At the end of my volunteer in Tanzania, I took a short solo trip to Lushoto and Zanzibar. I didn't expect to stay Zanzibar long since I didn't like the place full with tourists (especially Aug is high season). It ended out it was the most amazing days I had in Tanzania.
I opted for Jambiani (east coast) than Nungwi (north coast) since it's more quiet (less touristic).
It was absolutely a right choice for me. The staff at Garden Bungalow made me feel like family. At the first day, Muddy (the guy in the pic) asked if I wanted to help at the bar since there was a party at night. I said yeah why not even though I had no previous experience. All I needed to do was taking care of the cash and, of course, served beers to customers. I forgot to open the cap when I served the first beer.
Failed.
It was really fun tho.
Sailing on the traditional boat and snorkelling was the BEST TIME! The ocean was turquoise, clean and warm. It was interesting to see them manuver the boat by changing the orientation of canvas while standing on the racks. I gave it a try (just standing on the rack not helping with anything) and it was REALLY FUN!!
Finally got a chance doing yoga outdoor. It's also a wonderful place for meditation. I felt life was good while looking at the peaceful water.
Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a historic place with diverse culture. When I came to Zanzibar, I noticed people look quite different than the people in Moshi (mostly Chagga tribe). In Zanzibar, it's a mixture of Indian, Arab, different tribes in Tanzanian mainland...
I was sitting at Forodhani around sunset. At night, it got lots of street vendors that you can try some special local food that you can't even find in Tanzania mainland.
One thing I felt bizarre was the prices for the boat and hotels were different for local and mzungu (white people). I understand that tourist industry is the important income for Tanzania. Zanzibar has attracted lots of international tourists and raised quite a lot in recent years. (A local said reminiscently that Zanzibar has changed a lot.) But tourists don't get better service by paying more. The price difference is about triple or more - which is not friendly for a student.
In the morning, fishermen came back to the harbor. Cats were waiting around vendors for remains. This would be a good place to buy some fresh fishes and other seafood. You can ask a restaurant to cook it for you if you don't have a kitchen.
Goodbye Zanzibar.
It had been really amazing. I will come back one day.