Last post from our three weeks in Tanzania and Zanzibar.  After two and a half weeks of vacation we needed a vacation so we headed to the beach.  Following our too short stay in Stonetown we drove on down to the small fishing village of Kizimkazi  on the southwestern edge of Zanzibar.  Our drive took us through the Jozani Forest which allowed us to observe the Red Colobus Monkeys alongside the road.  In Kizimkazi we stayed at the Karamaba Resort and recommend it for anyone that enjoys  quiet beaches and well run resorts.  Karamba is also recommended for anyone that enjoys private outdoor showers, ie Kate.

Our stay here overlapped with a full moon which led to one of the more dramatic tide changes we had witnessed.  At 600 am the ocean would be 8 feet  deep against the coral cliffs the hotel was situated upon, by 900 am you could walk out into the Indian Ocean well over 1/4 mile before getting to the water.  During our stay walking out to the water became one of the highlights with the numerous tidal pools filled with urchins, crabs, eels, starfish, and others.  It was neat to be enjoying the marine life while Muslim women nearby would be gathering seafood dressed in colorful cloth from head to toe.  One thing that was not so neat was getting stung by a jellyfish.  Turns out panicking is not smart as it leads to many more stings a much larger portion of the body.  Even with the stings the snorkeling is highly recommended.  Once you walk the 1/4 mile past the urchin minefield the water drops off to some rather nice coral reefs with a decent variety of colorful marine fish.

When not playing in and around the water we rented some bicycles and rode around Kizimkazi.  While the town did not offer much for tourists it was really nice to finally spend some time in Africa among locals.  We also stopped by the very non descript building outside our resort which just happened to have been built in 1107 and is believed to be the first mosque built on the East African coast.  It was neat to see such a rich piece of history in such and understated and currently utilized manner.  Having never had the opportunity to spend much time with the Muslim culture our short tour was very interesting and informative, especially for Kate.

Another highlight of our time in Kizimkazi was getting the opportunity to interact with the Maasai security guides.  According to one the waiters the Maasai are valued as guards for their  stealthiness and skill with bow and arrow, unfortunately they are not so good against firearms as they culturally restricted from using firearms.  Whether this was true or not it was one of any amusing conversations we had with our waiter.  Another highlight from our time with the Maasai was the beautiful and inexpensive jewlery made by their families on the mainland that Kate purchased.

Against my wishes Kate convinced me to go on one of the extremely touristic swim with the dolphins tour.  Towards the end of our stay we ended up waking up around 600 am and headed down to the beach were me met up with our new friend Sami.  While sitting on the beach Sami quickly put his boat together and took us to the dolphins.  In a matter of minutes we were out to sea riding alongside black dolphins.  Kate jumped in and fell in love.  It took a while to find another pod of dolphins. At this point Kate’s enthusiasm had gotten to me and we both ended up in the water with the dolphins.  It was strange and peaceful to swim with such large and graceful animals however brief it was.  I now understood why swimming with dolphins was so popular and regretted my initial reluctance.

After relaxing in Kizimkazi for a few days we headed back to Stonetown to catch the fast ferry to Dar es Salaam.  It was while waiting for the ferry that Kate decided to tell me that one of the fast ferry’s had capsized some nine months earlier resulting in the loss of life to nearly 200 people.  That news followed by the handing out of sick bags to each passenger before leaving the dock was not a good sign.  During the 1.5 hour ride to the mainland the reason for the bags was immediately obvious as it felt like the boat spent more time in the air than the water.  Not two weeks after returning to the US another tragic ferry accident in Zanzibar made the news with a reported 146 lives lost.

In summation four days on the beach with amazing meals gorgeous sunsets was the perfect end to our time in Tanzania.  From the heights of Kilimanjaro to the expansive plains of the Serengeti to the idyllic beaches and rich culture of Zanzibar our time in Tanzania was a phenomenal experience, mambo poa.