Traveling and Teaching: Living and Learning: Zanzibar

It was a typical weekend in Malawi. I got to doing lots of much needed chores at my house and didn't make it to Maji Zuwa until Saturday morning. As the morning went on, I got to talking to Matt and after telling me about his trip to Zanzibar, I was invited to tag along with him, Ken, and Geoff. How could I say no? I went back to my house that afternoon to pack (luckily I had done laundry and had it drying in the sun) and the following morning we were on our way to Tanzania!
We left Maji Zuwa on a Sunday morning and made it across the border to the next big town, Mbeya where we stayed the night. We had two options on Monday morning of how we would get to Dar Es Salaam, the port city where we were to catch the ferry to the island. We could take the bus (18 hours) or try to get a flight (1 hour). We took a chance and headed to the airport and with only minutes to spare, were able to get tickets and board the plane! There is a new low-cost airline based in Tanzania called Fast Jet. If you are able to book in advance, the tickets from Mbeya to Dar Es Salaam are only about $20. We also took this flight on the way back. The company also offer flights to Johannesburg and now Lusaka. It's a great thing for this part of Africa and it would be amazing if they start flying to Malawi! After arriving in Dar, we got a taxi straight to the ferry office to catch the 12:30 ferry to Stone Town on Zanzibar. Breakfast in Mbeya and dinner in Stone Town is pretty spectacular, not to mention unheard of!
On the island, we spent one night in Stone Town and two nights at a place on a northern beach called Kendwa Rocks. While at Kendwa, I was able to schedule a Spice Tour on the island. Because I was the only one to sign up (nerd alert!) I got a private tour of the spice farm and I loved it! I spent the morning walking around learning about all the plants and what they are used for. At the end I was able to purchase some cloves and vanilla pods as well as a mix of other spices for cooking. After finishing my tour and making it back to Kendwa, I saw that the guys were still on their excursion to swim with dolphins so I took the opportunity to lay on a lounge chair and soak up some much needed rays. It was so peaceful to lay in the sun and sip a cocktail with not a care in the world.
One of my favorite things of the trip, besides the great people I was with, was the yummy yummy seafood! We ate so much octopus, calamari, lobster, and crab. I was in heaven!

Here are some pictures: