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Zanzibar has many sides. Indian Ocean paradise with swaying palm trees overlooking crystal blue waters and pristine white beaches. Mysterious marketplaces where the senses are overwhelmed with the scents of a hundred spices and the sounds of haggling in another hundred foreign tongues. A historical crossroads of trade and power between ancient East, West, and African cultures. I managed to find all three in my short week on this tropical island off the east coast of Africa.
I had planned to visit for a week of fun dives and unwinding on the beach after months of working hard in the Seychelles, but finding a place to stay where I wanted was turning out to be impossible. I finally settled on a small beach lodge just outside the main town for a couple of nights, and would plan the rest of my stay from there. I spent some time exploring the twisting alleys and markets of Stonetown. I visited local museums, ancient forts, and art galleries. I dove in warm waters (medium vis,) with beautifel reefs teeming with fish and healthy coral. (And found some cool new corals - GVI has made me a coral geek!) The rest of my time I lazed along the miles of white sandy beaches in Jambiani. Running along the tideline at dawn, reading and relaxing in and out of the sun all day, and enjoying fresh seafood by torchlight under the stars at night.
Now it's my last day on a beach and there's sand in between my toes. There's also some in my ears, my hair, my pockets, the velcro on my watchband, and by the tiny itch I'm feeling I bet there's a grain or two in my butt I must have missed in the shower, too. It's Zanzibar sand - very white, powder fine - the kind that is hard to get rid of - and I know I will be finding gritty traces of it in the things I'm carrying for a long time to come. It will mix with the sand I've picked up from all the beaches and islands in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sulawesi and the Seychelles I've visited, and soon the dust from the African Savannah and historic cities of Europe will be added to it.
These tiny unintentional souvenirs join the more conventional ones I've picked up along the way - lots of pictures, some t-shirts, and a gift or two. But what's really special to me are the things I've gained that are less tangible but just as solid - experiences, friends, stories, attitudes, outlooks, lessons, new perspectives, and the chance to share it all with you here.
I can squish my toes around and make little sand piles because I'm just finishing breakfast and that's one of the perks of sitting at a table on the beach. I'm enjoying Jambiani, on the east coast of Zanzibar where the almost deserted beach runs for miles in both directions. Blue green waters lap quietly and warm tradewinds waft traces of seasalt and exotic flowers across my browned body. I take a sip of my tea, stare down the gecko who seems to be debating a raid on my last piece of pineapple, and concentrate to fix this moment in my mind. Sadly, these are the last few hours of sun, sand and sea I will have for a while. After this meal, I will be heading inland to mainland Africa and eventually on to Europe and home to the States, so I don't know when I might have another magic moment like this. I'm not looking for pity, (after this trip, it's not likely you'd give me any, anyway,) it's just I've come to realize I'm a person who is called to the sea and it's unsettling not to know when I'll see her again. Soon, I hope...
A last chestful of ocean air, a long glance towards the blue horizon, and a half-hearted attempt at rubbing the sand off my feet just before I don my flip-flops and I'm off...
Stay wet and a little sandy,
Clement
PS: Now I'm ready to head to mainland Africa for a safari adventure!
