A trip to Zanzibar!

…so after a very packed and stressful four day work week, the MUNHOPE gang decided that they deserved a little safari (translated journey) of their own and headed to the beautiful island of Zanzibar for the weekend!!!! How do I begin to talk about Zanzibar? I have to say that it is definitely one of the most beautiful and unique places that I have ever visited but first I should tell you how we actually got from the remote refugee camp of Chogo to the bustling tourist hotspot of Stonetown! It all started bright and early on Friday morning. We hopped on board the UNHCR vehicle at 7:45 am and travelled the bumpy dirt road to Kobuku. We waited outside the market for the bus to come. We had called the day before to reserve ten seats… the bus of course was late, but that is par for the course in Tanzania. When the bus finally arrived we jumped onboard and enjoyed the lovely and tasty snacks that they provide as part of your 8 dollar ticket… that’s right, 8 dollars buys you a 3hour bus ride and snacks!!! We learned on our first trip on the Scandinavian bus that the juice they provide is not the best tasting to say the least, but the bottled water, crackers and hard candy certainly hit the spot, especially when you have been living on beans and rice for weeks. When we got to Dar the group split up to run errands. It was a busy day, which culminated in Ben and I almost missing the ferry to Zanzibar. Thankfully we made it just in time, albeit a little out of breath from running. The ferry ride was interesting. It was comforting hearing English again as Zanzibar is very touristy, but the ride was interesting. It was a nice size boat, fairly new and clean, but it was packed with people and various animals… namely a women with a plastic bag full of live chickens that randomly squawked through out the two hour ride. It was also very interesting having to use a squat toilet on rocky seas. We passed a few of the islands with beautiful beaches and blue water, saw dolphins swimming and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. When we arrived Pam’s friend ChiChi met us at the dock, escorted us through immigration and brought us to his hotel. It was a fairly nice place for 15 bucks a night. There were toilet seats and showers with warm water some of the time. Free breakfast too!!! It was great!!! Although some of us did get a few bed bug bites we were happy with our accommodations. Friday night we headed to Forodoni. It was amazing. Imagine complete darkness lit up by candlelight with at least 100 tables filled with fresh seafood and other Zanzibar cuisine. I had white shark and others had barracuda! We also tried Zanzibar dessert pizza… absolutely amazing… fried dough with chocolate sauce and bananas… yum yum! We all loved it! We met a bunch of people from all around the world. One man was making a documentary about Tanzania, the friendliest people on earth! Which in our experience is very true. It reminds us of Newfoundland actually. Others were just travelling. There were Australians, South Africans, Germans, etc. It was a great night that ended with us going to a great outdoor bar and having a few beer! We also started practicing our bargaining skills and a few of us bought some souvenirs. On Saturday we woke up early and headed out shopping. We found excellent deals and perfected our bargaining skills… no mzungu (foreigner) prices for us!!! At noon we headed to the beach. The most beautiful beach in the world… seriously!!! White beaches with the clearest, light blue water and barely any seaweed!!!! We enjoyed a day of relaxation, swimming and mzungu food… pizza and fruit juice! Juice isn’t a common drink in Tanzania! We shopped a little more and walked along the beach. Some of us relaxed in the hammocks that were set up along the beach. It was a great day. Saturday night we went back to Stonetown and went to dinner at Monsoon restaurant for a birthday celebration for Heather O’Dea and Julia. It was a very cultural experience, with traditional music and seating on floor cushions! I had delicious calamari! The bathroom was clean and even had air freshener. After the restaurant we went back to Forodoni, some people got more dessert pizza while others did some more bargaining! We then headed to Reggae Night at a local club. It too was amazing. Great music, outdoor seating looking up at the stars and out at the water and lots of dancing and Zanzibar alcohol! Don’t worry, none of us had very much to drink. On Sunday we got up early, had our free breakfast and then headed out for more shopping. For lunch some of us headed out for smoothies while others found a great chipsi maiyi (French fry and egg omelette) spot with actual seating, forks and the company of baby cockroaches!!! We have changed so much that baby cockroaches barely phase most of the group anymore, I have to admit however, since my bathroom experience my fear of cockroaches has elevated to an all time high… it’s rather unhealthy actually, I hate going to the bathroom and all my roommates are basking in the joy of making fun of my inability to pee in the dark!!! Okay, back to Zanzibar. We all piled into a van and headed to the airport around 1pm. The airport was very nice, we were all a bit surprised at the high level of security. The gift shop was fantastic, with fresh chocolate bars and Pringles that many people stocked up on! We all boarded a very small plane that was just big enough to fit us all in! It was a beautiful ride and we could see the entire island from the air. It was a bit sketch though as there was no co-pilot!!! When we arrived in Tanga we hopped in a van that we had pre-arranged to pick us up and drive us the 1.5 hours to Kobuku, where our UNHCR vehicle picked us up. It was nearly dark by the time we reached our Chogo home. It as nice to be back in our own beds and squat toilet. Overall we had a wonderful trip and are completely reenergized for the remainer of our volunteer placement here in the refugee settlement!