Zanzibar

Aside from the incessant touts, dodging sewage on the streets and the attempted pick pocket, we enjoyed Arusha a great deal. But, we had more than a week left in our journey and more adventure in us so we headed for Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania with gorgeous beaches and a rich history and culture. To get there, we took an early morning bus to Dar Es Salam and a ferry to Zanzibar the next morning.

We landed in Stone Town, a unique, beautiful and pleasantly claustrophobic place. The buildings are old and arranged in a narrow maze of streets and alleys. The island is predominantly Islamic which shows in the architecture. Many of the wooden doorways are large and wonderfully handcrafted, adorned with brass studs whose original purpose was apparently to deter elephants from ramming them down.

After a couple of days in stone town, we headed to the famed northeast beaches. Being almost on the equator, the water is incredibly warm and aqua. We strolled, swam and relaxed. Najam made meditative sand balls. We went out on a boat, snorkeled at a small offshore island and ate fresh caught and BBQ'd fish. Much of our trip was very hectic, constantly in transit, constantly on guard, constantly deciding where we would sleep, how we would eat and what we would do. It was nice to just settle and enjoy paradise for a couple of days and a perfect way to end our trip.