Day 9 in Africa was a wonderful one. It was very sad to have to say goodbye to the beach, and our early wake up call at 6:30 wasn't the most enjoyable thing in the world, but it turned out to be a fabulous day full of a new kind of adventure.
The first major adventure of the day was our tour of a Spice Plantation in Zanzibar on the central part of the Island. I really wasn't looking too much forward to the tour, but it ended up exceeding my expectations by a huge amount. We had two guides - the man who was responsible for showing us around Zanzibar through G adventures, and another local that introduced himself as "Spice Boy." Ali, our guide, gave us descriptions of all of the different types of plants while Spice Boy would cut samples of it and distribute it to everyone in the group to eat or smell. We tried SO many things: Chili, clove, aloe vera, nutmeg, cinnamon, tangerines, allspice, ginger, cardamon, green pepper, vanilla, coffee, Tanzanian lipstick, Iodine, lychee, lemongrass, coconut and so much more. The flavors were incredible, but they didn't mix together all that well. We also chewed on some bark that is known to have many medicinal properties like treating malaria and yellow fever.
When we got around to the coconuts we were given a real treat. A new guide was there chopping the coconuts with his machete. He handed around 4 different coconuts for everyone to drink the water from, then cut out the flesh for us to eat. He then demonstrated how to climb a coconut tree, and stopped halfway up to sing a Zanzibar song of greeting. The tree was probably 50 feet tall, and the guy's voice was very strong. We were all very impressed by him! The other fun thing about this stop was the fact that everyone got a woven hat made of the coconut tree leaves. We all looked like goobers. At this point I had also been marked by "Spice Boy" with the "Tanzanian Lipstick" on my forehead and cheeks. He made me giggle by saying "Simba" as he painted my face with it. I must say, the face markings plus the goofy hat made for quite the attractive arrangement.
The end of our tour was probably the best part - we got to taste all of the local fruits from the surrounding area farms. It was, hands down, the best fruit I have ever eaten. We had 2 different types of oranges - one used to make English marmalade and another regular one, a grapefruit that was the sweetest I've ever had (or heard of), a banana, mango, and pineapple. It was literally heaven because everything tasted SO good. After the tour ended they had some of their spices on sale. I purchased a bar of aloe vera soap and two packs of coffee beans grown on the farm.
After the tour we arrived in Stone Town, the most historical city in Tanzania. Stone Town was a central hub for the African Slave Trade in the 1800s, and has been influenced by the English, Portuguese, and other trade powers. The guide told us that the best was to get to know Stone Town was to get lost in it. We had a group lunch at a small and secluded restaurant (Stone Town is predominantly muslim and is observing the Holy month of Ramadan, which requires that its citizens fast from sunrise until sunset for the duration of the month. Tourists are allowed to eat, but we are advised not to do so in public as respect for their culture), and then set out to shop and get lost in the alleyways of the town. Everyone we passed said "jambo" or "mambo" (hello), "Karibu" (welcome) and other kind things. The shops allowed for bargaining, and the selection of goods was very fun - crafts, paintings, soaps, spices, jewelry, leather works and more. Since I have 30 more days and only a backpack to carry all of my possessions in I didn't pick up much, but I had a blast exploring anyways. After we exhausted a lot of our remaining money as a group we set out to get lost in the town. We came across the "House of Wonder," the "Africa House," countless mosques, the port, and more. My favorite part, however, was when we found our way into a part of town that was more like a neighborhood where kids were playing in the streets and everyone was interacting with one another as a community. The people were so kind and welcoming, and getting to see behind the scenes of their crafts was incredible. I saw people making furniture, painting, baking, and more.
After exploring we stopped back at the hotel to rehydrate then set a plan for the night. We started by catching the sunset on the rooftop of Africa House, and finished it up by going to the late night food market by the water. At the food market I had Zanzibar Pizza (a nutella and banana crepe that was fried), and a vegetable samosa. Both were delicious. There were countless other stands as well selling seafood, meat kebabs, and tacos. Speaking of tacos, my swahili is getting better... I learned today that taco means "bum" or "bottom", and I also learned that it means "octopus" in Japanese. I could see how that confusing may cause trouble... especially when ordering food! I now know about 5 terms in Japanese and at least double in Swahili by learning from the other travelers and locals.
I won't have internet for the next 10 days as we spend 2 more days in Tanzania then cross the border into Malawi. Apparently the next good internet is in Livingstone, Zambia, so I'll be off the grid until then. If you want to follow my itinerary, you can find it at http://www.gadventures.com/trips/nairobi-to-cape-town-adventure/DKNC/2014/itinerary/. Wish me luck over the next few days, we have a lot of long travel ahead of us. I'm preparing myself to keep a good attitude and to enjoy the journeys even when the conditions aren't the best. I'll catch y'all on the flipside in Livingstone with many new adventures to tell.
