I was able to get the hang of moving through the water and clearing my mask and respirator of water when I. needed to. We walked back along the beautiful beach as the sun began to fall low on the sea horizon and then all went out for nice fish dinner and drinks at a beach front restaurant. I then retired early to bed for my first scuba dive tomorrow.Read more