Zanzibar to Zambia

I left my camera in its bag for much of the next portion of the adventure, and just soaked in the sun and water.  First on the priorities list was two days of relaxation on the tropical island of Zanzibar.

Photo: Franny Crompton

Zanzibar is an island off the eastern coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, with a current population of over one million people.  Tanganyika and Zanzibar were once two separate states, until unified into Tanzania in 1964.  Initially colonized by Persians, the Middle Eastern influence on Zanzibar and the coastal Dar Es Salaam is delightfully different from the rest of Tanzania.

Photo: Chelsey Marques

We spent most of our time by the pool and in the ocean, which was almost uncomfortably hot.  The entire region was the hottest part of our Africa trip, and the humidity could drive you insane.  Fortunately, this was also the only spot we had air conditioned rooms!

Photo: Chelsey Marques

We finally did venture out of the pool to seek some adventure on a banana boat dragged by a jet ski.  It was a wild ride; spitting the salty water, digging heels in on a quick turn, then spectacularly soaring from the inflatable banana into the ocean.  We returned to shore battered, sunburnt, wedgied, salted, and giggly.

On our last evening in this paradise, we stopped for sundowners on a rooftop, sipping our two-for-ones on a comfortable couch as the heat finally dissipated for the night.  With the sun fully below the horizon, we met the group for dinner at a table right on the beach under the sky full of stars, toes in the sand.

Photo: Franny Crompton

Photo: Franny Crompton

Visiting a spice plantation the following day, I learned how much I never knew about the spices that I use with every meal.  I had never even thought of cinnamon being the striped bark of a tree that rolls dry in the sun, or pepper being the fruit of a vine, or cloves being individually picked from its fruit at the precise time the tree is ready. 

A coconut harvester showed us how they scale the tall, branch-less trees, using a loop around their feet for traction, and fingers interlaced.  Feet jump, hug, hands up, feet jump.  He sang us a beautiful song we'd hear frequently, a welcome to Africa in a deep, travelling vibrato.  Jambo, jambo, hakuna matata.

We spent the last night in Zanzibar getting lost down the myriad alleyways in the magical Stone Town.  Down the narrow streets, every wooden door was ornate and colourful, and saturated market stalls beckoned, with calls of "Mambo, you are welcome, everything is very cheap".  Electrical lines swept above, where open shuttered windows tempted in a salty breeze.  By the pier, kids were jumping off the railings into the littered waters of the ocean, climbing back up on each other's backs and a murky drain pipe, laughing and flailing wildly.  We got ice cream from a vendor who sang us the Jambo song, and were surprised when our full circle brought us back to familiar sights without any need for maps.  Catching the ferry back to mainland the following morning and embarking on a long drive to Malawi, my head was filled with thoughts of the beautiful island I was not expecting from Africa.

Photo: Steve Richmond

Photo: Steve Richmond

In Malawi, we spent two nights at Kande Beach, right on the second largest freshwater lake in the world.  Jana, Franny, Steve and I borrowed paddleboards and kicked and flailed over to an island nearly a kilometre from the shore.  Arriving exhausted, we padded barefoot over the hot rocks to explore, watching the colourful fish in the shoals and looking back at the shore.  On the way back, everyone held the three paddleboards together, and I used the one paddle we'd borrowed to maneuver our raft back to land while my friends laid back and griped about how slow we were progressing.  They probably should have flipped over at some point on the ride, and were bright pink on one half by the time we rejoined the volleyball game.

We met up with Banjo, a local man who links up with G to show us what life is like for them in this lakeside village.  He had us all over for a home cooked meal, and with the beating of a drum, kids came streaming in from all directions to greet us, hold our hands, and lead the way.  After dinner, they sang and danced, and those kids can really move it.  We were later paired up with a kid each to learn how to shake it like an African.  We were terrible.

South Luangwa National Park was our first stop in Zambia, and we camped along the river among hippos and baboons.  A family of elephants came right to the water's edge on the opposite side and drank to their fill, then splashed and waded halfway across the river toward us.  Impala cautiously grazed on the bank, and hippos surfaced to yawn widely.

We had our first of many campfires here underneath the full moon, hippos grunting in the water.  Started trying to play with nighttime photography, and had some fun with the embers shooting off the fire.  Overnight, the baboons raided the bar, and I wandered over in the morning to see the big papa still lounging on a recliner.  

Time to settle back into the truck for another long, sweaty drive stopping only for bushy bushy - Victoria Falls bound!

Photo: Chelsey Marques

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