Woke up to a gorgeous first morning with clear blue skies and fresh mango and papaya for breakfast. Massoud, a quick local friend and our tour guide for the day, picked us up at 10 in a pimped out mini van with AC and brown velvet seats. We listened to some local music while we drove through windy roads into town and saw school children on the side of the street in their uniforms and women in the traditional Muslim gowns with bright, beautiful colors. Our first stop was Stonetown, which was a maze of small roads that one would think would be too narrow for cars, not so but at least not at the breakneck speed of the main roads.
We had lunch at The Sirena Inn Restaurant overlooking the beach and then headed on a lively spice tour. Unquestionably the most interactive tour I have ever been on, with colorful spices being used for lipstick and palm tree climbing for fresh coconuts (he's opening it for us below). With fields of fresh spices, it's no wonder the curries and masalas are so tasty on the island. Had fresh local lobster back at The Sirena on their rooftop this evening to celebrate John's 65th bday. Wonderful, live Swahili music throughout dinner and the entire staff came out and danced around the veranda with a cake. The excitement, beauty and newness brought tears to my eyes. Zanzibar is a very special island.
Love that you are blogging this trip!!! Sounds awesome (and you just started)!
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sounds amazing Gretel!! Love reading along with your travels and experiences. Hope you are having a wonderful time. xo
ReplyDeleteHujambo, grettie. alhumdul allaha in the spice island of grenada. we absolutely love all the emails from john while he was visiting plus your blog keeps us updated and we are getting a feeling of your surroundings. the heat is the toughest hurdle and your hair-do must be sensational. we return to the states on tues. and will be able to keep up with your travels more religiously. thanks for posting great info and pics. lv from Zanzi to Grenadi. mom and dad
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