Safari Mzuri
Aug 7th, 2006, 02:04 PM
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for reading, Bat. Don't ever tell Faye I shared the basket story!!
Patty, I just finished reading jasher's Botswana report, so I will not be getting back to the Crater next! I'll have to head to the Okavango! Just dreaming....
I don't know what to say about staying on the crater rim or outside. Both have their beauties.
Patty, I just finished reading jasher's Botswana report, so I will not be getting back to the Crater next! I'll have to head to the Okavango! Just dreaming....
I don't know what to say about staying on the crater rim or outside. Both have their beauties.
Aug 12th, 2006, 06:02 PM
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To continue the Safari Mzuri report -
The morning drive was a survey of the Serengeti - lots of giraffe, antelope, gazelles, hartebeest, warthogs, zebra and a stop at the hippo pool - lazy, lounging, snorting, splashing and a few floating crocs.
The driver spotted a lioness, very heavy with child and we parked for a while and watched her decide if she had the energy to stalk lunch or not. After a few false starts, the gazelle escaped and Mama Lioness returned to the shade of the tree to breathe heavily. We returned to the Seronera Wildlife Lodge for a warm lunch, enjoyed the birds flitting around as we ate and then headed off towards the Northern Serengeti.
This drive was the quietest - we were already beginning to miss our driver, dreading the leaving, and so sad that our days were dwindling down. Around us the rangers had begun the "controlled burning" needed to keep the grasses low, and the air was filled with nasty acrid smoke remnants. Many baboon troups and a few warthog families ventured out into the cooling barrens and hunted down the emergent grasses, so game viewing was melancholic - a testament to the strength of survival and renewal, but ugly to the eye. Thankfully, the surrounding hills provided the beautiful background that is Africa - every day different.
And then we were at the sign for Ikoma Bush Camp. Down the road we drove, passing more burnt fields and then some grassy savannas and then into the camp.
Ikoma seemed the most primitive so far, a basic thatched tent for welcoming, a few tables for game playing, a cooler behing the counter for cold drinks. We were taken to our tent, quite a hike down the paths to the furthest outreaches of the camp. The wooden furniture of the tent created a "you-are-in-the-depths-of-the-African-savanna" feeling, again very primitive. The view from the verandah of our tent let us know that we were definately out in the depths of the African savanna - high grasses dotted with trees, a few birds perched in the highest branches.
The call for Kili got us hiking back to the main tent. A couple of drivers were playing checkers, but left when we sat down at a table with our beers. Ladies at leisure is still a bit unsettling for some of the gents of Tanzania. Faye reached into her backpack and pulled out a deck of cards she had rescued from the depths of her desk at work. This was a mighty old deck of cards, telling us how often Faye cleans her desk or how often she feels the chance to play cards... the cards portrayed the 1980s Chippendale Dancers. Right now you're guessing it was a good thing the drivers took off, because we had ourselves a hoot of a time, not so much playing cards as enjoying the 80s version of "supposedly sexy...."
A few families checked into Ikoma, but spoke other languages, so we headed back to our tent to clean up for dinner. We took a Kili along to enjoy the sundown.
While the shower was cold and hissing air, (seems water supply is waning if you're at the far ends of the camp?)the sundown was one of the most spectacular of our week in Africa. We audibly gasped and oohed and aahhed in the glory of it. Sunlight leaked and glowed behind the acacia trees, with the birds silhouetted, a view appreciated only by those who have experienced it. When it finally quieted to twilight, we were able to make our way down the paths to dinner.
A campfire with chairs set round welcomed us to dinner. Behind the campfire were set up linen covered tables, candles glowing on each. Chit-chat around the fire was a delightful beginning to the evening.
Darkness descended and we all made our way to the tables set with heavy silver and glowing candlelight. Dinner was a buffet set out in the grasses of Ikoma, select what you like in the flickering night light. It seemed Dennys Finch Hatton could come stalking into camp at any minute.
Dining under the African stars - how can it be described? Staff attended to our whims and wishes, we enjoyed the delicious meal, interrupted often by a skyward gaze at the beauty of the night star show. It was difficult to find even the most familiar constellations in the millions of stars on display before us.
The "armed" Maasai escort led us back to our tent, which again, was a long walk out to the edges of the camp. We sat for another hour on our verandah, enjoying the solitude and spectacular star viewing of the evening. When we finally retired, it was hard to get right to sleep, as the snorting and snuffling nearby was quite nearby.
Onward to the western Serengeti
Next day we were up and out, back across the burning fields into the more central Serengeti. We again saw the baboons and warthogs scavenging across the scorched landscape. Plumes of smoke billowed above the hills around us.
By late morning we were again seeing herds of zebra and elephants, a few giraffe. For lunch, we stopped at the Serengeti Visitors Center, took the educational walk, snapped some pics along the learning stations and sampled the offerings of our box lunches.
Late afternoon and a long drive slowly uphill found us in the western Serengeti, concluding our trip as the operator had promised, "finishing with a bang at Mbalageti." We were driving along, almost immune to the herds and herds of zebra and wildebeest, when all of a sudden, the numbers in each herd magnified to countless amounts. Everywhere we looked were thousands and thousands of wildebeest and zebra. We had caught up with the Great Migration!!! They snorted, they snuffled, they ran and kicked up dust galore. Life in the herd was on prominent display - nursing, mating, challenging, snoozing, walking... it was the Great Migration!! First, thousands of wildebeest, then thousands of zebra. We crossed the dried Grumeti and made our way uphill to Mbalageti.
At the top of the hill, Mbalageti rested, a large welcome center decorated with the wildlife theme of the Serengeti - a great python skin, assorted African artifacts, heads of water buffalo, a coffee/tea station, fancy cookies.
Our bags were toted to our chalet, a tent built on a raised platform that faced both sides of the hillside - a valley on one side and a plains on the other. Herds of wildebeest and zebra snorted and snuffled below us. The chalet's varnished wooden floors were so highly polished, they glistened in the waning sunlight. We climbed up and left our own sets of dusty tracks, pausing to admire the sunken tub in the deck of our chalet. Around us were the branched and trees surrounding the chalet, making it private and seeming to be on the hillside by itself. It was one of those places where you stop and say "I'm certain God lives right here."
Mbalageti Serengeti was a delicious camp, a place you'd want to spend a honeymoon. The lounge area offered vista views of the migration, all around. The pool had an ifinity view of the landscape beyond. Not only was the view spectacular, the service was stellar - a cold beer with warm nibblies, and then some more warm nibblies. Mbalageti offered a shower with full force water, a hair dryer and even a remote for a TV should we desire(we didn't).
For dinner, we met up with our driver for our last evening together. The meal was scrumptious, too bad getting there involved such a long flight or we'd return on a frequent basis. We appreciated that Mohamed had kept the specialness of this place as a surprise for the end of the trip, merely saying we'd be in "tents" for the last couple nights.
After the Maasai guide escorted us back to the chalet, and after responding to the query of whether he'd used the pointed spear with a "Yes, four times, four lions," we were still game for an evening soak in the sunken tub on the deck of the chalet. We filled it with bubbles and had ourselves a star saturated, wildebeest serenaded last evening in the Serengeti. Every day different in Africa.
Sniff, Sniff
Next morning, after a quick stop at the noisy hippo pool, we headed to the Grumeti air strip. There we said a hold-back-the-waterworks goodbye to our driver, waited for the rangers to clear the wildebeests off the runways, and took off for Arusha. Our driver, kind as always, somehow picked up a soul at the airstrip in need of a ride, and had found some company for the long drive back.
Next time, the end, the Zanzibar wrap up.....
The morning drive was a survey of the Serengeti - lots of giraffe, antelope, gazelles, hartebeest, warthogs, zebra and a stop at the hippo pool - lazy, lounging, snorting, splashing and a few floating crocs.
The driver spotted a lioness, very heavy with child and we parked for a while and watched her decide if she had the energy to stalk lunch or not. After a few false starts, the gazelle escaped and Mama Lioness returned to the shade of the tree to breathe heavily. We returned to the Seronera Wildlife Lodge for a warm lunch, enjoyed the birds flitting around as we ate and then headed off towards the Northern Serengeti.
This drive was the quietest - we were already beginning to miss our driver, dreading the leaving, and so sad that our days were dwindling down. Around us the rangers had begun the "controlled burning" needed to keep the grasses low, and the air was filled with nasty acrid smoke remnants. Many baboon troups and a few warthog families ventured out into the cooling barrens and hunted down the emergent grasses, so game viewing was melancholic - a testament to the strength of survival and renewal, but ugly to the eye. Thankfully, the surrounding hills provided the beautiful background that is Africa - every day different.
And then we were at the sign for Ikoma Bush Camp. Down the road we drove, passing more burnt fields and then some grassy savannas and then into the camp.
Ikoma seemed the most primitive so far, a basic thatched tent for welcoming, a few tables for game playing, a cooler behing the counter for cold drinks. We were taken to our tent, quite a hike down the paths to the furthest outreaches of the camp. The wooden furniture of the tent created a "you-are-in-the-depths-of-the-African-savanna" feeling, again very primitive. The view from the verandah of our tent let us know that we were definately out in the depths of the African savanna - high grasses dotted with trees, a few birds perched in the highest branches.
The call for Kili got us hiking back to the main tent. A couple of drivers were playing checkers, but left when we sat down at a table with our beers. Ladies at leisure is still a bit unsettling for some of the gents of Tanzania. Faye reached into her backpack and pulled out a deck of cards she had rescued from the depths of her desk at work. This was a mighty old deck of cards, telling us how often Faye cleans her desk or how often she feels the chance to play cards... the cards portrayed the 1980s Chippendale Dancers. Right now you're guessing it was a good thing the drivers took off, because we had ourselves a hoot of a time, not so much playing cards as enjoying the 80s version of "supposedly sexy...."
A few families checked into Ikoma, but spoke other languages, so we headed back to our tent to clean up for dinner. We took a Kili along to enjoy the sundown.
While the shower was cold and hissing air, (seems water supply is waning if you're at the far ends of the camp?)the sundown was one of the most spectacular of our week in Africa. We audibly gasped and oohed and aahhed in the glory of it. Sunlight leaked and glowed behind the acacia trees, with the birds silhouetted, a view appreciated only by those who have experienced it. When it finally quieted to twilight, we were able to make our way down the paths to dinner.
A campfire with chairs set round welcomed us to dinner. Behind the campfire were set up linen covered tables, candles glowing on each. Chit-chat around the fire was a delightful beginning to the evening.
Darkness descended and we all made our way to the tables set with heavy silver and glowing candlelight. Dinner was a buffet set out in the grasses of Ikoma, select what you like in the flickering night light. It seemed Dennys Finch Hatton could come stalking into camp at any minute.
Dining under the African stars - how can it be described? Staff attended to our whims and wishes, we enjoyed the delicious meal, interrupted often by a skyward gaze at the beauty of the night star show. It was difficult to find even the most familiar constellations in the millions of stars on display before us.
The "armed" Maasai escort led us back to our tent, which again, was a long walk out to the edges of the camp. We sat for another hour on our verandah, enjoying the solitude and spectacular star viewing of the evening. When we finally retired, it was hard to get right to sleep, as the snorting and snuffling nearby was quite nearby.
Onward to the western Serengeti
Next day we were up and out, back across the burning fields into the more central Serengeti. We again saw the baboons and warthogs scavenging across the scorched landscape. Plumes of smoke billowed above the hills around us.
By late morning we were again seeing herds of zebra and elephants, a few giraffe. For lunch, we stopped at the Serengeti Visitors Center, took the educational walk, snapped some pics along the learning stations and sampled the offerings of our box lunches.
Late afternoon and a long drive slowly uphill found us in the western Serengeti, concluding our trip as the operator had promised, "finishing with a bang at Mbalageti." We were driving along, almost immune to the herds and herds of zebra and wildebeest, when all of a sudden, the numbers in each herd magnified to countless amounts. Everywhere we looked were thousands and thousands of wildebeest and zebra. We had caught up with the Great Migration!!! They snorted, they snuffled, they ran and kicked up dust galore. Life in the herd was on prominent display - nursing, mating, challenging, snoozing, walking... it was the Great Migration!! First, thousands of wildebeest, then thousands of zebra. We crossed the dried Grumeti and made our way uphill to Mbalageti.
At the top of the hill, Mbalageti rested, a large welcome center decorated with the wildlife theme of the Serengeti - a great python skin, assorted African artifacts, heads of water buffalo, a coffee/tea station, fancy cookies.
Our bags were toted to our chalet, a tent built on a raised platform that faced both sides of the hillside - a valley on one side and a plains on the other. Herds of wildebeest and zebra snorted and snuffled below us. The chalet's varnished wooden floors were so highly polished, they glistened in the waning sunlight. We climbed up and left our own sets of dusty tracks, pausing to admire the sunken tub in the deck of our chalet. Around us were the branched and trees surrounding the chalet, making it private and seeming to be on the hillside by itself. It was one of those places where you stop and say "I'm certain God lives right here."
Mbalageti Serengeti was a delicious camp, a place you'd want to spend a honeymoon. The lounge area offered vista views of the migration, all around. The pool had an ifinity view of the landscape beyond. Not only was the view spectacular, the service was stellar - a cold beer with warm nibblies, and then some more warm nibblies. Mbalageti offered a shower with full force water, a hair dryer and even a remote for a TV should we desire(we didn't).
For dinner, we met up with our driver for our last evening together. The meal was scrumptious, too bad getting there involved such a long flight or we'd return on a frequent basis. We appreciated that Mohamed had kept the specialness of this place as a surprise for the end of the trip, merely saying we'd be in "tents" for the last couple nights.
After the Maasai guide escorted us back to the chalet, and after responding to the query of whether he'd used the pointed spear with a "Yes, four times, four lions," we were still game for an evening soak in the sunken tub on the deck of the chalet. We filled it with bubbles and had ourselves a star saturated, wildebeest serenaded last evening in the Serengeti. Every day different in Africa.
Sniff, Sniff
Next morning, after a quick stop at the noisy hippo pool, we headed to the Grumeti air strip. There we said a hold-back-the-waterworks goodbye to our driver, waited for the rangers to clear the wildebeests off the runways, and took off for Arusha. Our driver, kind as always, somehow picked up a soul at the airstrip in need of a ride, and had found some company for the long drive back.
Next time, the end, the Zanzibar wrap up.....
Aug 13th, 2006, 02:34 PM
#27
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wildebeestus, I've finally caught up with you!!! (your report that is!). It sounds fantastic! Those 80's chippendales ... I laughed out loud! Definately a good thing those guys had left by then! And that last evening in the tub under the stars above sounds just out of this world. I am only started on your photos as I have a veerrryyy sllooowww dial up but that those Ellies protecting the baby are precious.... (I have a bit of an Elephant 'thing').
Thank you so much for posting!
Imelda
Thank you so much for posting!
Imelda
Aug 26th, 2006, 08:45 AM
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Zanzibar Wrap Up
Doing this last part of the report means it's really over.... but I do already have plans for the next "trip of a lifetime" .... this site keeps you ready to run back to Africa!
The Zanair flight to Zanzibar was tightly packed, everything had to be stowed in the cargo cubbies. Faye was busy taking pictures and stepped on the plane to all seats taken. The pilot merely motioned for her to come sit next to him in the co-pilot seat, so she got to view the flight into Zanzibar from the front of the plane.
The Zanzibar airport was crowded with taxis and people everywhere. We spotted our Journey to Africa contact and piled into our first African vehicle with AC. Chilled air - ahhhhhhh. ICE COLD water, too.
Stonetown is an experience, overcrowded, bustling, mayhem, throngs of people everywhere, horns honking, ancient buildings decaying next to scaffold laced new construction. The car parked in a lot near the water and our bags were toted through narrow, not so fragrant alleys, past street vendors and stalls of colorful crafts to the Emerson & Green hotel. As shown on the website, it's dark and Turkish in flavor, an experience to try, but maybe not to return to for creature comforts. We had to climb seriously steep and narrow high risered stairs to our room, pausing to regain breath at each landing. The room itself was cavernous, a tepid AC unit blew stuffy air around, the walls adorned with not one, but 3 portraits of Queen Elizabeth, the furnishings very dark and antique-flavored. Kitschy, very kitschy... Windows were covered in bars and screen, but you could hear the conversations in neighboring buildings and the chatter in the street below, definately a midcity accomodation.
A quick freshen up and we descended "the stairs" to meet back up with our guide for a late afternoon tour of Stonetown. We drove over to the Anglican church, toured the former slave market site, toured the markets, sampled lots of fruits we'd never seen, perused the spices markets for packets to take home and even popped into a school still in session at 5:00. Again, the classes were enormous, 60-70 students, 1 teacher. We walked through the winding alleys past craft shops, vendors of everything from shoes to Xbox games to paintings. It seemed we walked for miles, but in reality, the whole area is just a few blocks, tightly packed. At the harborfront, a film director's festival was going on, so people were assembled everywhere, an outdoor festival. The night markets were just beginning to open along the edge of the harbor, and the dhows were sailing people in and around.
We parted company with the guide and headed back to Emerson & Green. There, the desk clerk urged us to hurry upstairs for the dinner. We had planned on a little R&R, maybe a cold Kili, but his urging made us wash quick and head up the rest of the staircases to the rooftop restaurant. After the huffing and puffing hike, we reached the top level to find an open air dining room, cushions on the edges for seating, low tables near the floor, the appetizer course being served to all. Dinner was served course by course to the small group assembled on the cushions and low tables. The printed menu listed things I would never have ordered or tried, but as each course was served and I sampled each dish, each course became more enjoyable than the last. A violinist serenaded us as we dined, the stars twinkled and the view of the night city below was lovely, prettier in the dark than the congestion viewed during the day. Every day different in Africa - this was an unexpected surprise. Was it a little cheesy, a bit choreographed, yes, did the servers climb steep stairs toting meals and dishes up and down for our dining pleasure, yes. Was it memorable - like nowhere else!
In the morning, we climbed back up the stairs to the restaurant for breakfast. Tables and chairs had been carried up and a server took our breakfast order. In the morning light, you could see the ships in the harbor, the rusted tin roofs below, laundry drying on some, the tightly packed buildings that had been this city for centuries.
A driver picked us up for our final destination, a 45 minute drive to Matemwe Beach Village. We passed through the congestion of Stonetown and onto the road northeast, through fields of workers, past moderate homes made of mud or concrete, some finished, some in progress. The fabrics worn began to take on more color, not the black and white worn by so many in town. Traffic checkpoints along the way stopped us, the driver explained, for "papers" - taxes paid, up to date licenses.
Finally, we arrived in Matemwe Village, took off down a dusty road to the beach edge to the resort, a collection of little bungalow rooms dotted in the palm trees and banana plants. The main building was an open construction, a cushion covered seating area for relaxing, tables for dining, a bar area. Off to the side was a lovely pool. Waving to us from the water was a young guy we'd met at Moivaro who was waiting to climb Kili. Yay, we'd get to hear about his adventure!!
Off down a sandy path, shadowed with palm trees was the sparkling blue water of the Indian Ocean, snow white sand, a few lounge chairs, some seaweed scattered. A dive boat floated offshore, anchored until its next trip. Hammocks hung from trees here and there. There were a couple people out on lounge chairs, but other than than, sheer beauty and peace of the beach to enjoy by ourselves!!!
Bathing suits were on within minutes, our bungalow room itself quite plain and spartan, but at the beach, who stays in their room??
The last hours of our days in Zanzibar were spent lazing in the sun, catching rays that tanned even with SPF 30 on. We watched the dive boat go in and out, walked the sands for hours. The water was quite shallow, due to the outlying reef, but it was cold and wet and still refreshed. Local ladies came and gathered seaweed to dry on racks for commercial vending. Faye scheduled a massage, which she enjoyed immensely. The R & R was a pleasant surprise, we had no idea it would be so peaceful and private and totally relaxing. Dinner was buffet, served quite late, giving us nice evening time to chat with other guests in the cushioned lounge area. We caught up on the climbing Kili adventure.
In the morning we planned to squeeze a few more hours of sun basking, but we were called back for hotel check out at 11. That was disappointing, as our driver was coming at 3 and that left us with the choice of going to the plane in layers of Coppertone or cleaned up. As if to make it easier, the sun hid behind clouds for a while and a 10 minute shower sprinkled rain, so we cleaned up and relaxed in the lounge to await the driver.
The rest of the trip home was just the transportation stuff that we all know about, shopping for good deals in the airport gift shop (got some great spiced coffee bags for home and for gifts), navigating the mayhem and chaos that is Dar Eslam airport. After making it through the changing queue areas and the 2 hours it took just to get checked in, we headed up to the restaurant that was giving us a complimentary cold drink while we waited for our 2 hour delayed KLM flight. There we realized we had spent the last of our small bills and shillings, only a $50 bill left between the 2 of us. Then came the announcement of an additional 2 hour delay, where we looked at each other with a gulp - how would we eat without any money. Then they announced another 2 hour delay and we wilted. Where there's a will, there's a way - we scourged our backpacks like crazy until one of us found a spare $10 bill stashed somewhere. And we had a burger to hold us over. Fortunately, the delay announcements were overexxagerated and we were called to our flight within 4 hours, not the estimated 6. The flights home to Amsterdam and then Dulles were what they are - 8 1/2 hours each of sitting and hoping the seatmate will wake up so you can take a brief hike around the aisles. As we drank our coffee and had airline breakfast, we planned and dreamed aloud of our return trip to Africa.
So, thank you to all of the Fodorites who gave advice, shared safari stories and kept me planning this wonderful adventure. I am already reading your reports and getting ideas for the next time around. Yes, as Kimburu said, reading and posting are equally exciting!!!!
For those of you who shepherded me through the tse-tse bite reaction, thank you for not telling me what a dip I am and steering me to medical expertise! I ended up having emergency ankle surgery right afterwards, and the anesthesiologist had to contact the Infectious Disease lab for my records to know if we could do a spinal or not. Made for a fun time in the ER!!! AND.... it gave me time to say tse-tse a few more times, a bit more exotic than just mozzie bites....
Doing this last part of the report means it's really over.... but I do already have plans for the next "trip of a lifetime" .... this site keeps you ready to run back to Africa!
The Zanair flight to Zanzibar was tightly packed, everything had to be stowed in the cargo cubbies. Faye was busy taking pictures and stepped on the plane to all seats taken. The pilot merely motioned for her to come sit next to him in the co-pilot seat, so she got to view the flight into Zanzibar from the front of the plane.
The Zanzibar airport was crowded with taxis and people everywhere. We spotted our Journey to Africa contact and piled into our first African vehicle with AC. Chilled air - ahhhhhhh. ICE COLD water, too.
Stonetown is an experience, overcrowded, bustling, mayhem, throngs of people everywhere, horns honking, ancient buildings decaying next to scaffold laced new construction. The car parked in a lot near the water and our bags were toted through narrow, not so fragrant alleys, past street vendors and stalls of colorful crafts to the Emerson & Green hotel. As shown on the website, it's dark and Turkish in flavor, an experience to try, but maybe not to return to for creature comforts. We had to climb seriously steep and narrow high risered stairs to our room, pausing to regain breath at each landing. The room itself was cavernous, a tepid AC unit blew stuffy air around, the walls adorned with not one, but 3 portraits of Queen Elizabeth, the furnishings very dark and antique-flavored. Kitschy, very kitschy... Windows were covered in bars and screen, but you could hear the conversations in neighboring buildings and the chatter in the street below, definately a midcity accomodation.
A quick freshen up and we descended "the stairs" to meet back up with our guide for a late afternoon tour of Stonetown. We drove over to the Anglican church, toured the former slave market site, toured the markets, sampled lots of fruits we'd never seen, perused the spices markets for packets to take home and even popped into a school still in session at 5:00. Again, the classes were enormous, 60-70 students, 1 teacher. We walked through the winding alleys past craft shops, vendors of everything from shoes to Xbox games to paintings. It seemed we walked for miles, but in reality, the whole area is just a few blocks, tightly packed. At the harborfront, a film director's festival was going on, so people were assembled everywhere, an outdoor festival. The night markets were just beginning to open along the edge of the harbor, and the dhows were sailing people in and around.
We parted company with the guide and headed back to Emerson & Green. There, the desk clerk urged us to hurry upstairs for the dinner. We had planned on a little R&R, maybe a cold Kili, but his urging made us wash quick and head up the rest of the staircases to the rooftop restaurant. After the huffing and puffing hike, we reached the top level to find an open air dining room, cushions on the edges for seating, low tables near the floor, the appetizer course being served to all. Dinner was served course by course to the small group assembled on the cushions and low tables. The printed menu listed things I would never have ordered or tried, but as each course was served and I sampled each dish, each course became more enjoyable than the last. A violinist serenaded us as we dined, the stars twinkled and the view of the night city below was lovely, prettier in the dark than the congestion viewed during the day. Every day different in Africa - this was an unexpected surprise. Was it a little cheesy, a bit choreographed, yes, did the servers climb steep stairs toting meals and dishes up and down for our dining pleasure, yes. Was it memorable - like nowhere else!
In the morning, we climbed back up the stairs to the restaurant for breakfast. Tables and chairs had been carried up and a server took our breakfast order. In the morning light, you could see the ships in the harbor, the rusted tin roofs below, laundry drying on some, the tightly packed buildings that had been this city for centuries.
A driver picked us up for our final destination, a 45 minute drive to Matemwe Beach Village. We passed through the congestion of Stonetown and onto the road northeast, through fields of workers, past moderate homes made of mud or concrete, some finished, some in progress. The fabrics worn began to take on more color, not the black and white worn by so many in town. Traffic checkpoints along the way stopped us, the driver explained, for "papers" - taxes paid, up to date licenses.
Finally, we arrived in Matemwe Village, took off down a dusty road to the beach edge to the resort, a collection of little bungalow rooms dotted in the palm trees and banana plants. The main building was an open construction, a cushion covered seating area for relaxing, tables for dining, a bar area. Off to the side was a lovely pool. Waving to us from the water was a young guy we'd met at Moivaro who was waiting to climb Kili. Yay, we'd get to hear about his adventure!!
Off down a sandy path, shadowed with palm trees was the sparkling blue water of the Indian Ocean, snow white sand, a few lounge chairs, some seaweed scattered. A dive boat floated offshore, anchored until its next trip. Hammocks hung from trees here and there. There were a couple people out on lounge chairs, but other than than, sheer beauty and peace of the beach to enjoy by ourselves!!!
Bathing suits were on within minutes, our bungalow room itself quite plain and spartan, but at the beach, who stays in their room??
The last hours of our days in Zanzibar were spent lazing in the sun, catching rays that tanned even with SPF 30 on. We watched the dive boat go in and out, walked the sands for hours. The water was quite shallow, due to the outlying reef, but it was cold and wet and still refreshed. Local ladies came and gathered seaweed to dry on racks for commercial vending. Faye scheduled a massage, which she enjoyed immensely. The R & R was a pleasant surprise, we had no idea it would be so peaceful and private and totally relaxing. Dinner was buffet, served quite late, giving us nice evening time to chat with other guests in the cushioned lounge area. We caught up on the climbing Kili adventure.
In the morning we planned to squeeze a few more hours of sun basking, but we were called back for hotel check out at 11. That was disappointing, as our driver was coming at 3 and that left us with the choice of going to the plane in layers of Coppertone or cleaned up. As if to make it easier, the sun hid behind clouds for a while and a 10 minute shower sprinkled rain, so we cleaned up and relaxed in the lounge to await the driver.
The rest of the trip home was just the transportation stuff that we all know about, shopping for good deals in the airport gift shop (got some great spiced coffee bags for home and for gifts), navigating the mayhem and chaos that is Dar Eslam airport. After making it through the changing queue areas and the 2 hours it took just to get checked in, we headed up to the restaurant that was giving us a complimentary cold drink while we waited for our 2 hour delayed KLM flight. There we realized we had spent the last of our small bills and shillings, only a $50 bill left between the 2 of us. Then came the announcement of an additional 2 hour delay, where we looked at each other with a gulp - how would we eat without any money. Then they announced another 2 hour delay and we wilted. Where there's a will, there's a way - we scourged our backpacks like crazy until one of us found a spare $10 bill stashed somewhere. And we had a burger to hold us over. Fortunately, the delay announcements were overexxagerated and we were called to our flight within 4 hours, not the estimated 6. The flights home to Amsterdam and then Dulles were what they are - 8 1/2 hours each of sitting and hoping the seatmate will wake up so you can take a brief hike around the aisles. As we drank our coffee and had airline breakfast, we planned and dreamed aloud of our return trip to Africa.
So, thank you to all of the Fodorites who gave advice, shared safari stories and kept me planning this wonderful adventure. I am already reading your reports and getting ideas for the next time around. Yes, as Kimburu said, reading and posting are equally exciting!!!!
For those of you who shepherded me through the tse-tse bite reaction, thank you for not telling me what a dip I am and steering me to medical expertise! I ended up having emergency ankle surgery right afterwards, and the anesthesiologist had to contact the Infectious Disease lab for my records to know if we could do a spinal or not. Made for a fun time in the ER!!! AND.... it gave me time to say tse-tse a few more times, a bit more exotic than just mozzie bites....
Aug 28th, 2006, 03:52 PM
#36
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,222
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Deb, Nyamera's always one-upping everyone with her Swahili. Dang her. I don't know <b>what</b> she's saying any more. >
So I'll just repeat what she's said: asante sana kwa ripoti.
Great description of Stone Town. You must have been there for the Zanzibar International Film Festival--how cool.
Thanks for finishing, and I'm glad those bites healed up.
So I'll just repeat what she's said: asante sana kwa ripoti.Great description of Stone Town. You must have been there for the Zanzibar International Film Festival--how cool.
Thanks for finishing, and I'm glad those bites healed up.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
TMDickey
Africa & the Middle East
11
Nov 12th, 2010 02:48 PM
mjnbrown
Africa & the Middle East
24
Dec 21st, 2009 05:22 AM
freddy123
Africa & the Middle East
19
Jul 27th, 2004 01:53 AM
