After two taxi rides, three minibus rides, one long bus ride, and a ferry I have finally reached Zanzibar in Tanzania. The journey took me 2.5 days and a lot of sweating! But I made it :)
Crossing the boarder to Tanzania was not a problem as I had my US$50 for the visa and I happened to meet a friendly Japanese couple traveling to Malawi at immigration. We changed money (Kwacha to Shilling) and travel stories and updated each other on where to go, how much to pay and where to stay. So I got my itinerary already set up on which hostel to stay at and how much to pay for the minibuses. I just love fellow backpackers!
Besides these two I did not meet any other muzungus on my trip and traveled alone the whole way to Dar es Salaam. The bus journey from Mbeya to Dar was long and hot but with plenty of food stops. The road goes through a nature reserve and I managed to spot for the first time in my life a living giraffe munching away on a tall tree. I also saw some elephants, buffalos and those deer looking animals. I was probably the most excited passenger on the bus (well the only tourist) as the locals did not seem to care about the beautiful animals.
In Dar es Salaam, I managed to ignore all the hassling taxi drivers by giving them the silent treatment (they do not like that one) and find the dalla-dalla (cramped mini-buses) to the city center. The Japanese couple had recommended me to stay at the YWCA (cheap and clean) and I managed to find it easily after asking for directions from the rastafari dude in the dalla dalla. At the YWCA I met another single traveler, Nanhee from Korea, and we headed out together to get some lovely street food. For 2000 shilling (something like 1 Euro) I managed to get a two egg omelet with french fries and a salad topped with red pinkish tomato sauce, which I ate with a toothpick! Well, I ended up eating with my hands after the failed attempt to eat salad with a tooth pick.... By the way, tooth picks are popular utensils here in Africa, unless you eat with your right hand. After dinner I had a well deserved shower and a good nights sleep. Bright and early at 6am I was already wide :S awake and off to hassle my ticket to the ferry. The ride to Zanzibar was really nice and only took 1.5h but I also paid US$35 for the fast ride. After cruising around in Stonetown and getting somewhat lost (Stonetown is like Venice, just a big maze of small alleys and streets) I managed to find a decent hotel for a decent price. And since we are living in the 21st century, I already managed to get recommendations on where to eat and where to go in Stonetown from my fellow backpacker friend Bree, who sits across the globe in Alberta, Canada, by chatting to her on Facebook while writing this blog. Small world, isn't it?!
So I am off to explore ZanZiBaR and enjoy some good quality time with the island :)
Until next,
xoxo
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