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The weekend just passed I had the opportunity to visit Zanzibar, a small Island off the coast of Tanzania. Seeing as both Sam and I had a couple days break in our schedules, we decided to pack our overnight bags and set sail for the Spice Island.

Since we decided to go last minute we didn’t have any bookings or agenda. We were just going to play everything by ear. If we missed the morning ferry from the port then we’d just take a later one. If we couldn’t find a hotel on the island then we’d just sleep on the streets take the ferry back the same day. Although I’m not usually this haphazard when travelling, it really added to the adventure and proved to be a great way to travel. Fortunately for us we made the ferry and found a hotel in Stone Town.

Stone Town is a very curious place. Its cobblestone streets and maze-like alleyways are adorned with mystery and intrigue. Each alley street had its own charm and inimitable quality. To add to the intrigue, each corner turned was blind, which added a touch of anticipation into the mix. I couldn’t wait to see what picture the next corner would paint. It was like turning the pages of a picture book as a child, always longing to see the next picture that unravelled more of the story. You could easily lose yourself in Stone Town and never get tired of strolling around its unique streets.

Later that day we hopped on a Dhow, which is a traditional sailboat. We sailed along the Western side of the island while the sun was setting, relieving this picturesque land of its scorching heat. Being out on the water at that time of day was unequivocally the most peaceful experience I have had in a very long time.

The following day we decided to be a little more adventurous and leave Stone Town and have look around the island. The biggest problem with Zanzibar is that it’s a tourist hot-spot. To sustain the high traffic of tourists visiting the island there are quite a number of tour company’s offering their services, with prices to match.

Discontented with being confined to a tour group, Sam and I pitched in and purchased two essential items to start our own little D.I.Y tour company; a map of the island and our own transport. Sam assumed the role of the navigator, whilst I was the pilot of our trusty little 50cc 2-stroke Piaggio Vespa!

After putting the Vespa through its paces in Stone Town, we hit the open road and headed North to see the slave caves. Zanzibar was synonymous for its slave trade and there are quite a few landmarks and memorials all over the island. Although the Vespa was like a lion roaring through the tight alleys of Stone Town, its big growl was reduced to a small purr on the open roads. Seeing as the speedometer wasn’t working I couldn’t really tell how fast we were travelling. Although at one point I do believe we were passed by a steamroller that was amending the road. We had a great day out cruising around the island before making our way back to Stone Town in time to board our ferry back to the Dar.

Our time on Zanzibar was short, but it was enough to taste the culture. Whilst on the ferry back to the mainland I briefly reflected on an amazing weekend but my mind was quickly on the move, thinking about the week that lay ahead. The next day my business in Dar would resume, starting at the Department of Social Welfare and Child Services in the morning.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 9:12 pm and is filed under Ponderings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.