We stayed overnight in a lovely farmhouse in Iringa where we had a traditional(?) Malawian dinner of roast beef and veggies! We had an awful 4am start the next morning and had breakfast on the road at about 7am - we were all very grumpy!! We arrived in Dar Es Salaam where it was so hot and sticky, it was really unpleasant. All the locals were pushing and shoving as we got on the ferry to our campsite by the beach. We didn't see much of Dar except out of the truck window while driving through but I don't think we missed all that much!

The following morning we caught the ferry to Zanzibar and spent the afternoon wandering around Stonetown, the capital. Myself, Kian, Helen, Kyle and Jessica arranged dinner at a fancy hotel where you sit on the rooftop in Lawrence of Arabia style. I had a telephone interview that evening and Kian asked the manager (who was western) if it would be possible for me to use one of the bedrooms for an hour. He agreed at no charge which was great so I had a fancy four poster bed for my interview - only problem was that as soon as the guy called me, the call to prayer started so all he could hear was wailing in the background.

The following morning we went via the fish and meat market (yuk!) to a spice farm which was interesting and tasted some of the fresh spices straight from the trees and bushes. After some local tea (including masala which was really spicy and nice), we went to our guide's home for lunch and then drove on to Nuguweni Beach where we stayed in a hotel right on the sand. Relaxation! I booked a dive for the next morning and arranged to buddy with Marcus (you know what I'm like with the trust and diving thing!). I had heard so many stories from people who said Zanzibar was the best diving they had ever done so I was pretty excited. Well, what a mistake that was! We were on a tiny boat on a very rough sea and it was horrendous. 10 minutes into the first dive, our dive master said we should go up but we didn't understand why. When we got to the surface, he said we had dived in the wrong spot - great! So he really knew what he was doing eh?! We drove a bit further and went back in (on half a tank - hmm, not sure if that's so sensible. The visibility was pretty bad and there was very little to see. We got back on the boat and about 5 minutes later I started feeling sick and then it started - nonstop puking!! I was hanging over the edge of the boat, almost in the water. They gave me motion sickness pills but I just threw them straight back up. I knew I would be better back in the water so as soon as we pulled up to start the 2nd dive, I was desperate to get my gear on. Once ready (and totally weighted down with the tank!), I needed to puke again and someone had to hold onto me to ensure I didn't fall in - awful! I finally made it in the water and was desperate to get under as soon as possible, once below the surface I was fine (thank goodness as I was dreading having the first experience of puking through my regulator). This dive was even worse with maybe a max of 2m visibility - what a waste of time. As soon as I got to the surface, I was sick again - ugh. What a relief when we finally arrived on dry land again.

After my horrific morning, I had as stodgy pasta lunch and then slept for about 2 hours, followed by a deep tissue massage which was very welcome. Myself, Kian, Helen, Kyle, Marcus, Tanya and Liz booked dinner in the neighbouring hotel which was very romantic (hmm, for 7 of us?!) overlooking the sea in candlelight. Unfortunately the service was appalling and we all spent the evening moaning instead of enjoying one another's company. Never mind.

Zanzibar was ok but nothing like I expected. Even Stonetown wasn't as colourful as I thought it would be. I enjoyed the relaxation though and I'm glad I had the chance to go.

As usual, check out the latest pics on picasa.....