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Overlanding Through Africa
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade

Overlanding Through Africa

This is the big one - the trip we have been planning since before the pandemic! We will be overlanding from South Africa 🇿🇦 to Kenya 🇰🇪 passing through 9 other countries and taking four months. もっと詳しく
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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Taking the ferry to Zanzibar

    2023年8月1日, タンザニア ⛅ 26 °C

    We had a good night’s sleep and didn’t realise it had been raining for most of the night until we left our room and saw how much water was lying on the ground! Those who had slept under canvas were well aware of the storm that had raged! Fortunately, they didn’t have to take down their wet tents. They were all being left up so that Henry and Patrick could clean them all while the group were in Zanzibar. For our last breakfast, Henry had made eggs with sausages, both spicy and plain. It felt a bit strange that, after 40 days together, we wouldn’t be eating in our camp kitchen again!

    After breakfast, those of us who are leaving the truck now, stowed all of our luggage on board. Those who are continuing to Nairobi only needed to worry about packing a bag for the three nights on Zanzibar. When we were ready, Patrick drove us to a garage nearer to Dar es Salaam, where we were transferring to a bus to go to the ferry terminal. Henry came along, so we could say our goodbyes to both of them. It was sad to see them go. They have both been great throughout the trip.

    We had about a 30-minute drive to get to the ferry. Once there, Laban gave us our tickets, and we went to check in. It was very busy! Our luggage was transferred to a cage to be loaded onto the boat for the journey over to the island. We were a bit dubious that we would ever see it again, but it was all labelled with Laban’s name and phone number, so we just had to hope for the best! We then had to wait in a very crowded area until it was time to board. When 9.30am came, the boarding procedure was surprisingly smooth, and we all got seats in the front section of the catamaran.

    Unfortunately, it was raining, so we couldn’t really take photos of Dar’s skyline as we left the harbour.    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Arriving in Stone Town

    2023年8月1日, タンザニア ☀️ 26 °C

    The crossing took 90 minutes. By the time we arrived on the island, the rain had stopped, the sun was shining, and the temperature was soaring! Getting through immigration involved a lot of pushing and shoving. Mark got into an altercation with a very rude Frenchman who hadn’t filled in the correct landing form. He was holding everyone up and complaining that he was being pushed from behind. He blamed Mark for shoving him. It wasn’t our fault! I told him in no uncertain terms to calm down!!

    Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous province that united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25 to 50 km off the coast of the African mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.
    Zanzibar's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. In particular, the islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper. For this reason, the Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, are sometimes referred to locally as the ‘Spice Islands’. Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion that caused an increase from 19,000 tourists in 1985 to 376,000 in 2016. Obviously, Covid caused a dip in these numbers, but they are starting to recover now.

    Once we got through immigration, we met up with Laban and our local guide, Dullah. Miraculously, all of our luggage made it to the island! We loaded all of it into a couple of taxis with Laban, who took it to our hotel. We walked there with Dullah, who pointed out some of Stone Town’s old buildings. Our first impressions were very good. Much of the architecture is Arabic in style, very reminiscent of Morocco. It was only a 15-minute walk to our hotel, but we spotted several places to revisit, including the Freddie Mercury Museum.

    Stone Town is a city of prominent historical and artistic importance in East Africa. Its architecture, mostly dating back to the 19th century, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture, giving a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements. For this reason, the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Due to its heritage, Stone Town is also a major visitor attraction in Tanzania, and a large part of its economy depends on tourism-related activities. The heart of Stone Town mostly consists of a maze of narrow alleys lined by houses, shops, bazaars, and mosques. Since most streets are too narrow for cars, the town is crowded with bicycles and motorbikes. The seafront has wider streets and larger, more regularly placed buildings.

    At the hotel, we were given our keys and then left to our own devices. We had a free afternoon with the option to meet Laban at 7pm to go to the street food market. Dullah was offering optional excursions, such as a snorkelling trip to Prison Island or a city walking tour. We decided just to wander around on our own. We went to the Beach House for a posh lunch. Mark had a huge paella topped with a whole lobster tail. I had a Zanzibar chicken curry, which was delicious! After lunch, we walked around for a while, but Mark wasn’t feeling great, so we didn’t stay out too long. We won’t miss out as we’re coming back to Stone Town for three nights after our time on the east coast.    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Stone Town street food market

    2023年8月1日, タンザニア 🌙 25 °C

    Mark slept for the rest of the afternoon and I wrote up some trip notes. At 7, we went down to reception to meet Laban. Most of the group opted to go. The food market was amazing and so cheap!! We know where we will be eating when we come back to the city! The chefs were all putting on a bit of a show to try to tempt passersby to eat from their stalls. It was very entertaining. Laban took us to his preferred stands to try chicken shawarma and Zanzibar pizzas. The latter were made up of really thin circles of dough stuffed with a variety of fillings and cooked on both sides. I had a cheese and tomato one made with cream cheese triangles! It was delicious!! And the price? Just 7000 TZS (less than US$3)! There were lots of stalls selling meat, fish, and shellfish skewers cooked on the barbecue. Mona and I wandered away from the group and found a stall selling something called ‘binti’. It seemed very popular with the locals. We asked a lady who had just been served what it was. She explained, and even let us try hers! It was incredibly tasty! We ordered a small portion between us for the princely sum of 2000 TZS (less than US$1!). It was enough for a meal! Basically, you could choose any or all of the following:

    • Fried potato balls
    • Small breaded deep-fried bean balls (similar to falafel)
    • Shredded cabbage
    • Stir-fried vegetables
    • Beef skewers
    • Hard-boiled eggs
    • Crispy cassava sticks
    • Boiled potatoes

    Once all of these were in the container, a tasty broth was poured over all them, and tamarind sauce was added. The result was absolutely delicious – and very filling! We will definitely be having it again when we return to Stone Town!

    After eating our fill, some of the group were going out on the town. We found a lovely pub on the beach and had a quiet drink while jazz classics played in the background before heading back to the hotel.    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    A visit to a spice farm

    2023年8月2日, タンザニア ⛅ 26 °C

    It was nice to have a later start this morning. We got up soon after seven, when the children started arriving at the international school next door to the hotel. We had been awake during the night when there was a really heavy downpour. At least it made the air feel a bit fresher this morning. We got washed and dressed and went up to the rooftop restaurant for breakfast. Some people were feeling a bit worse for wear, having been out clubbing until 3.15am!! Poor Laban had escorted them. He could hardly keep his eyes open this morning!

    Breakfast was fine – an assortment of hot dishes, dry bread, and dodgy-tasting coffee, but it set us up!

    Most of the group (16 of us) were going on a tour of a spice farm this morning, and then continuing on to the northern beaches. The others were going straight to the resort with Laban. Our local guide, Ali, picked us up at 9am. We paid him US$25 each for the tour, loaded our bags onto the back seats of a bus, and set off on the 30-minute journey to the farm. Luckily, the rain had stopped and the sun had come out.

    We drove out of Stone Town into the countryside. We were very glad that we will be back in the city for another three nights before we do our next overlanding leg. There is so much more we want to explore.

    When we arrived at the farm, Ali took us on a guided walk, pointing out all the different trees and shrubs, most of which were spices or fruits that had medicinal uses as well as culinary ones. We visited a similar place in Sri Lanka many years ago, but it was nice to be reminded about all the different plants. During the walk, we saw:

    • Rain trees
    • Chilli plants (far bigger than any I have seen before)
    • Cardamom (the pods develop from tiny white flowers found at the base of the plant)
    • A kapok tree
    • A eucalyptus tree
    • An Indian almond tree (aka an umbrella tree)
    • A clove tree which was much bigger than I expected. Cloves are a natural Imodium if you chew them. They are also effective for toothache.
    • Butterfly peas which have stunning purple flowers
    • Bilimbi – a small tart fruit similar in taste to a lemon. (We have come across these before, but I can’t remember where!)
    • Coffee robusta
    • Jack fruit – mature fruits weigh 25 – 30 kilograms each. They are distinguished from the similar looking breadfruit as they grow on the trunk of the tree whereas breadfruit grow at the end of branches.
    • Breadfruit trees
    • Peppercorns – these grow on vines which attach themselves to a different tree
    • Bungo fruit – these are vine fruit which are ripe when they turn yellow. They are usually turned into a juice. They taste similar to passion fruit.
    • Cinnamon – obviously, the cinnamon sticks we’re familiar with come from the bark of the tree, but the leaves can be used to make tea, and the root acts as a natural Vicks! It smelt exactly the same as the branded version!
    • Nutmeg (plus the red coating used as mace)
    • Henna plants – the leaves are dried, ground, lemon juice is added, and the resulting mixture is used for temporary tattoos.
    • Philodendra – we know this as a house plant in the UK, but here it grows up large trees and is absolutely massive!!
    • Durian trees – it is out of season, so they had no fruits to show us. I was glad of this as the thought of its disgusting smell brought back bad memories of our neighbours in Vietnam who loved the stuff! The odour used to spread throughout the entire floor of our apartment block!
    • Ginger plants – the fresh version we know is actually a rhizome that grows on the surface of the soil at the base of the plant.
    • A lipstick tree
    • Cocoa trees
    • Lots of vibrant red and purple cordyline grown purely as ornamental plants
    • Crotons grown for their striking yellow and orange flowers
    • Banana trees
    • Vanilla which grows on a vine that attaches itself to other trees. The plants have to be hand-pollinated which makes the spice expensive.
    • Turmeric plants
    • Lemongrass
    • Ylang ylang – the succulent leaves are as fragrant as the flowers. Both are used in perfume production.
    • Pineapple    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Tasting at the spice farm

    2023年8月2日, タンザニア ☁️ 28 °C

    After our walk, we went for tastings. We tried lemongrass tea (with and without vanilla), masala tea, Robusta coffee with ginger, fresh pomelo, tiny bananas, jack fruit, and pineapple. Everything was delicious. Inevitably, after tasting the products, we had the opportunity to buy them, as well as a whole range of spices, teas, coffees, soaps, creams, and perfumes. We bought some marinade mixes for fish and meat as we should have a barbecue at the place we’re staying at for 11 nights from Friday. We also bought a couple of soaps as we’re both running out!もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Lunch at the spice farm

    2023年8月2日, タンザニア ⛅ 28 °C

    From the tasting area, we got back on the bus for the short drive to the village where the people who work on the spice plantation live. There, we went to the house of a local lady who had cooked us a delicious lunch of spiced rice, chicken stew, greens, salad, and breadfruit. All the dishes were very fragrant with the local spices she had used, but nothing was too hot.

    After lunch, we had an hour’s drive to our resort in Kendwa. This side of the island is very lush with busy villages and lots of schoolchildren coming and going. 99% of Zanzibar’s population is Muslim and the girls are covered from a very young age. It’s quite a sight to see hundreds of little girls in their pristine white and cream headscarves!    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Sunset Resort, Kendwa Beach

    2023年8月2日, タンザニア ⛅ 28 °C

    At our resort, Sunset in Kendwa, we met up with Laban, who gave us our room keys. The staff greeted us with cold flannels and glasses of fruit juice. Both were very welcome. We just had a few minutes to settle in before a meeting at the beach bar to discuss optional activities and plans for the next couple of days. Our room was lovely with a shady balcony overlooking the gardens.

    With no time to really take it in, we made our way to the meeting on the beach. The resort is really nice with white powdery sand and clear blue sea. There were lots of Masai on the beach selling souvenirs. Some of our group who had arrived earlier said that they were quite aggressive. Laban explained that some are genuine Masai tribesmen trying to make a living for their families, and some are fake, dressing as Masai and cashing in on their appeal to tourists.

    A lady from a local tour operator arrived to speak to us about boat trips, snorkelling, and diving opportunities. Some of the group signed up. We decided to just have a quiet time in the resort.

    After the meeting, we went back to our room and sat on the balcony. We had wifi, so I was trying to organise our Kenyan visas. It proved to be a nightmare! They wanted so much information, which I did find eventually, but then the signal wasn’t strong enough to upload all the documents they needed. I gave up in the end!

    For dinner this evening, we didn’t feel like venturing too far, so we went to the resort restaurant. We both ordered fish and chips, which turned out to be a mixture of white fish and tuna goujons served with freshly-cut fries. It was very good!    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    African night at Kendwa Beach

    2023年8月3日, タンザニア 🌬 26 °C

    After a good night’s sleep, we were at breakfast in time to see those who had booked snorkelling and diving activities off on their adventures. Breakfast was excellent. It was buffet style with everything you could want, including omelettes and pancakes cooked to order. We chatted to a few people before returning to our room. It was a cloudy morning, so we sat on our balcony. I did a few posts (I’m so far behind on all platforms!) and tried again to get our Kenyan visas. Once again, I failed dismally!

    At lunchtime, we went to the beach bar. I had a fresh tuna sandwich which was really good! We were then joined by Greg, so we spent the afternoon chatting to him about the trip and our future travel plans. We saw the snorkellers and divers coming back at about 2.30pm. They said the sea was really choppy, so they hadn’t seen very much. I gave up on the idea of catching up with my notes. Instead, we just enjoyed spending time with people we will probably never see again after tomorrow! 😊

    This evening, there was an African night on the beach with a spectacular buffet, a bonfire, a group playing African and western music, and Masai dancers. It was all very entertaining and a nice way to end such an epic trip! We took the opportunity to chat to Laban and give him his tip tonight as he’ll be very busy in the morning.    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Goodbyes - and the next chapter

    2023年8月4日, タンザニア ☁️ 28 °C

    We got up in time to have breakfast with those who were heading back to Stone Town to continue with their trip to Nairobi and, for some of them, on to Uganda and Rwanda. We waved them off at 9am and then went to sort out our stuff and enjoy a last hour or two in the resort.

    At 11am, we took a taxi to our next accommodation in Kiwenga. We travelled with Ian, who was also staying in Kiwenga for a few days, and Mona, who was going further south. It was sad to say goodbye to Mona. She has been such a good travelling companion. Hopefully, we’ll meet up when we get to Nairobi.

    We got dropped off at Maisha Marefu (meaning ‘long life’ or ‘cheers’ in Swahili) Apartments at just after 12noon. We were welcomed by Lara, the Italian owner, and her local assistant, Freda. First impressions of the apartment were very good. We paid what we owed and then unpacked properly for the first time since Cape Town. The thought of not moving for the next 11 days is really nice!    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Lunch at Yako

    2023年8月4日, タンザニア ☁️ 29 °C

    After settling in, we went to explore the local area. We stopped at an Italian-owned restaurant, Yako, for lunch. We shared a delicious thin crispy pizza with prosciutto. The waiter was very friendly and pointed us in the right direction for a supermarket.

    We were trying to shop for a few meals, but the supermarket proved to be very expensive. We spent £30 on just a few items. We might need to rethink our self-catering idea! We tried other shops on our way back to the apartment and picked up a few more bits, including the tiny bananas I really like. We also got caught in a short but very heavy downpour!

    Back at the apartment, I wrote a few notes. We had very sophisticated beans on toast for dinner 😂 and spent the evening watching ‘The Boat that Rocks’!    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Exploring Kiwenga Beach

    2023年8月5日, タンザニア ⛅ 28 °C

    We have breakfast included in the price of the apartment. It was very good, with coffee, fresh fruit, toast, croissants, cereals, and eggs cooked as you want. After breakfast, we spent the morning writing and listening to the radio. We spoke to Freda about the lack of a kettle, a barbecue, and TV streaming service, despite these things being advertised as included. We also reported a leak in the bathroom. She said she would discuss all of these things with Lara when she woke up!

    Later, Lara went to the shop and came back with a kettle for us! She came to look at the leak and said she would get a plumber here on Monday. I think we’ll have to live without the other two items!

    Afterwards, Raman, who works here, walked with us down to the beach to show us where our free sunbeds are. It’s a lovely spot. We didn’t use them today. Instead, we had a long walk up and down the beach. We were accosted by several Masai salesmen along the way, but they were friendly enough and not too pushy once we’d made it clear we weren’t buying! After our walk, we returned to ‘our’ beach and went for lunch at the Italian-owned beach bar there. We had a drink and shared a cheese and ham flatbread toastie. The drinks came with delicious salted snacks that were definitely designed to make you drink more! It was all very nice, but we definitely won’t be able to afford to do it every day!

    We then walked back to the apartment via the local shop we’d investigated yesterday. We bought a few more bits to add to our meagre larder! Back at Maisha Marefu, we tried out the pool. It’s a small infinity pool, perfect for cooling off after the heat of the day.

    This evening, we had pasta with mushroom and tomato sauce for dinner and watched Romancing the Stone to get us in the mood for Cartagena next year! 😂    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Beach days

    2023年8月12日, タンザニア ⛅ 28 °C

    We spent the next few days relaxing at the beach. We loved just relaxing and watching the world go by. 'Our' beach had a pier next to it with a restaurant and bar at the end of it. The area was very popular with kite surfers, which gave us something to watch! We also had cows wandering along the beach from time to time 😂🤣もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    The Art of Travel

    2023年8月13日, タンザニア ⛅ 29 °C

    I spent one of our beach days reading The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton that I found in the apartment. This book has been on the periphery of my consciousness for a long time, but I’ve never read it. The author talks not just about where we travel but also about how and why. So many ideas in the book resonated with me.

    The first chapter explores the anticipation of travel – how we imagine the perfect image shown to us in the brochure and ignore the practicalities of getting there. Having anticipated somewhere for so long, the reality of the place can sometimes disappoint. The anticipation is so delicious that we can sometimes start thinking about the next place we will visit rather than relishing the place we are in. We need to enjoy the moment.

    I think the book struck such a chord with me because I have been interested in all things travel-related from a very young age. This was not just distant shores and exotic foreign cultures, but modes of transport and transport hubs. The romance of airports and train stations always fascinated me. This interest is described in the book.

    Alain de Botton talks about curiosity – ‘that elusive stage where we are bored by nothing’. I recognise this in myself but have never put it into words before. I have always been curious and have never been bored!

    The author devotes one chapter to John Ruskin, who encouraged people to draw. He wanted us to take notice, to take time. He also advocated writing about our travels, a process he called ‘word paint’. He said we should ask ourselves questions and be precise in analysing what we see and how it makes us feel. (He’s knocking on an open door with me – though I don’t always do what I know I should!)

    Towards the end of the book, Alain de Botton talks about always having a travelling mindset, the chief characteristic of which is receptivity. It also means:

    • Approaching new places with humility
    • Carrying with us no rigid ideas about what is interesting
    • Irritating locals by standing on traffic islands and in narrow streets admiring what they see as strange small details
    • Risking getting run over because we are intrigued by the roof of a government building or an inscription on a wall
    • Finding a supermarket or hairdresser’s unusually fascinating
    • Dwelling at length on the layout of a menu or the clothes of the presenters on the evening news
    • Being alive to the layers of history beneath the present
    • Taking notes and photos

    The author concludes by reminding us to explore what’s around us, even in our own neighbourhoods that we have walked through thousands of times.
    ‘Before taking off for distant hemispheres, notice what we have already seen.’

    ‐‐-------------------------------------------------------------

    Pictured below are some of the other books I read while we were in Zanzibar.    もっと詳しく

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  • Overlanding Through Africa

    Antonio Garden Hotel, Stone Town

    2023年8月15日, タンザニア ⛅ 27 °C

    This morning, we had a leisurely last breakfast and then packed the last bits. We gave our snorkelling equipment and our beach shoes to Raman because we don’t want to carry them any further. Hopefully, he can sell them and make a few dollars. We tipped Freda and Halima and left some clothes that they might be able to use.

    At 10am, our pre-booked taxi arrived to take us to Stone Town. It was an hour-long drive through the rural heartland of the island. We drove through rice, mango, and sugar cane growing areas. Zanzibar is so green and lush. We got a taste of the reason why just before we reached the city. It absolutely pelted down!! It soon stopped again, though, and it was dry and sunny by the time we arrived at our hotel, the Antonio Garden Hotel.

    While we were in the taxi, I messaged Laban to ask if we need closed shoes on the next leg as mine are falling to bits! He said we do. He also checked when we are leaving here and said that we will definitely meet up with him on the way up to Nairobi. He also told us that our guide will be Nash, who we met in Swakopmund, and who was Kristina’s guide back in February. Both of these bits of news were very welcome!

    The hotel is down a narrow alley in the heart of the old town. We had to walk the last couple of hundred metres. Mark was really struggling as his ankle has swollen up for some unknown reason! We were too early to check in, so we stored our bags and were directed to the pool area to wait until our room was ready. First impressions of the hotel were really good – an oasis of green and calm a few steps away from the busy alleyway. It reminded us both of the medina in Fez!

    We sat by the pool for a while and then went to the bar. Mark didn’t want any lunch. I had tomato soup with croutons. It was fine, but it tasted of carrot rather than tomato!

    After lunch, our room was ready, so we went to settle in. It’s clean and spacious and has a kitchen, not that we intend to cook for ourselves while we’re here!    もっと詳しく

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    Zanzibar Coffee House

    2023年8月15日, タンザニア ☀️ 28 °C

    Having unpacked a few bits and bobs, we went out ostensibly to visit Freddie Mercury’s house and museum. Our first stop, though, was at a pharmacy to get something for Mark’s ankle. The chemist recommended a cream to reduce the swelling. From there, we set off towards the museum but managed to get hopelessly lost in the market area! We bought some cotton towels and then stopped at the famous Zanzibar Coffee House, where we both ordered affogato. It was delicious!

    Mark was in a lot of pain, so we gave up on the idea of going to Freddie’s birthplace and made our way back to the hotel instead. Once there, he used the cream and, after an hour or two, noticed an improvement. He was still hobbling, though, so we decided to eat in the hotel tonight, rather than go to the food market, which had been our original plan. Mark had seafood pasta, and I had grilled chicken. Both were very good.

    Back in the room, we caught up with BBC World News, and I booked a walking tour for tomorrow as Mark probably won’t be up for walking, and I don’t fancy getting lost on my own!    もっと詳しく

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    A visit to the Freddie Mercury Museum

    2023年8月16日, タンザニア ⛅ 26 °C

    The walking tour I’d booked for this morning was cancelled by the guide first thing, so we had to go to plan B!! I booked with another guide for tomorrow, and then we went for breakfast by the pool. It was the usual buffet style with plenty of choice. We both had vegetable omelettes with toast and fresh tomatoes.

    After breakfast, Mark thought he was up to walking to the Freddie Mercury House and Museum. It was only four minutes from the hotel. Google Maps worked in all the narrow alleys, and we went straight there! It is just a small museum located in the house Freddie lived in until the age of eight, when he was sent to boarding school in India. He returned to the family home at the age of 16, but the following year, his parents relocated to the UK.

    The museum tells of the history of Zanzibar, as well as the story of Freddie’s life. The curators have worked closely with Queen Productions Limited in the UK, who have loaned them photographs and original lyrics handwritten by Freddie. There are also replicas of some of Freddie’s iconic stage outfits on display. We spent a very enjoyable hour in the museum. Later, I realised that the video I thought I’d shot wasn’t actually recording, so I might go back tomorrow to see if I can go round again!

    (I did go back - video attached 😀)    もっと詳しく

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    Getting lost in Stone Town

    2023年8月16日, タンザニア

    Following the museum visit, Mark really wasn’t up to walking any further, so he made his way back to the hotel while I went on alone. I did a bit of souvenir shopping. I was very taken with a cushion cover with a map of Africa on it. I bought it, but Mark later pointed out that it wasn’t accurate, so I’ll be taking it back tomorrow! I then wandered around, taking lots of photos of the architecture, especially the ornately carved wooden doors. I managed to get hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of narrow alleys for at least a couple of hours, but that’s the best way to see things, isn’t it? I thoroughly enjoyed myself and did eventually manage to find my way back to the Zanzibar Coffee House, where I had a feta, tomato, and coriander crepe for lunch (we had spotted it on the menu when we were there yesterday).

    After lunch, I got lost again but did finally get back to the hotel! I met up with Mark in the poolside bar. His ankle was a bit better after resting it all day.

    Later, we walked down to the seafront to go to the street food market for dinner. We had chicken schwarma with chips from the stall that Laban had recommended when we were last in Stone Town. It was very good and more than enough for dinner – all for TZS10,000 (about £3.30) for both of us.

    We successfully navigated our way back to the hotel afterwards and had a nightcap in the bar.    もっと詳しく

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    Darajani Market, Stone Town

    2023年8月17日, タンザニア ⛅ 26 °C

    We both woke up sneezing and with streaming noses. I suppose we’ve done well to get this far through the trip without getting sick. We went for breakfast. Mark’s ankle was a bit better, but still very swollen, so he decided to rest it a bit more, and I went off to do my walking tour on my own.

    The meeting point was the Lukkman restaurant, not far from our hotel. I had to be there at 9.20am. My guide, Nassor, was waiting for me, and we were soon joined by Stacey, an American lady working as a nurse in Ethiopia for Medecins sans Frontiers. She was the only other person who had booked the tour, but she had mentioned it to a German guy, Julius, who she had met the previous evening. He turned up just as we were about to set off. He brought two Israeli guys with him, so we were five in total.

    Our first stop was the site of Zanzibar’s slave market, where an Anglican church now stands. We didn’t go in, but Nassor explained about the history of the place, and I made a mental note to return later in the day to explore further.

    From there, we visited the Darajani market, the biggest daily market in Zanzibar, where the locals shop for fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, and spices. It was an assault on the senses with so much fresh produce on sale. I bought some ground coffee and some fresh vanilla pods. Fortunately, everyone in the group was as interested in the stalls as we were, so we spent quite a bit of time there.    もっと詳しく

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