'the spice island'

(Written (very) ex post- using diary extracts)

Back in Dar es Saleem in Tanzania having been over on the island of Zanzibar just off the coast for a few days. Dar es Saleem itself is pretty mental- really busy and quite different to the countryside we have been used to, and the Islamic influence on the city is very apparent. The main town, Stonetown, in Zanzibar is full of markets and its famous spices. We spend some time in a camp on the north of the island at a place called Nungwi, which is near a kind of 'resort'- and have a number of nights enjoying the amazing seafood, beachfront bars and nightlife there. One particular memorable moment is when in the village I stop to see about 30/40 wee boys and men crowded round a wee tv watching Liverpool playing in the premiership. Our boat ride back from Zanzibar proves to be particularly rough and pretty hairy, and with most of the group hung-over from a night's drinking previously, is a bit of a sick bag experience for much of the group… Our next stage is to head on a long journey up towards Mount Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti….