Zanzibar

Mamamapambo Boutique Hotel was a very friendly - if slightly quirky place for our three days at the beach. Couldn't have been closer to the ocean with the waves splashing against the front wall at high tide. Only 6 rooms and 4 unoccupied so we got upgraded to the best room in the house - previously the owners suite. 

Very comfortable but having been built by an Italian Family it had a few odd features - there was no door on the bathroom  and the shower was directly in front of the opening so as you stood in the shower you could look through the room and out the front door to the ocean beyond?? In addition all of the electrical fittings were Italian - which made it fun finding adapters.

Beach walk in the morning before breakfast, a bit of time relaxing by the pool, a swim in the incoming tide at bath water temperatures, a cold beer or two and quite a lot of fish and seafood. I'm glad it was only three days!

We did manage a visit to the local Seaweed Centre where they pay local ladies to farm and harvest Seaweed, turn it into high quality soaps and lotions and sell it to all the high end Hotels and Spa's. We had an excellent guide - just a pity that he was so unhappy with the way his employers treated him.

 

We also managed a walk out towards the barrier reef that protects the shallows - where we saw some great corals and huge numbers of Sea Urchins - luckily we had been able to borrow appropriate footwear.

Sea Coral

Sea Slug

Large Sea Urchin

As we left the beach and headed for Stone Town for a couple of nights, we dropped in to the Biosphere at Jozani Chakwa Bay Reserve where we watched troupes of Red Colobus monkeys which are endemic to the island - also a wander thorugh a mangrove swamp - unfortunately the guide here was less informative.

Our home in Stone Town was the Zanzibar Coffee House - with thanks to Angie for the recommendation - and the ladies who carried our 16kg bags up two flights of stairs.

We had a leisurely walk around the town - managed to find our way back to our room and followed our hosts recommendation for dinner at 'The Secret Garden' - without doubt the best meal of our trip in a lovely setting.

Stone Town is an absolute maze - with streets only wide enough to walk, ride a bike or motorcycle and perhaps push a hand cart - so we opted for guided walking tour to identify the main sights. Enjoyed the experience and thought we'd return to spend more time at a couple of places - particularly the Anglican Cathedral which is built on the site of the old slave market and retained the slave cellars which were used as storerooms - a very energetic and informative guide but a bit hard to follow. 

However after a lunch stop, we headed back to the hotel and after an hour or so trying to find something familiar ended up back at the restaurant where we'd started. Second time lucky we found the right turning and made it back to our room to pack for our trip to South Africa.