Tz 30th Aug flight.
Only annoying thing was the lady in the aisle seat couldn’t get her seat to go back so she moved into the empty seat next to me for the flight duration to Addis. She is a Rwandan MP and I have her business card which I might use of at a later date..!!
4 hours wait Addis. Queueing planes to leave Addis…25 mins delay. 2 and a quarter hours to Dar. All flights good. Nice food..chicken. New immigration system at Julius Nyerere Intl. 1st window passport checked..given a ticket. 2nd phase is to pay the 50usd to the bank and get a receipt. 3rd window passport gets stamped. Then baggage reclaim.
I walked off in the direction of the main road. First, a guy on a boda tried to get me to go back to the terminal. I ignored him. Then a couple at a gate said I should go back. I ignored them too and walked even faster as the road was in sight. Only 10 minute walk from terminal to main road. Maybe one just isn’t supposed to wander away from the terminal. Anyway I got away with it. Into a dala dala…front seat. Cost 500 bob…20 pence…30 mins to Kariakoo. Got a bit lost in the side streets but
eventually found the Congolese bar. Had a couple of drinks then checked into Riki Hill htl….30,000tsh. Went around the corner for dinner. Disaster as I tried to open the salt shaker..most of it went over my meal. My beans and rice tasted awful. Over to 24/7 for a Kvant nightcap.
Thurs 31st …was errand day. Into the city to reactivate my Airtel Sim; incl queueing it took well over an hour. Went to the ATM for 600,000. Walked over to the ferry port. The ticket to Zanzibar is still 35usd but it now equates to 98,000 instead of 80,000tsh. Went to A T room for a nice tea; no sign of Happy. Then back to the hotel room. Relaxed on my little balcony. Bought some very nice chevda. Visited the Congolese bar and watched a Spurs match at 24/7. Didn’t have any dinner as the big breakfast seemed to suffice for the whole day.
Fri 1st Sept. Following another nice breakfast I checked out of the hotel and headed off for the 09:30 ferry to Zanzibar. I first called in at the Airtel shop where they adjusted my phone settings so that I could access my phone data. Almost immediately boarded the ferry for the hour and a half crossing. Had a long chat with a Nigerian who had lived many years in England before emigrating to Canada.
By pure luck I easily found the Aurelia Htl in Stone Town where I’ve stayed on my two previous visits. Although it was midday, a room wouldn’t be ready for an hour and a half. I wandered around…but not too far as I was still carrying my rucksack and the humidity was pretty high. Had a coffee. Checked where the dala dalas to Paje departed from. Had another coffee in a little place right next to the hotel. My room unfortunately was at the back with no balcony or windows, but very comfortable and I was only going to be there 2 nights anyway.
I ate 4 samosas from the little cafe on the corner then walked down to the waterfront and along to Patamu pub. Nice to be back there with people welcoming me back. By 16:30 I was at Travellers cafe which Jinx seemed to visit nearly every evening. I was half an hour early for Happy hour but 30 mins went by quickly and I was able to pay 5,000 per beer which was a 1,000 saving per bottle. Great sunset and pictures, which was to be expected from the pictures that Jinx posted. I made the mistake of going to the Spice Palace rooftop bar for a nightcap…which probably meant I was over my drink limit. What should’ve been a 5 minute walk took me at least 15 minutes…..I never did get the hang of those narrow, windy streets. I wasn’t hungry and just had peanuts and chevda in my room and went to sleep.
After a fantastic breakfast I found the old boy a few minutes walk away who makes the best ginger tea. After that it was a matter of walking around the streets and taking in the culture and taking pics. I lay on the beach for an hour or so. Back to the hotel for a shower and then all roads lead to the waterfront and to Patamu and Travellers. Another beautiful sunset.
I was feeling hungry that evening and found the place I frequented before for their delicious urojo. On the way back to the hotel I stopped for a couple of slices of octopus dipped in chili sauce. Then to bed.
Sun 3rd. After breakfast I checked out of the hotel and I walked to the dala dala stand where I immediately boarded a vehicle to Paje. 15 minutes to Mwanakwerekwe then boarded a dala dala the rest of the way to Paje, which took just over an hour. It wasn’t too uncomfortable despite it being the type where you have to bend double when you climb in. I disembarked, got my bearings and headed in the direction of the sea. Of course I was asked if I needed accommodation. It was hot and I accepted the first lodging I was shown. One room of three in a little house that was obviously newly built. Room basic but comfortable and with a/c. Cost 70,000 not incl breakfast and I paid for 3 days. Not sure if I could’ve done better, but high season at a very touristy east coast of Zanzibar so I just accepted it.
Sun 3rd – Tues 5th. Food wise I had one rice and maharage at Africana, which was average. I had one urojo. I had samosas twice. I had mandazi once for breakfast. Otherwise, I topped up with cashew nuts in my room in the evening with a small bottle of Konyagi. I had an expensive beer (7,000tsh) at Zula on the seafront so I could have access to Internet. Actually it was a lovely place to sit and watch all the activities and the world go by on the beach. The other times I drank a couple of beers at Africana for 4,000 per bottle. A lot of places charged 8,000 and Aluna which was very near me, charged 10,000.
Otherwise, my time at Paje was spent walking up and down the beach and visiting the Africana pub every evening. Apart from good beer prices it was a good place to meet people. I chatted with a Kiwi, a couple of Brits and had a really fun conversation with a Swedish couple on their honeymoon. Had to explain why I had a son with a Swedish name.
Paje…very long, white sandy beach. Wider than Diani. Shallower than Diani. No coral. Reef much further out. Concentration of beach bars and hotels. Everything on offer from massages, kite surfing, Maasai trinkets, coconut juice & cashew nut sellers, boat rides, so many souvenir/curio shops jam packed with merchandise….Although a bit irritating when touting for business, the people generally are so polite. I enjoyed my 3 days in Paje, but once you’d walked the beach a few times there wasn’t much else to do. But what a beach; overall nicer than Diani…
6th & 7th. Back to Stone Town. I caught the normal shaped dala dala and it took just under an hour. I’d phoned ahead to ensure a nice room at Aurelia, and this time I got windows and a balcony.
It’s always enjoyable wandering the Stone Town streets. I drank ginger tea. I ate urojo. On the 6th I also had a few slices of squid, but the next day I got a discount on two whole squids. Normally 3,000 each but I paid 5,000 for the two i.e. £1.50….fantastic value, and dipped in chilli sauce of course. And there were the sunsets…. On the 7th I walked into Patamu and an American guy was playing Africa by Toto on his phone, which made me very happy. Had a long chat with him.
I absolutely loved Zanzibar…so much going on along the waterfront and the narrow streets are fun. And there is a beach to relax on. A real good mix of activities and you can choose how cheaply/expensively you want to eat and drink. I booked a ferry back to Dar and the $35 this time equated to 95,000tsh. I booked the 12:30 ferry so I could have a relaxing morning. I decided to return to Dar as I knew I would be saving 40,000.on accommodation.
Sounds like a great trip!