I hope everyone is doing fantastic - I hear the weather at home is beautiful!
Today I've just been writing reports and finishing up because tomorrow is my last day in Zanzibar!! Holy shitake mushrooms this has gone by fast! Tomorrow will consist of a little bit of work, the House of Wonders (an old Palace, now a museum!, and tallest building in Zanzibar), and lots of goodbyes! Thursday I catch the ferry to Dar es Salaam, and Saturday I board my plane to Canada!!! It's going to be a whirlwind!
I hope I get a chance to write again before I leave, but internet will not be as readily available, so I might only get a chance to wrap up after I'm home.
This past weekend I was a tourist! Ben and I hit up Mbweni ruins on Saturday, Mtoni and Marahubi ruins on Sunday, and then went to Changuu Island on Monday (better known as Prison Island). I'm a little tired to say the least.
Saturday is a little embarrassing. But I'll tell you about it anyways. Mbweni ruins is easily accessible if you go to Mbweni Ruins Hotel and then ask from there - okay, easy peasy. Because we like to travel cheap (and we're both students, you know), we decided to take the dala dala there instead of a taxi. Our Zanzibar books told us that it's not hard, get off at the Mazizi Police Post, walk 800m, turn right and walk another 900m. Okay.... but there are no signs. So we walked around for a considerable amount of time. Found nothing, got a little lost, grabbed a soda, called it a day and headed back to town. We just hung out in town for the rest of the day. Soooo... we failed. What we should have done is just bit the bullet and taken a taxi, but instead we never got to visit Mbweni - but the long walk in the sun roasted both of us. So as I headed off to my GET meeting at ZANGOC for 4pm, Ben had a nap. (However, we did go to Zanzibar Coffee House which is a really cool place, and just re-opened because low season [May] has ended)
Sunday was WAY more successful. We went to Mtoni and Marahubi ruins, which we found easily. Mtoni ruins were the best - they are pretty well preserved. We were the only people there and didn't have a guide so we walked around at our own leisure, taking our time, getting some great photos, and exploring all that we could. It is on the beach and so peaceful and beautiful. Then we walked about 1km to Marahubi, where we had to have a guide (who was a little stressful, it wasn't as enjoyable). There is not as much preserved at Marahubi, so it was a smaller place to explore, but the pillars which supported the balcony at one point remain, which are neat to see all lined up.
Monday morning we went to Prison Island - it takes about a half hour to get there by boat and there isn't as much to see as brochures or the internet allows you to believe. The prison on the island was originally built for that purpose - as a prison, but it never got used for that. Instead it ended up acting as a Quarantine station to all those visiting Zanzibar; the boat would dock at Changuu and visitors (some 600, 300, 876, etc) would be quarantined to Changuu anywhere from 8 to 20 days for yellow fever, plague, any number of contagious diseases. After they were allowed to move on to Zanzibar. Unfortunately, the place has been reconstructed and the island mostly consists of the hotel that is there now (including the old Prison), so you cannot get a feel of what it used to be like. However, there is a gorgeous beach and you have the option to go swimming with dolphins, snorkelling, diving, etc.
The real attraction, from my point of view, is the tortoises. There is a tortoise sanctuary in the middle of the hotel - a lot of land so the tortoise have lots of room to move about. You pay about $4 US admittance and walk around among the tortoise - there are paths you're supposed to follow but you can walk off of them and get closer to these huge creatures. They really are magnificent - people call them 'modern dinosaurs' (or something close to that) because they are an old species and kind of have dinosaur-y qualities. Some of the tortoise were so big I thought they were going to jump up and be all like, "Hey, I'm Raphael, nice to meet you - want some pizza?" (ahem, TMNT). They are a rare species, and I believe are only in one other place in the world - none of them living in the wild anymore.
Then I went to work for the afternoon.
Back to report writing I go - and will be home in FIVE DAYS. Craziness. Lots of love to everyone!!
J
Part of Mtoni Ruins - can see where it burned here
On the boat ride to Changuu Island (I DIDN'T GET NAUSEOUS, it's a miracle). You can see Stone Town in the back, along with the House of Wonders (the tall pillar right beside my face)
GIANT tortoise!
