Zanzibar

Exotic spice islands, white sandy beaches, medeival forts and mosques, narrow meandering streets, Sinbad the sailor, Zanzibar lived up to everything we imagined. It was the perfect way to relax, sleeping in an old but nicely restored Swahili mansion overlooking the ocean, after all our hundreds of miles of African travel. There are a lot of tourists here, and some aspects of Stonetown have been cleaned up and Disneyfied since Janet's last stay here, but we've been living in Africa since 2009, so we've already had plenty of authentic experiences. It was still Ramadam, so daytime food was still scarce, but the night time food market made up for it, with Zanzibari pizzas, shishkabobs galore, and Pepe's favorite chicken shwarma. Curio vendors and touts get a little aggressive with all the business opportunities us foreigners present, but we had Janet's swahili to neutralize their sometimes outrageous demands and prices. We did plenty of shopping, so maybe some of you will get a Zanzabari souvenir for Christmas. Luc did a couple of early morning runs to some outlying ruins and Janet enjoyed sleeping in every day. Sunsets were gaurenteed awesome every night, overlooking the ocean with traditional Swahili boats. We experienced some traditional Taarab music while dining on fancy Swahili cuisine in an old palace sitting on pillows. There were also plenty of places to just sit and relax and plenty of amazing views to absorb. We also got out of town for a day and actually got to have some normal interactions with locals, including some impromptou lessons with a group of Zanzibari students eager to practice their English. The modern ferry back and forth from the mainland was a smooth two hours and we even saw humpback whales. It was a great farewell to vacation, now we just need to get back to site for third trimester.