Whatever is Excellent

My baby for about 30 minutes

Whatever is Excellent bus


Off to the Swahili Coast...



All the buses here seem to have a random message displayed on their front windshield. My bus from Moshi to Tanga said "Whatever is Excellent," which I thought was really strange...but then it kept popping into my head during my time along the Swahili Coast. I kept thinking, "Yes! Whatever IS Excellent!" Regardless of what happens, it can be excellent depending on how I see it.  All sense of personal space was lost during that five hour bus ride...and I even had a baby placed on my lap (without my permission) for the last leg down south to Peponi Beach. But it was cheap and efficient and made for great people watching!

The Tanzanian coastline is breathtaking. There are monkeys in palm trees along the beach...the ocean is warm...there is a great breeze in the air at all times. It's pretty much heaven on Earth. But this didn't keep me from having my first African day of irrational crankiness...I woke up on the wrong side of the tent after a terrible night's sleep and remembering that my clean clothes were left outside during a midnight downpour. It was just one of those days, despite being in the most perfect paradise imaginable. But then I remembered that whatever is excellent...and I snapped out of it. :)

"Pepi" the dhow, took us to a little sand island for snorkelling.
It was gorgeous!!!

We camped for a few nights at Peponi Beach Resort, which has amazing food and super cold beer. Campsites are only $4 per person and steps from the Indian Ocean. It's something you'd see in Budget Travel magazine. We took a dhow out to a tiny island and snorkeled in its reef...and I pretended like I was a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. I couldn't resist the offer of a raft, so I also found myself floating in the Indian Ocean, although I was kind of worried the wind would carry me to Mombassa.





Off to Pemba Island...

Arriving on Pemba Island after five hours in steerage

Lots of fish on the streets of Pemba Island

We then hopped on a ferry (cargo ship, as it turned out) to Pemba Island, known for its clove production, voodoo practices, and endemic "flying foxes." It's one of the most beautiful places I'd never want to visit again. I loved it at first, but my admiration soon turned to impatience. It was too slow for me. And I didn't like having to cover up my entire body in hot & humid weather (Pemba is 95% Muslim and very conservative). I didn't realize I'd have to walk through a village on our way to a beach, so I wasn't covered up properly. My shoulders were exposed and my knees occassionally peeked out under my sarong. I have never received so many dirty looks from other women. It was an uncomfortable feeling to know the way I looked made me unwelcome (or so I perceived).

My new beverage of choice: sugarcane juice!

A handful of the many unsupervised children roaming the roads of Pemba Island.

Example of how children here MAKE their own toys out of TRASH. 
This was a kite. And he loved it.
Orion, are you reading this?? :)

Our overcrowded dala dala ride to north Pemba

The north coast of Pemba is known for its diving and almost all of the island's tourists congregate in this area, rarely leaving their hotels except to dive in the surrounding waters. We headed up there so Natcho could dive, but instead of staying at a fancy resort we camped next door at Verani. Managed by three 16 year old boys who made a delicious dinner of freshly caught fish, Verani is on a beautiful stretch of beach, but has a few problems. No running water or working toilets...and my biggest issue: no hot sauce for my breakfast eggs! And did I mention it's run by three teenage boys????


Mkoani - after our sail back to town from Kwata Island

One of many chicken ferry passengers
on the way to Stonetown.








We spent an extra day on Pemba because our ferry from Mkoani to Unguja (Zanzibar) stood us up. This worked out in our benefit, though...we ended up sailing to a small, remote island and spent the afternoon snorkelling again. 
 

Sunset from dinner at Verani


Men in one line; women & children in the other, but for no understandable reason.
Everyone sat together on the ferry...with the chickens.

Off to Unguja...

I fell in love with Stonetown from the moment we landed. It's mysterious and beautiful and delapidated and full of diversity. We discovered some great places to eat, including the Fordohani Gardens night market, which has countless street vendors who all claim to have the best food (most of which I wouldn't touch, nevermind taste)...meat and fish skewers, Zanzibari pizza filled with random minced bits and mayo, baby shark, octopi, shrimp, lobster, and probably some endangered species. It was gross, but also made for an exciting culinary experience.  Once again, most of this place seemed to be run by teenage boys. Curious.

 

fancy Zanzibari door in Stonetown



Top of House of Wonders, 
overlooking Fordohani Gardens

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Stonetown kids

Off to Jambiani...

Our first lodging in Jambiani, Kimte, took minimalism to a whole new level.
 Bug spray was about the only decoration in the room.



We drove to the southern east coast of the island, which I had heard was the least touristy of all the areas on Unguja (Zanzibar). Jambiani has a vibe of Tulum, a tide like San Felipe and water like the Carribean. We stayed our first night at Kimte, a little place on the beach run by a group of Rasta guys who spend their days relaxing in an irie sort of way instead of fixing up their "resort." It has great food and a bar right on the sand. I was content there, but then we took a walk...and I saw the place next door. Coral Rock Hotel had an infinity pool, fancy rooms, a beautiful restaurant, other guests (!) and free use of their sporting equipment...and the price difference wasn't very much. We moved over for our last night of island living and basked in the sun, swam in the ocean, drank a pina colada by the pool, and went for a sunrise kayak paddle. It was perfect and I want to return ASAP! :)

View from Coral Rock Hotel (with Kimte behind me in the distance)
 

Sunrise at Jambiani Beach

 

This dog followed us out into the ocean.



Jambiani villager as tide was going out