For our first weekend in Tanzania the two other interns—medical students from Canada—invited me to join them on their visit to Zanzibar, a beautiful island about 90 minutes by boat from Dar es Salaam. I was excited for somewhat of a retreat but I could never have imagined it would turn out to be such true paradise! Zanzibar’s white-sand beaches, clear waters, and peaceful streets can be captured so much better in pictures than words (please take a look at the “Photos” tab to see what I mean!). Our afternoon ferry brought us to the most active part of Zanzibar, the historic Stone Town, but we hoped to escape the busy downtown at least initially, and headed to a peaceful village to the east, Paje.
Previous interns had recommended a stay at New Teddy’s Place, a hostel right along the beach with palm tree bungalows. It was perfect. I was so surprised the find that the beaches were not at all crowded. Sitting by the water we were joined by just a couple of locals and other tourists. Over the next two days we waded in the warm water and on the beach, admired all of the sea shells, joined a guided boat ride to a nearby sand bank, snorkeled with the fish, and got to know others staying in the hostel.
Sunday afternoon we somewhat reluctantly packed our bags to take the last ferry back to Dar. Arriving at the terminal, however, we found we were not at all alone in this plan to make our stay in Zanzibar last as long as possible . . . The ferries were already full, and we had no choice but to spend the night in Stone Town and take the next boat back in the morning. Although unplanned, we were really grateful to have the opportunity to explore Stone Town and its incredible history, with a mixture of Swahili, Indian, and Islamic influences. We wandered through the maze of small streets, lined by eloquently carved wooden doors, and visited the Old Fort for defense against the Portuguese and the “House of Wonders” history museum. As evening approached we found a spot on the beach and watched the sunset and the city’s transformation as the fasting for Ramadan came to an end for the day. Night markets filled with vendors grilling meat kabobs, baking Zanzibar traditional “pizza”, and squeezing sugar cane juice filled the parks. It was incredible! The weekend escape was a perfect, peaceful way to ease into life in our new home in Africa.
Previous interns had recommended a stay at New Teddy’s Place, a hostel right along the beach with palm tree bungalows. It was perfect. I was so surprised the find that the beaches were not at all crowded. Sitting by the water we were joined by just a couple of locals and other tourists. Over the next two days we waded in the warm water and on the beach, admired all of the sea shells, joined a guided boat ride to a nearby sand bank, snorkeled with the fish, and got to know others staying in the hostel.
Sunday afternoon we somewhat reluctantly packed our bags to take the last ferry back to Dar. Arriving at the terminal, however, we found we were not at all alone in this plan to make our stay in Zanzibar last as long as possible . . . The ferries were already full, and we had no choice but to spend the night in Stone Town and take the next boat back in the morning. Although unplanned, we were really grateful to have the opportunity to explore Stone Town and its incredible history, with a mixture of Swahili, Indian, and Islamic influences. We wandered through the maze of small streets, lined by eloquently carved wooden doors, and visited the Old Fort for defense against the Portuguese and the “House of Wonders” history museum. As evening approached we found a spot on the beach and watched the sunset and the city’s transformation as the fasting for Ramadan came to an end for the day. Night markets filled with vendors grilling meat kabobs, baking Zanzibar traditional “pizza”, and squeezing sugar cane juice filled the parks. It was incredible! The weekend escape was a perfect, peaceful way to ease into life in our new home in Africa.