Another blissful morning at the beach.
We arrived here exhausted from our all night journey from Dubai. The first thing that struck me while waiting at the Kenya Airlines gate in Dubai was the colour. After all the black and white in Dubai ( men in white, women in black) it was wonderful to see the colourful headdresses of the African women.
We transited in Nairobi and flew over Kilimanjaro getting an amazing view of the top. Touched down at Kilimanjaro then finally to Zanzibar international airport, a primitive shed, where we got visas and passed through customs without mishap.
Our pre arranged driver was waiting for us and it took us over an hour to reach our destination
Driving up here the scenery was kind of familiar yet different. The same crowded poverty stricken villages we have seen in other countries reminding us again and again of how wealthy we are in environment, climate and material wealth.
Pete was feeling quite unwell and pretty much went to bed and didn't get up til this morning missing a whole day. He was feverish all day yesterday and had we already reached a malaria area we might have been quite concerned.
The people here are mostly friendly and helpful. It is a tourist area with lots of Africans from mainland Nairobi and Kenya trying to eke out a living selling souvenirs to the visitors. Their selling technique is quite sophisticated. They approach me on the beach and work on building a relationship by asking questions and willingly sharing info about their own lives. After 20 or 30 minutes they invite me to look at their shop. I haven't met anyone yet who has any idea where NZ is and mostly they have never heard of it. They speak Swahili , Egyptian and some English. It seems that getting through primary school is achievable somehow but to have enough money to go to secondary school is a real struggle and many just can't do it. University is out of the question. I met some young Masai men who must be 19 years and are here for 3 months trying to make some money to go to secondary school.
Yesterday evening a young man had a very intense conversation with me. He said his father had had 8 wives and had died recently at age 92. Robbie's wife had left him with a little boy and gone off to Canada where her sister lived. He was desperately trying to put his 5 year old into school by selling stuff here while the child lived with Robbies mother near Mombasa. There are hardly any tourists at the moment so it must be slim pickings.
I had a lovely massage from a woman who seems to be very popular and have no competition. She went off and bought some fruit for me at local price.
We feel very safe and secure here at our airbnb and wish we didn't have to move on.
Just before sundown the kids and young men come out to play as seems to be the way at days end in the tropics. Soccer and frizbee on the beach. Even the animals come out. Little kid goats, dogs and chooks.
Pete is feeling a lot better today although we are both a bit low. Tomorrow evening we fly to Lilongwe and then we can say goodbye to air travel for a few weeks thank goodness.