Today we had booked a 6 hour excursion with "Zanzibar Different Tours". Our guide met us at the hotel and led us - with the ease of a local - through the twisty little streets straight to the beach we had found yesterday.
The first activity on the agenda was a boat trip in a traditional Zanzibar Dhow. It was full moon with corresponding extreme low tide, so we were careful where we went - initially with the small outboard on this heavy old sailing vessel, and then the sail was raised and the rest of our journey was completed under sail. Quite an experience, with the traditionally-rigged boat quite unlike anything we have seen much less sailed in before.
To reach our destination (a ruined sultan's palace on the water's edge) we had to let the boat run aground on a low-tide mudflat and wade / squelch our way ashore. The old palace was fascinating, and the stories of past glory and recent neglect run parallel with the recent history of the island of Zanzibar.
Next we were off to a traditional morning coffee served on the lawn of an old grand mamsion fronting an idyllic beach - and now serving as a Steiner School.
The coffee and local delicacies were set up and served just for us. From there we were raken to the top of the highest hill on the island, where the deep rich red volcanic soil is home to an organic spice (and tropical fruit) farm. We were taken on a walking tour to see and sample all of the different products, from scrapings of a cinnamon tree's bark and then roots to a spectacularly collected green coconut each for drinking the water and eating the still-soft flesh.
This was followed by lunch at the home of a local lady called Maryam who had cooked a selection of typical dishes as eaten by "ordinary" folk here.
Lunch concluded our tour and we were escorted back to our hotel.
We did a little more local exploring (and losing ourselves in the maze - but this time we found our way without help) and otherwise had a quiet afternoon, again enjoying the sunset from our rooftop terrace and dining there as well.
The evening "bed turn-down" service at this hotel includes pulling the mosquito net canopy around the bed and setting the internal ceiling fan going. Nice touches...
The first activity on the agenda was a boat trip in a traditional Zanzibar Dhow. It was full moon with corresponding extreme low tide, so we were careful where we went - initially with the small outboard on this heavy old sailing vessel, and then the sail was raised and the rest of our journey was completed under sail. Quite an experience, with the traditionally-rigged boat quite unlike anything we have seen much less sailed in before.
To reach our destination (a ruined sultan's palace on the water's edge) we had to let the boat run aground on a low-tide mudflat and wade / squelch our way ashore. The old palace was fascinating, and the stories of past glory and recent neglect run parallel with the recent history of the island of Zanzibar.
Next we were off to a traditional morning coffee served on the lawn of an old grand mamsion fronting an idyllic beach - and now serving as a Steiner School.
The coffee and local delicacies were set up and served just for us. From there we were raken to the top of the highest hill on the island, where the deep rich red volcanic soil is home to an organic spice (and tropical fruit) farm. We were taken on a walking tour to see and sample all of the different products, from scrapings of a cinnamon tree's bark and then roots to a spectacularly collected green coconut each for drinking the water and eating the still-soft flesh.
This was followed by lunch at the home of a local lady called Maryam who had cooked a selection of typical dishes as eaten by "ordinary" folk here.
Lunch concluded our tour and we were escorted back to our hotel.
We did a little more local exploring (and losing ourselves in the maze - but this time we found our way without help) and otherwise had a quiet afternoon, again enjoying the sunset from our rooftop terrace and dining there as well.
The evening "bed turn-down" service at this hotel includes pulling the mosquito net canopy around the bed and setting the internal ceiling fan going. Nice touches...
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