Back for the Dead - A Bucket List Adventure

Hi! Yes, we're still alive. After our debacle in Ecuador, Ron decided that we needed to plan a whole new adventure...a grand adventure...so, here I am, writing from the very lovely (and very hot) island of Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa. (That's just in case you weren't sure where, exactly Zanzibar is.)

This trip has been a year in the planning, which is WAY too long, but if you want to safari (I know, safari isn't really a verb, but I'm moving the English language forward) you really do need to plan a good ways out. This trip is replacing our big birthday and anniversary bash that got washed out by COVID, back in good ole 2020 - like you've forgotten.

I think Africa must be on the exact opposite side of the globe, as we had to take two long flights to get here after a short flight to get to Toronto, from where our "real" flight left. We routed from Toronto to Amsterdam (8 hours +) and then on to Zanzibar City (almost 9 hours). It was one of those strange moments of travel that felt both eternal and fast at the same time. (Schrodinger's travel?) Can I tell you a secret, though? We really committed to a bucket list trip and booked the flight in business class. (My first time ever, except for a short trip between Mexico City and Vancouver (where it was the only option left), but it wasn't like this flight, at all.) When we boarded the plane (in group 1!), we got to go left once through the plane door. I know! We had pods, the one's where you can lay down flat, if you want, or partially cradled, or however you want it. AMAZING! There were hot towels before meals and welcome beverages. Oh, and I can't forget the little amenity bag with eye mask, ear plugs, fuzzy socks, lip balm and face cream. They also provide sound cancelling head phones which were amazingly comfortable and had a neat magnetic interface. (I presume this keeps  "permanent borrowing" to a minimum.) The tickets also include lounge access at the airports, which is pretty lux. 

Sunset in Toronto

 

Livin' Large

OMG, leg room!

Even with all of that abject luxury, it was a long haul. We arrived in Zanzibar  after 9pm, so really didn't get to see much, as our driver took us up to the north east coast to an area called Matamwe. Our host, Laucin, got us settled and took care of the most important house keeping (breakfast time) and let us crash. Weirdly, I felt fairly awake, but knew that going to bed was the first step in adapting to the 7 hour time change.

Not surprisingly for most of the world, but surprising to us, we slept long and hard that night. We woke up at 8am and got to enjoy our first breakfast on our private patio, overlooking the pool and gardens of Matemwe Ocean View Villas. 

We somehow missed a photo of Ney's beautiful chapati & pan bread

 There are only two villas on site and the main house, so it's a cosy and comfortable little get-away.

Steps to our villa

Pool and part of the garden

After breakfast we headed out to a little nearby beach. We were instantly befriended by a trio of Masai men, who after a quick conversation were excited to show us their wares. They weren't too disappointed when we turned them down, explaining that we had just arrived and just wanted to get a feel for the area. (This will be a recurring interaction with many different vendors.) Most were happy that we were polite and spoke to them, before saying no, but I can see why they might not always be greeted with a smile. It's exhausting after the 10th, 25th sales person and can be quite off-putting eventually.

We retreated quickly back to the property to arrange to go get some supplies, so that we could prepare our own lunches. The ride cost about $25usd (plus tip, of course), to take us to two grocery stores, a pharmacy and an ATM. (Side note: ATMs aren't quite as few and far between as Google Maps will lead you to believe, but they aren't a dime a dozen, either.) Ensconced back in our little villa, we opted to have dinner in house. We enjoyed an excellent meal of dorado (a white fish) with a nice salad & mashed potatoes. It was excellent. Then we passed the evening sitting on the front porch, enjoying the night sky. So ended our first day in Zanzibar.

So, for us, a new adventure. I'm not sure how the follow ups will come, but we'll share our journey, as we can.