EDITOR NOTE: Due to an inordinate amount of “activities” in which we partook during our “relaxing” time in Zanzibar, this blog post has exceeded the normal/digestible length for most readers. Thus, it has been split into 2 parts. Feel free to read, peruse, or just gloss over at your discretion. I’ll personally meet you in the photo section: Part 1 – The Travel Bits After a week of travelling within the remote East African savannah, and the Spice Island of Zanzibar awaiting our arrival, we were confronted with 2 options on how to reach our intended destination. Both of which involved making fairly significant “sacrifices” (at least in the opinion of someone who considers the below two options, actual discernible choices):
With the decision all but making itself (sorry boys, technical college awaits!), we departed our camp for the nearby Seronera Airstrip – A literal patch of gravel carved out of the Serengeti savannah. After a heartfelt farewell to our trusty Toyota Land Cruiser, we handed the keys over to a gentleman who had recently flown-in from Arusha, having drawn the short straw to drive our 4x4, back to Arusha (like I said, this option cost a bit of $$$). At which point, we boarded our semi-private 12-seater Cessna, and watched as the grassy plains and Acacia trees slowly disappeared into the distance below. After a brief, albeit fairly bumpy, 60-minute journey, we landed in the bustling city of Arusha (~9 oh-so-glorious hours ahead of our Land Cruiser), and were quickly informed that our connecting flight was “unavailable” (i.e. what aviation experts deem an “airplane hangover”). However, thanks to the wonder that is African domestic travel (i.e. customer service > capitalistic greed), we were transferred over to a completely different airline, for no additional cost. An airline, if I may add, was twice as expensive as our originally-booked option. Queue up Charlie Sheen #winning. Ninety more minutes later, and we were welcomed to the final destination of our Tanzanian adventure -- An island of pristine white sand beaches, turquoise blue waters, and most importantly, smooth asphalt roads -- The perfect remedy to heal my ailing ribs, which had developed a chronic “soreness” after 7-days of death-gripping our 4x4s steering wheel. (Intermission / Bathroom Break) Part 2 – The Zanzibar Bits Now, before jumping into the highlights of our time in Zanzibar, I thought it prudent to provide a bit of a historical background on this unique African island, with another segment of: The Not Another Damn Travel Blog History Guide to Zanzibar: While relatively small in size, spanning only 53 miles in length and only 24 in “girth,” Zanzibar’s modest geographical footprint is greatly overshadowed by the historical importance this semi-autonomous island nation has had on the world. An influence that began as early as the 1st century, when Unguja, as it is known today in Swahili, was deemed the unofficial trading port for the entire eastern coast of Africa (due primarily to the fact that the wind just kept blowing everyone’s boats its way). Over the centuries, Zanzibar became a literal blending pot of cultures, as influences from traders in Arabia, Persia & India, combined with those of colonial occupiers of Portugal, Oman & Great Britain. To the point, where in the 19th century, Zanzibar was known worldwide, and had earned a notorious reputation as host to two of the most popular exports at the time – Spices & Slaves. And while one of these exports thankfully met its deserved demise over two centuries ago, spices still reign supreme in Zanzibar, as does the remnants of centuries of inter-mixing cultures, ideas & most importantly, food. And with your history lesson officially complete, onto the highlights:
And of course, not to be omitted, the ever-entertaining lowlights:
So yeah, overall, definitely not the “best” experience in terms of renting a vehicle. However, with 19 of 20 lug nuts present, and a semi-functional window operating unit, we were successfully able to travel from A to B, which I guess is all you can ask for at the end of the day?
And with that, I leave with you no more words, and a handful of pics:
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PRIOR BLOG POSTS: Year Abroad Intro: • Welcome to our Newest Blog! Again! • The Move - Dissected, Probed and Then Probed Some More • The Voyage (Part 1) - If At First You Don't Succeed, Trying Again Won't Work Either • The Voyage (Part 2) - The Layover to Rule All Other Layovers • A Personal Life Update - Establishing Our Shallow Roots A Guide to South Africa: • How to be an Expat When You Aren't Technically an Expat (Part 1 - Bank Accounts) • How to be an Expat, When You Aren't Technically an Expat (Part 2 - Health Insurance) • Load Shedding - Keeping the Lights Off in South Africa Since 2007 • 195 Ways to Fight a Pandemic - The South Africa Edition • Halloween in South Africa - Playing Catch-Up Since 2016 • SnapScan - South Africa's Glimpse into America's Future • Thanksgiving in South Africa - Where My Turkeys Be At? • Life at the Epicenter of Omicron - A Different Type of Cancel Culture • Playgrounds - The Starbucks of South Africa • Cost of Living in South Africa - An Exploratory Journey of Everyday Expenses Trips: • Namibia Roadtrip (1 of 3) - Driving a Shake Weight to Sossusvlei • Namibia Roadtrip (2 of 3) - Searching for Souls in Swakopmund • Namibia Roadtrip (3 of 3) - Getting our Safari on at Etosha National Park • Weekend Getaway in Robertson - A Trip Down Pleasantville Lane • Summer Holiday Trip (1 of 3) - Glamping Without the Glam in the Drakensberg Mountains • Summer Holiday Trip (2 of 3) - The Historical Chronicles of Kruger National Park • Summer Holiday Trip (3 of 3) - Searching for Whales and Spare Tires in the Overberg • Visitors Round 1 - The Woodmans - An Expedited Exploration of Everything • The Great Wildebeest Migration - 15 Years of Waiting Decided in 15 Minutes • Ngorongoro Crater - A Pre-Migration Layover Inside an Inverted Volcano • Ndutu - The Safari to Rule All Other Safaris • Serengeti National Park - Seeking Out Simba at an Abandoned Pride Rock • Zanzibar - The Island of Sugar, Spice and Most Things Nice • Visitors Round 2 - Let's Ignore Our Sanity & Do All The Things • Wild Coast - A Little Tatse of the O.G. South Africa Cape Towning: • Spring Break in September - Just as Strange as it Sounds • A Day in the Life of a South African Expat - The Visual Edition • A Wrinkle in Our Spare Time • Our Final Week in South Africa - A Bittersweet Symphony of Bucket Lists The Other Stuff: • This is 40: The South Africa Version |