After a wonderful time in Arusha, we returned to Dar via the Kili airport in preparation for our trip to Zanzibar.
The island of Zanzibar can be reached either by plane or fast ferry. We decided to take the ferry as a cheaper option and we were not disappointed. A few words of advice – buy your return tickets in advance! If you arrive without tickets, you will be swarmed by touts trying their best to get you to purchase from their seller. It’s fun, but crazy!
Luckily we had purchased ours ahead of time and were able to bypass the lines and touts to get on the boat. We bought VIP tickets for $40 per person and it was like riding in an airplane with AC and comfy seats. I did feel badly for those who rode in economy…as they were sitting in the midday African sunshine and heat. The two hour ride passed quickly and it wasn’t long before we were off the boat and surrounded by taxi drivers and touts wanting us to buy their products and/or tours. Lucky for us our hotel had a taxi come and pick us up so we didn’t have to do any negotiations. It took about 90 minutes to get to our Upepo beach bungalow in Bwejuu on the East side of the island.
The beach is a long, white, and sandy stretch that goes on for kilometres in both directions. There are palm trees everywhere and the turquoise colour of the Indian ocean is just spectacular. The sun is very hot and brilliant, but the best part is the amazing wind that keeps us cool. It’s actually deceiving as we feel cool from the wind, but our bodies are frying from the sun. We have to make sure we are wearing lots of SPF and reapply it regularly.
Our bungalow is clean and cozy – perfect for our beach getaway. We actually feel like we are on Gilligan’s island! Oliver and I have been singing the theme song since we arrived and wondered how Ginger was able to do her hair and always look so good in her dress. The bungalow has a restaurant and everyone is very laid back and friendly. We eat breakfast and dinner there and can do our work when there is power and wifi. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t – this is Africa!
We’ve been spending our days walking up and down the beach and checking out the small villages that appear every now and again. We always stop to buy a cold drink and are often greeted by “Jambos” and big warm smiles. The people here are very welcoming and hospitable. Everyone always says – “Karibu sana” – you are welcome here and they really mean it.
Each morning we are not sure what will happen with our Indian Ocean…sometimes the tide goes out, and sometimes it is in. When it is out, there are lots of locals who beachcomb the ocean floor to collect octopus and snails in their buckets to sell to the local hotels. It’s mainly the children we see who do the work and they are always running up to us to say hello. We now walk around with some candies in our pockets so we can give them out – they work very hard at such a young age – and we like to give them a treat. We brought a number of pencils to give to the kids, but the problem is they don’t have sharpeners. Next time we will bring them pens!
At night we spend most of our time in the restaurant eating dinner and then doing school work. It’s nice and cool with the ocean breeze, and the local friendliness and reggae music playing makes learning that much more enjoyable. I don’t know too many kids who are sipping coconut milk by the Indian Ocean while they do their math and writing! We really feel we are the luckiest people in the world right now, especially knowing the weather back in Canada is at it’s coldest.
Zanzibar is a beautiful island with lovely people and we have so enjoyed our time here. We really need to thank Toronto Star reporter Catherine Porter for all of her tips and advice on travelling to this wonderful country. Last year, she took her family to Senegal for the year and they vacationed in Tanzania. When I wrote to her asking for some of her advice, she was wonderful in sharing so many of her tips and best practices while travelling through this beautiful country. We found her travels to be very inspiring….and we hope we have inspired some of you!
Kwaheri Bwejuu – we hope to visit here again one day!
Comments
12 responses to “Beautiful Bwejuu, Zanzibar”
How many times can a person say “Wow”? This is so cool! Seeing the girls doing homework in this environment… No wonder they are smiling. What a great combination of African and what we know as Caribbean setting. The bungalow looks interesting , as does the restaurant … Very homey. How have you handled the currency at each place?
Hi Herta,
When Oliver and I saw your question about currency, we started laughing! The Tanzanian shilling is used as the currency here and we have thick wads of bills that we are carrying around from the ATMs as everything is cash based here – they don’t take credit cards at all! So if you’re trying to carry your money in your wallet or money belt – it’s difficult to manage. As a result, we take out shillings from the ATM and then convert it to US dollars…it’s a double hit with service charges, but in terms of safety – it’s better. Since we’re foreigners, we can’t walk into a bank and take out US dollars directly – we have to take shillings only. And to make matters even more interesting, there are no banks on the East side of Zanzibar, so we had to take out all of our money out at once before we went to our hotel as it was 90 minutes away so not easy access! Ahh such first world problems:)
That ferry boat looks like a cruise ship!
Also, it’s so kind of you girls to notice the other children doing hard work and rewarding them with candy. Miss you all!
Nice to hear from you! We miss you too – but we don’t miss the cold winter!
Love,
Teta Katina:)
Another place to add to my list Kat. Zanzibar, looks like my idea of paradise. I love that you had interaction with the children! Did you get to snorkel? Perhaps that is the next blog…I read your link to Catherine Porter – had enjoyed her year long adventure in the Star too. Enjoy and travel safely. Love to all, Doreen xoxo
Hi There,
We had a great time in Zanzibar – you should add it to your list! We didn’t get to snorkel as there were too many jellyfish floating around and after Mik and I got stung – we stuck to sailing. One day we were able to get back in the water and swim, but the snorkelling was cancelled while we were there. Better safe than stung!
K:)
Hi Kat,
I’m glad to see how much fun all of you are having! I’m glad that you have little treats to give the children!
The girls are certainly enjoying their homework! Love Mom
HI There,
Yes – they are enjoying their homework…I can’t think of a better place to have a classroom!
Works for all of us:)
Kat,
I agree with Herta – wow! Loved the picture of the cattle on the beach and, of course, the girls working! Amazing!
Ginny
Hi There,
The cattle pic was funny! We were eating breakfast and all of a sudden all of these cows are walking past us. It just shows you never know what might happen and always have your camera ready!
Cheers!
K:)
Hi, Katina, we enjoyed reading about your trip to Zanzibar, and as always, loved the photos. It looks like a paradise island, and what better way to do homework and go for long walks on the beautiful beaches. I liked the photo of the tourist information office. As always, you sound and look like you all have a lot of fun. lots of hugs, form Mom/Oma and Dad/Opa
HI There,
Yes our beach bungalow was a piece of paradise we will all cherish. I can’t think of a better classroom environment especially after the winter storms in Toronto!
Cheers,
Kat:)