Zanibar and the Indian Ocean

Last wednesday, Nov 25th I flew from Kilimanjaro airport to the airport in Zanzibar. The flight was good and it was interesting looking out of the window in the plane and seeing more of the landscape of Tanzania. It appeared to be more mountainous than I had thought it would be. The mountains looked lush and green. It was nice to see. I also was able to see some small communities far below my plane.

Upon arriving in Zanzibar I took a taxi to the place I was staying, which cost $40.00 US. It was about a 55 min drive from the airport, and right on the beach, almost at the northernmost tip of the island. I had rented a banda, at the cost of $25.00/night. A banda is a small wooden two storey hut with a thatched roof. I had the bottom of the banda and someone else had rented the top.

In my banda there was a double bed and a single bed, both equipped with mosquito nets. There was also a small table between the two that acted as a night stand, and also one chair. The inside of the walls and the ceiling were covered by colourful, tightly woven plasticky type mats, It was really quite comfortable. There was shared bathrooms in another building - sort of like when you go camping at a campsite here.

Zanzibar is most definitely a tropical island. There is vegetation growing everywhere. There is not a square inch of land that doesn't have something growing on it. Much that same as Cuba in the Carribean. If you were to judge Tanzania by looking at Zanizbar you would never believe that there are literally dust fields and that livestock is dying on a daily basis because of drought. The houses are different here too. They are made of cinder blocks with tin roofs. Some are painted but most are just the grey cinder blocks. People when they are outside near their homes are in bare feet. The children as well as the adults. Everywhere else in Tanzania people would have shoes on, but not on Zanzibar. The clothing here is different as well. The island is predominately muslim and the people are dressed very conservatively.

The beach here is quite amazing, fine powdery white sand, turquoise water at the shoreline that changes to a blue colour which in turn changes to a deeper blue until it is a deep royal blue in the far distance. Beautiful! The water was also very calm and at time looked to be as flat as glass. This part of the island doesn't have high and low tides. The water is so amazingly clear. It is the clearest water that I have ever seen. On the first morning of my time there I saw a school of small fish swimming in the shallow water. I walked out in the water to where they were headed and waited to see if they would swim through my legs or go around me. They passed by on my right hand side about 2.5 feet from me and because the water was so clear I was able to watch in wonder and awe.

The water was also warm. The warmest ocean I have ever felt. Like tempid bath water, not hot but not cold enough to get out of either. Wonderful!

On my first day there I tried to set up some dives but was told that I had to book a day in advance, so I went snorkelling instead. We took a dhow to a marine park and I snorkelled for an hour or two in the morning. We went to the beach and had lunch and then sailed home. On our way home we saw a bunch of dolphins and some of us jumped into the water to swim with them. It was cool.

The next day I went diving and then again on sunday. The water was calm and clear and the underwater life was prolific. The colours of the fish and the corals was amazing. I don't know what else to say but amazing. God the master creator didn't just create beauty above the water and then say "well who is going to see under the water anyways, so why bother." No! He was just as creative and bold in His creation as he was above the water, if not moreso. I saw colourful fish, ugly fish, camouflaged fish, hard corals, soft corals, things that looked like flowers, eels, stingrays, turtles, an octopus and a lobster. Visibility was good at about 25 metres. Again we saw dolphins and again we jumped in to swim with them. I had on my mask and snorkel and was able to see them swimming beneath me. I watched them play on the bottom, twisting and turning around each other, nosing the sandy bottom for food and then come to the surface within 10 or 15 feet of where I was. It was a very cool experience, that is for sure.

On saturday I went with one of the dive instructors who had offered to show me around Stone Town. We took a dala dala bus which costs about $1.25. (Stone Town in where the airport is.) Stone Town is an old city on Zanzibar. It is where arab and indian influences meet in architecture as well as in the people. There are very narrow streets that would be hard for a car to drive thru with cement steps down from doorways. Some buildings had very solid wooden doors with cone shaped brass spikes sticking out from them. The doorframe was about 6-8 inches wide and ornately carved.

Zanzibar's people are predominately muslim (about 90% I was told) and the saturday that I went to Stone Town was a religious holiday. It was likened to our Easter. The men were dressed in white robes with little raised flattopped hats on their heads. The women were dressed in black robes with their hair covered by a scarf. Even the little girls had a scarf on their heads.

Every saturday night there is a dance or beach party at the place that I am staying. I went with some people I met while diving. The festivities started with some acrobatics by a group of male african dancers. It was quite good. The dance was good and very fun also. African men love to dance and don't need or wait for a woman partner. They just go up on the dance floor and either dance by themselves or dance with their friends, much like women do in Canada. It was nice to see men who loved to dance. I stayed up way past my bedtime and danced my feet off. I think I danced for about 3 hours without a break.

On monday it was time to think about going home. I arranged for a taxi to pick me up at 2:00pm and take me to the ferry from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam. The ferry was at 4:00pm and it would take 2 hours to cross. A taxi on the other side would take me to the airport. My flight was at 12:45am Dec 1st.

Prayer request: For Fredrick and Hannah and their family - that this Christmas season they will be strengthened as a family and that Fredrick will once more turn to God and trust in him for all his needs.

Safe travel for all the volunteers - that their time in Tanzania has opened there eyes and their hearts to what is other peoples realities. That they be better people because of the time that they spent in Africa.

For myself that I continue to witness for Christ and that opportunities present themselves because of the time I spent in Tanzania. That when I speak about my time in Africa people listen and are drawn to the God I serve. All for His glory!