Hakuna Matata

At the beginning of the week, Chloe and I decided it was time to take a weekend trip to visit the paradise island of Zanzibar. Zanzibar is right off the coast of Dar es Salaam and is famous for picturesque white sand beaches and coral reefs. This area is also known as the Spice Islands because of the wide variety of spices that an be found on the many small islands around Zanzibar.

We took a quick 30 minute flight from Tanga to Zanzibar and flew in a single propeller plane with room for 12 passengers. The plane was so small that I could not even stand up. If you are not aware, I am short. The plane was so small that the pilot sat in the seat in front of me and I could see out of the front window. As we flew over the Indian Ocean, you could see the vibrant blues and greens of the shallow waters surrounding the reefs.

After our quick flight, we had an hour drive to the hotel located on the north eastern tip of the island. We stayed at the Zanzibari Hotel that can only accommodate up to 20 people in 10 rooms. It is a very quiet and peaceful resort away from all the touristy hotels closer to the city.
As we arrived at the hotel, we were served fresh juice and given a tour of the area. I can't begin to describe the beauty of the place. There was an endless pool that over-looks the beach followed by bandas (thatched huts) to relax under and enjoy the sound of the waves crashing into the shore. There was also a massive banda where meals were served. This luxurious banda is complete with a real "dhow" boat in the center used as a bar. Dhows are the boats used on the island to transport people around.

It was 4:30 by the time we arrived at the hotel so it was high tide. The beach was gone for the day, so Chloe and I just relaxed. Dinner was served at 7:30. We were served soup, grilled chicken with scalloped potatoes, and German apple pudding for dessert. This feast sure beats anything that Chloe and I will ever be able to cook in a pan over our gas cooker.


We woke up at 6 am the next morning to kayak and watch the sun rise over the ocean. Chloe and I joined two other women from South Africa as we kayaked around the coastline. It was a very peaceful experience. The only thing that could be heard was the waves breaking in the distance as the sun slowly began to rise. We kayaked a mile down the coast to watch the fisherman bring in their catches for the day. It's was like kayaking through a maze, going between the boats, as hundreds of them came to drop off their fish.

After another delicious meal, Chloe and I took advantage of the low tide and walked down the beach exploring the tide pools and looking for shells. We found tons of hermit crabs living in beautiful bright shells, sea urchins, and thousands of tiny starfish.

We continued walking down the shoreline until we came to the aquarium, which is a sanctuary for sea turtles. Because the sanctuary is connected to the ocean, the best time to view the turtles is during low tide. A guide took us to the inlet where the green sea turtles live. He gave us seaweed so we could feed the turtles. As if that wasn't exciting enough, he took us to a small pool and showed us sea turtles that were only a few years old. I was excited when he said we could pick them up and hold them. He then took us to another pool that had baby sea turtles that had hatched only two weeks ago. If sea turtles were not an endangered species and if I had some way to take one home, I would have found a way to snatch one of those baby turtles and keep it as a pet.

After a great experience with the sea turtles, we returned to the hotel. There was a massage hut that sits overlooking the beach so I decided I was going to get a massage. I sat on the table and the women told me to take off my shirt...so I did. She then looked at me and told me to take my pants off. Now for someone who has never had a massage before, I came close to freaking out. My pants were not coming off in an open-faced hut with a women who spoke little English. So I said, "Why do my pants need to come off? I thought this was a head, back, and shoulder massage." She said, "Nope it's a full body massage." I'm sure she found the look on my face quite hysterical. I had not prepared myself for a full body massage so I just politely asked if I could just have a head, back, and shoulder massage instead. Crisis diverted. I was ready to call it a day after the relaxing massage, but it was only 3 pm and we still had more adventures yet to come.

We arranged for the hotel to take us on a sunset cruise, so a couple men walked us from the dhow down the beach for our cruise. We set sail, and I mean literally-with a sail made from three large tree branches tied together. They took us out to a reef as the sun was beginning to fade. We dropped anchor and went snorkeling for the last 30 minutes of daylight. The ocean floor was 30 feet below, but it looked as if you were looking through glass. You could see every small detail of the reef through the crystal clear blue water. I swam along side schools of fish as if I was part of the gang. We returned to the the boat and sat on the top deck of the dhow and watched the sun fall from the sky.

Back at the hotel, we had a buffet dinner complete with a salad, beef curry, goat, potatoes, and an assortment of desserts. After dinner there was a traditional tribal Masai warrior dance around a fire pit down on the beach. It sounded like your regular old tribal chant with a few low notes followed by some freakishly high notes. It was quite a unique cultural experience. Chloe and I were exhausted after our eventful day so we called it a night.

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and check out of paradise. We had the driver take us to Stone Town, the famous old town of Zanzibar. We found a small alley lined with souvenir shops. Prior to my experience that day, I didn't know you could barter with the sales people in shops. I hate having to decide how much something is worth, but after that day, I am now a pro-barterer. It actually is not that hard to barter with Tanzanians when they give you the first price of $60 USD for five small items. RED FLAG. So I told him that I could buy these items in America or on the internet for less than $20 USD. I think he was actually pretty impressed with my bartering abilities. When he kept telling me to raise the price, I said "no thank you" and began to walk out the door. He stopped me and finally said "OK." Winner! Don't worry, I did not rip them off. I found the same items sold in the airport for the same price I ended up giving them.

Thanks to the Lion King, we all are familiar with the phrase "Hakuna Matata." It is actually a real Swahili phrase. I would also say this is the motto of Zanzibar. The people of Zanzibar use it in their everyday language. For example, if I were to say "I would like to go snorkeling," the response would be "of course, hakuna matata." If I were to say "my shower is leaking and the bathroom is flooding," I would be told "hakuna matata." And I am pretty sure that if I told someone I just broke my leg, they would say, "Ya man, hakuna matata." It really is their way of life on the paradise island.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad