16-17 January: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Images by Shane Craswell Photography: Red colobus monkeys only found on Zanzibar Island (Jozani Forest). Doorways in Stonetown, carved wood.

Zanzibar is an island which is part of Tanzania, in theory. In reality, it is like it's own little country. Very different from the mainland. The temp is 34 degrees and very very muggy and humid, it hit us like a ton of bricks, after the safari being a comfy 27 degrees and quite dry most of the time. The religion is predominantly Muslem, so women are advised to cover up when out in public. This is not as bad as it seems: all they want is the women to have covered shoulders (t-shirts okay) and not wear short shorts or skirts. Not much to ask, I believe, but I saw many girls/young women wearing very skimpy clothing all over the place, not much cultural sensitivity there at all!!
Today we went on a Spice Tour on the island: we saw where all kinds of spices come from, what they are used for etc: cinnamon, cardamon, lemon grass, pepper, cloves and much more. It was really quite fascinating and we really enjoyed it - Shane actually scored most of the points (our guide made us guess what each plant was, and he got it right most of the time while Mum and I were still thinking!)
Stopped at Mtone Marine, a little beachside restaurant for lunch: pizza and Kilimanjaro beer. The atmosphere was very relaxing and we enjoyed the break. Later we did a tour of Stonetown, a World Heritage listed area. Long narrow lanes, rundown crumbling buildings, very Moroccan looking. The wiring on the buildings was incredible: it is so old that there is hardly any electricity inside the buildings, so outside on the walls, there are tangled messes of wires all over the place - an electrician's nightmare, not to mention the fire department, I'm sure!
Stonetown is quite dangerous at night, the lighting is bad, and tourists are recommended not to wander around there. There are some hotels which have been renovated and done up to resemble the original style, and they look fantastic. The government is receiving funding to continue renovating the area, and tourism is quite new here as well.