East African Safari

At 5.25am I was awoken by the telephone ringing. It was an alarm call which we had not ordered, being polite I said, “Thank you” the reply was “You are welcome”. I lay there worrying whether we should get up or not, reason prevailed and I stayed where I was because Edward said yesterday evening “I will see you in Reception at 8.00am”. After breakfast we went to tell them about the call and after consulting the list decided it was No. 46, which was not written distinctly, should have had the call.

After arranging for some washing to be done we met Edward at the appointed hour and we drove down into the Crater where we spent the next nine hours. On the way down we spotted a Masai with a herd of cattle and goats, it was a precipitous walk for man and beast. It seems that once upon a time the Masai used to live down in the crater until the Government moved them out for conservation purposes and now they are only allowed to take their animals down to take water from the lakes once a day. The first thing we saw was a male lion with a kill, further along an enormous herd of Buffalo and later when we returned to the kill the vultures were there with hyenas waiting for the pickings. Today we have seen Kongoni or Hartebeest for the first time, the other animals jackals, zebra, wildebeest, elephant, ostriches, hippos in the pool on their sides because the water is spring fed and not so deep. We were looking forward to seeing Pink Flamingos in the Soda Lakes but there were very few, we did see some in flight but it was not the same spectacle as we would have seen in Kenya. The most impressive thing was the hundreds of Zebra and Wildebeest gathered on the bank of the Mumbe River. The animals would wade for a drink, something would frighten them they would all rapidly climb out repeating the exercise with frequency. Before we went off for to eat picnic lunch by a lake we came across a gathering of safari vehicles with a Ranger. We learned that a rhino with a four day old baby was lying down in the grass and it should be getting up soon as it was around the time to feed the baby. We waited and waited but it wasn’t going to oblige so we left. As with all the picnic lunches provided by the lodges it was more than adequate and enough to feed two people. Running around on the bank were Guinea Fowl practised at eliciting food from the tourists. We then returned to the place where the mother and baby were but they had moved on.

We came across an extraordinary sight, where the male ostrich, his neck was pink indicating he was in season doing his best to gain the attention of the female in order to mate. With outstretched wings and head bowed he was going a mating dance, after some time the female began the same behaviour and it was obvious it was going to take some time so we abandoned the courtship. Earlier in the day we had seen a group of five ostriches, two male and three female one of whom was showing, unluckily for her the males were not interested. Edward then glimpsed through binoculars a lioness with two cubs but not visible to the naked eye. John expressed an interest in seeing some black rhino, we drove around for ages without sighting one and then at 6.00pm Edward announced “That’s it, the end of the safari”. We started the return journey passing a large rock mound which served as a den for a hyena family with two cubs peeping out. The journey up the track out of the crater seemed a lot steeper than when we ascended this morning.

On arrival back at the Lodge we went for a short walk up the drive as we had seen a plaque on the way in from the Land Cruiser. We learned from it that the Aga Khan had built the lodge and he had opened it two years before. It was built sympathetically to blend in with the terrain, unlike the other lodges that could be seen from the crater floor, it was literally covered with bit grey pebbles. John took a photograph of the plaque and a Masai asked him if he would like to take a photograph of him but as we already had one we declined his offer. It was probably not appreciated as everyone is looking for a dollar,

Before dinner we remembered we had put out laundry to be done whilst we were out for the day and needed clean clothes so we phoned internally and it was delivered. Whilst having a drink before dinner Edward came and sat with us, we asked him would he like a drink, he asked for a Coca Cola. We have noticed most Africans prefer not to drink alcohol, but in conversation we got the impression he used to drink once. We were informed that we would be leaving at 8.00am the following morning for the Mobile Camp.

Wake up call at 5.30am with a tray of tea. We then went out to the front of the lodge and met Richard and a Swiss couple and left for our last game drive at 6.30am. We visited the area where the cheetah and three small cubs were two days ago but she had moved as the cubs are now strong enough to move around. Great excitement as we came across a pride of lions with two fully grown males, one dominant, they are brothers and brothers do not fight one another, two lionesses with four cubs whose manes were just beginning to grow. We then came across a family of jackals, parents and three young who feed from their parents who regurgitate the food. In amongst the trees were two lots of giraffe and on the grassland two herds of impala, Grant gazelles and then it was time to return for breakfast, pack, go to reception to pay and it was time to leave.

We enjoyed the short experience of staying in the Mara Club Lodge where once again it was comfortable the staff attentive and always smiling. The food was incredible. For every meal apart from breakfast we were served soup at the table and then we chose from the buffet which seemed to groan with food and always delicious. At breakfast if one wanted eggs they were cooked for you as and when you were ready. It was all luxurious and the tents set in beautifully kept gardens and of course the hippos.

We were taken back to the airstrip, the plane landed and we were the only passengers to board.
The Air Hostess gave us our tickets for our onward journey to Manyara. The plane a DASH 7, 4 engine, took off, landed on three more airstrips for other lodges and then onto Wilson Airport where we were greeted with the question, “Are you the party going to Kilimanjaro”? We were rushed through immigration and customs and then loaded onto a small plane, Air Kenya with 24 seats when we arrived at Kilimanjaro we were met by a representative from Elite Travel with the itinerary for the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti. We were taken into the airport building where we had to pay $50 each for International Airport tax and $5 each for local airport tax. We then boarded a 19 seat Regional Airservice plane, the same type we had flown in from Zanzibar to Tanga. We dropped into Arusha Airport where a few passengers alighted then took off and arrived at Manyara Airport three quarters of an hour later.

Edward our driver/guide met us with his reasonably new land cruiser, he will be our guide for the rest of the safari. The road to begin with was brand new and once again the money came from the Japanese Government, unfortunately the road deteriorated after 5 kms and the time to reach the Ngorongoro Crater took two hours after 70 kms. We had to wait for a while for Edward to do whatever was necessary at the entrance to the Reserve. We went into a building selling cards and maps, there were all sorts of people around with vehicles in various states of repair also waiting to arrange the paper work to pass through.

On the way Edward had told us the story of the Mbulu people. In the 18th Century a tribe called Iraquwe from North Africa travelled down to Kenya to settle. This however was not possible because the land already belonged to the indigenous tribes so they kept walking into Tanganiyka, Tanzania today, where they had the same problem as the land belonged to the Masai people. A compromise was reached if they went over the mountain of Ngorongoro they could settle there. They are the grain growers in Tanzania and are the only people to grow grain in Tanzania, wheat grown for bread and barley for beer. In the same area there is a small tribe of Bushmen, they number 99 in all and it is possible to arrange a visit. It is believed the Mbulu originate from or near Ethiopia because some of their words are similar.

On the way to the lodge as we passed along the top of the Crater, Edward stopped at the Memorial and burial place of Bernard Grzimek . This man had spent years of his life working for the Serengeti and was responsible for it becoming a Reserve making it safer for the animals. He was also responsible for the film, “Serengeti Shall not Die”. He and his son, Michael, worked together on the film and sadly Michael when flying his plane over the Crater had an accident and died.
Eventually we arrived at the Serene Lodge overlooking the Crater. We were greeted at Reception with Mango Juice and then checked in. We were shown to our Room 41, immediately we went and slaked our thirst with a beer at the bar. We then went back and unpacked, showered and went to dinner. The food once again was excellent but this time we ordered from a menu and brought to the table by a waiter. We noticed the Africans had some extraordinary names from the name badges. On returning to our room we discovered we had central heating which was very necessary because as night approaches it becomes very cold.

We had awake up call and a tray of tea at 6.00am. We dressed and arrived for the game drive half an hour later however there was no sign of a driver. We met member of staff arrived and asked us to bear with him for five minutes. As I was interested I asked her if they lived with their families in the staff Quarters? “No” she replied it would not be viable. The girls work for a month and are then bussed up country for a one week holiday, the men work two months straight and have two weeks leave. As we were chatting we mentioned that we were interested in the Wildebeest annual migration, she said it was an all day safari starting at 8.00am. Thus it was arranged, a picnic lunch organised and we went to have a breakfast of bacon and eggs.

We set off with Richard, our driver/guide and found the cheetah from yesterday with the month old cubs and we passed 12 giraffe feeding from the tops of trees. We were in the Masai Mara and saw a few villages and herds of cattle, goats and sheep, minding them were the men sitting under trees wearing their traditional blankets worn across one shoulder. Richard told us the women walk miles everyday to collect the water. We drove for approximately three hours passing zebra, topi, Thompsons gazelle and the odd wildebeest. We then crossed into the Mara Game Reserve and found buffalo. They have huge broad horns, they look mean and are very dangerous. Several times we sighted elephant in small family groups, jackals, a hyena with two cubs, a cheetah with cubs, eight lion cubs, four months old, quite grown up, lying in long grass near fallen tree trunks. Then we turned towards the Mara River near Governors Camp, crossing the track were three baboons, one male and two females. The spread out in front of us were thousands of wildebeest ready to cross the river.

In the river were several bloated bodies of casualties that hadn’t made the crossing and resting, replete, on the banks were a large number of crocodiles and standing on the river bank were a large number of vultures waiting, like undertakers at a disaster site, to clean up the bodies. We sat in the vehicle for a very long time waiting for one animal brave enough to lead off and cross the river. It seems no one had the appetite to cross that day then one by one they all dispersed into groups and began to graze. Richard then took us to a pleasant spot overlooking the river and whilst we were eating our picnic we watched the hippos in the middle of the river, a crocodile with its mouth wide open releasing heat from its body another croc eating the carcass of a wildebeest. Another crocodile selected his meal, flung it effortlessly from side to side because crocodiles do not have tongues hence this behaviour.

After lunch we headed back to the lodge and encountered a male lion sleeping under a Proton Tree to keep the flies off him. In Zanzibar we had been told the leaves of the tree are used in insect repellents. We visited a Masai Village we had passed earlier on the outward journey. All the houses are built around a central compound and surrounding the village is a thorn fence forming a corral. At night the cattle and goats are brought into the compound with all exits closed to protect the animals from wild animals, specifically lions. There were a few dogs which we were told were their friends because they alert the inhabitants of danger.

We were greeted by a young Masai Warrior named Kennedy. His father had had him educated but, Kennedy wanted to live the village life of his forebears, he was the village teacher. We were asked for 800Ksh entry. The women were standing in a line across the compound singing us welcome. Around the edge on the ground were crafts spread out for sale. Having paid an entry fee all the money we had left could only by a bead bracelet. Embarrassing!! Kennedy then explained the diet of the Masai which consists of meat and blood mixed with sour milk, they do not eat vegetables because we don’t know how to grow vegetables and then he went on to say that the women walk 10-15 kms a day to collect water and wood, the women build the houses, made from wood and mud, because the men don’t know how to. Then Kennedy showed us his house, it was very small, as you walk in through the door on the right is a pen to keep the calves in. To the left a small area for a fire and to the right and left of there are two sleeping places on a raised piece of the ground covered with cow hide, on one side the wife and the girls and on the other the husband and the boys. There were ventilation holes in the sleeping quarters and the area where the fire was.

The men take the animals out to graze every day and don’t seem to do much else. As the Masai are polygamous, the men can take seven wives.

We expressed an interest in seeing Rhino to Richard so after our visit to the Masai Village we were taken to a Park Ranger’s house to see three white rhinos. The black rhinoceros had died out in the Mara and a pair of white rhinos was imported from South Africa. The pair had two calves sadly however the original female died after ingesting a plastic bag!!!! The animals were not at all aggressive and just walked around munching grass.

Finally, back at the lodge we met the girl we had spoken to this morning having tea in the lounge with friends. She asked us about our day and after giving her a brief résumé we went off to have a coffee in the tent, a shower to remove the dust and dress for dinner. Back at the lodge there was a lecture being given by the Resident Naturalist on the animals in the Mara. After the lecture I asked him how the Masai managed to conceive children because of their sleeping arrangements. “They do” he replied because when they want to be alone the warrior sticks his spear in the ground outside the door. We then had dinner and went to bed early.

We were on the move again after breakfast and Joe drove us to Wilson Airport for the flight to the Mara Club in the Masai Mara, where we expected to find a representative from Pullman Agency at the airport to collect the itinerary and vouchers for our Safari in The Serengeti afterwards. As no one in the office knew anything about it John went of phone the Nairobi Office, he was told that a driver was in transit and would be there within minutes. Time went on and there was no sign of him. Eventually he arrived with all our papers the poor man had a puncture en route!!! John then decided to go upstairs to the Air Kenya Office to check the Malindi-Lamu flights were in order. He took forever, I saw people being taken to immigration and security I got into a frenzy imagining that if John did not reappear we would not be going anywhere today. No need to worry for the groups were colour coded, blue, yellow, green and each group were going to different destinations.

After going through immigration and security checks we boarded a 14 seater plane as we were sitting at the back and I against a door I was frozen. A young Asian sitting in the seat in front of me very kindly offered me his sweater which I accepted gratefully. On arrival at the airstrip I returned it and told him he was very kind, he in turn said he was pleased that I had accepted it. He was travelling with a colleague who was a Philippine and they were taking a break whilst on a business trip to Nairobi. Waiting for us were four 4×4 vehicles each one taking four passengers, we reached the Lodge via a dirt road, on arrival we were greeted with mango juice and hot flannels, then allotted a tent similar to the one in Pangani.

The tent was very comfortable, twin beds washbasin and WC with a small terrace to the front with director chairs and a small table overlooking the Mara River. We could hear snorting and grunting on investigating we could see Hippos emerging and submerging from the river, we also heard cattle bells, the sound coming from a boma on the opposite bank. We then went to the bar and ordered a beer to drink then and water to have with lunch, we couldn’t believe the water was more expensive than the beer. We then sat down with the two gentlemen who had sat in front of us on the plane for lunch and an older man, also Asian, who had a business in Hong Kong in chemicals and plastics, we were sitting outside overlooking the swimming pool and it was all very jolly.

For our Game drive at 3.30pm, we were allocated a vehicle with two honeymoon couples. One couple lived in Luxembourg he was French and she Danish, the other couple English. Our first sighting of game was a herd of zebra and some jackals, next a cheetah with three month old cubs and later another with very small cubs. The mother was lying very still whilst we were watching her and the cubs playing, mum got a bit nervous and decided to move. Further on a lioness with two big cubs, then another lioness with very small cubs walking them out of danger from us. On the return trip were four giraffe they were a bit edgy, as we rounded a bend we discovered the reason, there was a lioness lying on the side of the track. Then we came across some birds a white bellied bustard, a secretary bird and a loan female ostrich. We found a herd of elephants with two calves of different ages and the bull was enormous. Then on the track was a cheetah with her three big cubs playing and climbing trees that had forks low to the ground. We have all seen the Masai Mara on TV but to see it live is amazing because the small screen cannot convey the sheer vastness of the area.

Our fellow passenger, the Frenchman, had a state of the art camera and he took many photographs and as it was nearly sunset, he wanted to capture the moment on camera when the sun dropped below the horizon, therefore we arrived back at the lodge a bit late.

We then showered and dressed for dinner and on arrival at the main building an educated Masai Warrior was giving a lecture on their way of life. I had noticed that he was also a driver/guide. We then joined our lunch acquaintances for a drink and dinner which was riot and very enjoyable. After that we never saw them again. From the craft shop we bought two dog collars for Rafiki our dog at home and the new puppy yet to be born. We then went to bed and found a hot water bottle, warming our beds and we slept very well.

We were up very early at 6.45am to arrange everything for our departure back to Nairobi. We went upstairs for breakfast and had a larger one than usual. We made our farewells to all the staff including Mr. Tom (Green). We were thanked for being lovely guests. One couldn’t be otherwise as the hotel was comfortable and all of the staff attentive and kind, always smiling and welcoming. There was a prearranged driver to pick us up and when we arrived at the airport at 8.15am we learned that our flight scheduled for 9.20am had left at 7.30am. We were given this information by a young Belgian honeymoon couple who had arrived ahead of us from Emerson and Green Hotel. The young man made a classic comment, he couldn’t recognise the person in charge as all Africans look alike!!! We were told to go upstairs to the restaurant until the situation was sorted out for a complimentary breakfast, which we declined and had a coffee.

The restaurant was a hygiene, health and safety nightmare. The whole place needed to be sanitised and given a coat of paint. At around 10.30am there was a flurry of checking in and paying airport tax, US$40 for two. By now two other parties had arrived to swell the passengers, one of young Japanese and the other of Spaniards. At midday we were loaded onto the plane bound for Dar es Salaam where we were to change planes for Nairobi. On arrival it was organised chaos, being sent from one place to another and no one seemed to know what to do with us. Finally Boarding Cards were issued at 1.15pm for the flight on a Boeing 737. Then we had our hand luggage searched and the customs officer said, “You have a torch or something in there”, we had two, one large and one small, John was asked to remove the batteries before we were able to leave. Finally we reached the tarmac and were asked to identify our luggage before boarding the flight. We were amused by the fact that on the flight the Japanese girls were all sporting tattoos they had done in Zanzibar and wondered what their parents would think. Perhaps they were variety that faded. On arriving at the airport we hired an Authorised Airport Taxi and arrived at the Emmett’s at 4.40pm. They were worried as we should have arrived there around 11o’clock. Elsie had emailed the hotel in Zanzibar to enquire as to our whereabouts and was advised that we had left the hotel.

Breakfast later today and there was no sign of the monkeys of yesterday evening or this morning. As arranged our driver arrived at 10.30am for a trip to the Amboni Caves. He was on time and had brought his son, Innocente, who had never seen the caves. First of all he took us to the fruit and vegetable market, John would like to have taken some photos but was advised not to. En route we came across road works and a newly constructed bridge. We were told the Japanese are financing the works. Along the dirt road we passed through African villages and glimpsed young men with the back of their bicycles piled high with grass which is dried for their cattle, firewood too, the women, with buckets of water balanced on their heads walking home through the long grass. We also saw children swimming and playing in the river near to the Amboni Caves.

The caves, 20 million years ago were under the sea which had carved varying sculpture. We progressed through the caves in stages. Huge footprints in the first room, a bison hoof print, a ship, and an aeroplane. A huge stalagmite glistened in the torch light as if covered in diamonds. One chamber was inhabited with bats and it was a little eerie to hear them twittering and flying around. Another chamber had some natural light and people picnic here on special occasions. Unfortunately there is also a lot of graffiti and it trivialises this wonder of nature.

Then it was time to visit the Sulphur springs. They were reached via a narrow track running through banana palms and thick vegetation. We could smell the sulphur before we actually arrived and parked. The springs consist of a narrow flow feeding into a pool with the colour of a vivid blue which looked inviting enough to swim in. The water erupted spasmodically and was very warm. After looking at the springs we retraced our steps and the guide climbed a coconut tree with foothold notches cut into it for easy climbing he then cut four coconuts, made a hole in one of the eyes, we all had one each and we drank the milk. The first time I had ever tasted coconut milk.

Then it was back to the Mkonge Hotel for of pizzas which would have been better if the base had been home made instead of bought bases. Not good. At 3.00pm our driver collected us as prearranged to take us to the Tanga airstrip to catch the plane a Tanzanair Cessna 12 seater back to Zanzibar. The airport Tax was US$10 for two. We had a stop at Pemba and we were advised to alight and as there was a 20 minute stopover. We arrived in Zanzibar 23 minutes later and this time the taxi was there on time to collect us, arranged by Coastal Travel. We arrived at Emerson and Green hotel, where we read for a while, showered and then went upstairs to the rooftop restaurant for dinner. I was sitting next to a lone American woman, she told me she was working in Baghdad with CAP in education for the interim government. We had an argument as to which town was the capital of Tanzania, Dadoma or Dar es Salaam. She was adamant that Dar was because the American consulate was there, however in this she was incorrect. Our entertainment was the lone Arab violinist again. This was too much for my American neighbour who decided she hadn’t enjoyed anything about the evening and went down to reception to ask for an escort back to the Serene Hotel.

Despite the air conditioning I didn’t sleep too well as it was too warm. The breakfast was not as enjoyable as at Emerson & Green, in fact the food at this hotel not up to the standard that we had enjoyed in Zanzibar. We had arranged with the taxi driver who had collected us from the airstrip to pick us up this morning at 10.00am for a trip to Pangani but first John asked him to turn left at the exit to explore the area to see if John could identify the house where he used to live. John recognised the Rascazone Swimming Club where he used to go when small, but was unable to identify the house. We then turned around and headed towards Tanga where the drive stopped to fill up with Petrol.

Pangani is south of Tanga and the road was appalling, the taxi is ancient, 20 years old, at least, with most of its accoutrements either missing or just fallen off. It took forever to arrive at the Orgivia Lodge for lunch. However the scenery was worth it as every few kms. we would pass through an African village, the houses were constructed similarly to the farmer’s houses in Zanzibar. They consisted of a frame made of upright poles laced with cross members and the gaps filled in with mud. They had pitched roofs covered with coconut palm fronds which are very plentiful in this area. As it was examination day in the schools today all the small children were at home. Similarly as in Spain the sheep, goats and calves are taken out every day to graze. In this area there are enormous sisal plantations, hectare upon hectare of sisal in different stages of development, some of the plants that had already been cut appeared to have short trunks.

After arriving at the lodge we were shown the estate. For bedrooms there are separate stone rooms and tents with “en suite” bathrooms set on platforms and they looked amazingly comfortable. The gardens were beautiful and we walked through them on a concrete path down towards the sea where there was a swimming pool, a bar and chaise longue. From here it was a short distance to the beach and sea. It would be a lovely place to spend a quiet holiday.

We returned to the main building and as we approached the entrance there was a Mahogany log carved with a myriad of elephant, so many it was impossible to count them. The thatched roof building consists of an office, dining room and kitchen. The huge dining area is open and overlooks a lawn.. We invited our driver to have lunch with us. We then had a very welcome Kilimanjaro beer and the driver a Coca Cola. After ordering we all three sat down, we were the only guests, the driver had ordered a hamburger and chips and we a salad of pasta, mango and chicken. It was delicious. After lunch we set of for the return journey on a single track road that passed through villages where at one house was a large gathering and the driver said it was a wedding party.

On arrival back in Tanga John asked the driver to go down Pangani Road to see if he could identify another house where he once lived however the driver didn’t seem to understand the instructions and we never found it, we did however pass the church where he was christened.

Before we went out to Pangani this morning we met the wife of the owner of the Mkonge Hotel, she is an Austrian and her husband an Indian they met in London. They own three hotels the other two are in Mombasa and Nairobi. She was bewailing the fact that as in every other part of East Africa after the bombs, there are now too few tourists. We then asked her was it safe to go out for a short walk, yes but we were to remove watches, rings etc., and take no money. This was advised was because, recently, a Japanese tourist had been attacked at 2.00 pm recently. We went out around 6.00 pm and it was the time when people were returning from work and alighting from Matumbas. I didn’t feel entirely safe. We walked down he path to the Rascazone Swimming Club that we had seen this morning but we were not allowed to enter as it was a 200Tsh., entry fee and we had no money.

We rose at 8.00am, went up to the restaurant for a cooked breakfast, vacated room, paid the bill as we were going to Tanga later in the day. We walked down towards the main port and saw a very old giant Baobab tree, under which two dhows were being built. The men became quite agitated with John because he took some photographs so we moved rapidly away. The old dispensary, now restored by the Aga Khan Trust to its former glory looked very impressive and is now a Culture Centre. Next we visited the old Customs House from colonial times when Zanzibar would have been a thriving port and a Sultan’s Palace which is now a museum. The story goes that anyone who passed the Palace had to lower their eyes as should one look up it was death.

We had a taxi arranged for 1.00 pm to take us to the airport and it took 15 minutes to arrive at the airport. Before going through departures John checked into Coastal Travel and had to pay 5,000 Tsh each as airport tax. First a 12 seat plane took off for Dar es Salaam then five minutes later our plane arrived. We were last onto the plane and there was no seat for John, the rep. for Coastal Travel went back to the office and after some minutes returned and removed one passenger. So John had a seat after all. There was much hilarity amongst the passengers and the pilot joked that he would have had to throw me of as well. We headed for Pemba and after landing most of the people alighted there, all that remained on the plane was a citizen of Tanga and us. We arrived at Tanga 15 minutes after takeoff landing on grass airstrip. There was a prearranged taxi, which transferred us to the Mkonge Hotel. Our room was on the 1st floor overlooking the sea. The gardens swept away from the building down to edge and were lovely there we had tea. We met an American business man who owned a farm at Dadoma where maize, sisal and spices including coriander were grown. Later from the terrace of our room we watched a group of monkeys playing on the lawn.

This morning from the small balcony off our bedroom I looked down into the narrow street and watched children going to school, quite early as it was before 8.00 am. Coming from the opposite direction was a woman cleaning the street her only equipment was a basket and two pieces of ply to collect the garbage from the street. Opposite the windows were hung with curtains that looked like rags. Many Swahili families live in poor accommodation around the town.

After breakfast we met our prearranged guide to tour the town on foot. Our first visit was to the market on the edge of Stonetown. We visited the fish, meat and poultry markets. Fish is the cheapest and poultry the most expensive. Every part of the cow or bullock is displayed. All the innards, the head and the rest of the cuts are for sale, it was a very gory sight. Chickens come in many guises they are smaller than we are used to in Europe. You are able to buy one alive and take it home, dead but not plucked, or dead and plucked. We then moved onto the fruit and vegetable stalls. The tomatoes were stacked in pyramids it was a painstaking procedure and required a lot of patience, there were breadfruit and enormous grapefruit and of course spices being a spice island.

Next we visited one of the sites where the slaves were kept before being sold. The building today is a small church which we entered and then went down into the dungeon. The slaves were chained and segregated and kept on platforms. The river used to run through the building which sluiced away the urine and excrement of the slaves, it must have been foul. They were poorly fed and often died. Normally they were kept for a week in one of these places before being sold. At the sale they were beaten by the merchants who sold them to show which were the strongest. The sale took place on the green opposite where the Serene Hotel now stands, The hotel was built by the Aga Khan, the site is known as Kaleli Square and Kaleli in Swahili means noise. The noise came from the screaming of the slaves from the beatings they received.

We then visited the Anglican Cathedral, Church of Christ. Inside, sitting on pews were school children having a history lesson with their teacher. The first bishop is buried here behind the altar. There is a crucifix made from the wood from the tree that David Livingstone died beneath in Africa. He wanted his heart to be buried where he died and his body interred in England. At the entrance to the cathedral are two load bearing columns that were installed upside down. It seems the builder went away for a few days and was not there to supervise their installation, instead of having them reversed it was decided to leave them as they were.

We were taken into shops I think with the idea that we might buy something, there is probably an arrangement in order for the guides make some extra money. Our guide said he wasn’t feeling very well as he was suffering from Malaria. He told us that he shared an apartment with some other young men and they were rationed with water every day. It is difficult to have a wife because he would have to give her father a bride price. As mortgages don’t exist they build houses very slowly adding to it as and when they can afford it, which explained the amount of houses in different stages of construction.

We wandered through the old Arab Fort that is now used for shows at nights and afterwards the House of Wonders where slowly exhibits are being created showing the history of Zanzibar. it used to be a Sultan’s Palace, then an administrative building.

We had dinner up in the rooftop restaurant and we were entertained between courses by an Arab who played the violin, not very well, who passed around his cap for remuneration.

As we had booked to go to the Rain Forest and a Spice Farm today we were up early for breakfast at 7.30am. Our driver/guide, Omani, arrived at 8.30am and immediately set off. Out of town the people live in small houses along the road side, some are stone houses and some rectangular mud and thatched houses. Native cattle were used to pull the carts, not donkeys. A rubbish dump that was burning didn’t seem to be the right place for children to be rummaging around but they were. Further along we passed a walled area in which there had been a Trade Fair years before and now abandoned to the elements.

As we approached a stretch of road there appeared to be Mango trees planted symmetrically. The legend was that at the beginning of the 19th Century the sister of the Sultan had a palace on the coast in this area she employed only male slaves. At night she took one of them to bed and if he proved sexually unsatisfactory he was killed the following day, however if he was good she would keep him for three nights and then he too was executed. So for every slave that had been killed a Mango tree was planted.

We arrived at the Rain Forest and were appointed a guide. Firstly we were taken to the habitat of the Red Colubus Monkeys. They were sleeping and we could see a couple of babies. Their preferred food is the Indian Almond Tree which was just beginning to come into leaf and they prefer the young tender leaves for food and ignore the tough ones. Like cows, the monkeys regurgitate the food to chew. Their gestation period is seven months. Perhaps we were too early because they were not very lively monkeys.

The rain forest was very impressive as there were huge Red Mahogany trees, Eucalyptus and Pine from Australia all reaching up to the sky. As there is a high water table, and some of the trees have short roots, they sometimes topple over, lurking in the ground are water crabs living in little burrows, elsewhere lizards, snakes, centipedes plus red and grey squirrels. Giant Ficus with Sycamores intertwined, palms that once they flower die. Emerging from the rain forest we entered the Coral forest, less dense and less humidity and came across more Colubus monkeys which were far more active, swinging through the trees and playing. There was a lot of coral rock and we were reminded that Zanzibar emerged from the sea as an island. The coral rock is used for building. When we arrived back at the beginning of the tour we had a soft drink and set off for the Spice Farm.

We retraced the original route and then after a short time turned off the main road and entered a small privately owned farm. All our preconceived ideas of how spices grow were removed. Our first spice was a vine growing up a tree with berries, they were unripe pepper corns. Cinnamon trees from which the bark is removed, dried and like cork trees they renew themselves. Ginger root was easy to identify, Turmeric is a root which surprised us. Nutmegs grow on large trees and like a coconut they grow in a husk, when that is removed there is a red membrane covering the nut and this is Mace. There is a custom that a bride one hour before her wedding is given an infusion of nutmeg which is an aphrodisiac and this ensures the bride will be ready for her husband! Cloves grow on a tree, they also were unripe, a Jack Fruit tree, the fruit is huge and eaten sliced and is very sweet. The flavour is a cross between banana and pineapple. From the Lipstick bush the fruit is dried and used for colouring for Tandoori curries. Vanilla was just coming into flower and the banana palms were in flower but also bore fruit. The Pineapples were very small and take a year to reach maturity.

Then the tour was over and we were driven back to Stonetown. At this time there was a petrol shortage due to some dispute and any petrol was coming to Zanzibar from Dar el Salaam on the mainland, therefore there were very few cars around for a few days. We were lucky that our driver has able to fill his tank.