Nungwi, Zanzibar

With only one week left in Africa, I chose to take in the island life on Zanzibar. The boat from Pangani arrived to the northernmost town of Nungwi. It is a popular holiday destination and the beaches have been taken over by large, primarily foreign-owned hotels. And it's easy to see why... the beach and ocean is paradise!

Sticking within my comfort zone and budget, I bypassed the expensive resorts and went hunting for a locals guesthouse. I was unable to escape a local man who was insistent that he knew the right place for me. Since it didn't seem like I was going to be able to get rid of him, I chose to follow him to Nungwi Guest House. While not exactly what I was looking for, it was nice and had a relaxed, "small-town" vibe. I was able to talk the owner into a fair rate and so paid for three nights. I settled in and then it was time to explore.

I walked north along the beach to the lighthouse. High tide was coming in, so I wasn't able to walk much past it.

I opted for the village route on my return. It was astonishing to see the stark contrast between the resorts and the village, separated by just a few steps.

In the late afternoon, I stopped to watch a real soccer match. It was the most organized and official-looking soccer I had seen since arriving in Africa. The players seemed serious and focused. That was until halftime when one team came over to talk to me and ask for their picture to be taken.

I had dinner at a local restaurant. The people there were so nice and seemed genuinely happy to have me, so it became my go-to place for the next few days.

The next morning I went on a half-day trip to Tumbatu Island. It was some of the best snorkeling I've ever experienced. The coral and fish were typical of a tropical environment, extremely vibrant and colorful, making me wish I had a waterproof camera. We spent about three hours at two different dive sites.

The snorkeling highlight for me was our encounter with an octopus. They are spear-hunted by the locals of Tumbatu. We came across one in about 6 foot deep water. It was hidden among the coral but part of its body was lying visible on a rock. Our guide, Hamza, decided he wanted to catch it so he swam to shore to borrow a spear and came back in attack mode. Once in position, he lunged toward the octopus, nicking its body but not spearing it. This resulted in one pissed off octopus. An arm wrapped around the spear and pulled it out of the Hamza's hand. As he struggled to get it back the octopus exposed how strong and large it really was. The octopus was getting pulled out of its hiding place and its arms stretched out to resist the force. The suckers (yes, that's the scientific term) on the underside of the arms became exposed and this octopus was massive. Stretched out it was at least 4 feet across. I've never seen anything like that before and it was terrific!

That evening I joined Hamza and some others on the beach for volleyball. There was a group playing beach soccer as well. We all paused our games and joined the beach crowd when the sun started dropping below the horizon.

The Tazari Caves were the chosen destination for day 3. I borrowed a bicycle from a friend and also borrowed his friend and we rode south on the only road out of Nungwi. It only took 20 minutes or so to get to the caves. I love caves. And while these weren't the most interesting caves I've ever been in, there were several things that I really enjoyed. 1) They were sparkly. I'm not sure what mineral was in the stone, but whenever light reflected off the walls and formations they glittered. 2) There was a section of the caves that was extremely warm and humid. I have been in lots of caves and they are all the same cool temperature. This cave had a cavern that made you sweat the moment you entered. It was crazy. 3) The bats and scorpion/spiders (I'm not sure which it is) were awesome.

After the caves, I rode further south alone. I wanted to explore. I saw a side dirt road and decided to take it hoping that maybe I would stumble upon a good view. With the help of Mr. James I was able to find a good overlook of the entire north part of the island.

Mr. James was an English teacher for adults and was on his way to a study session with some of his students. He asked me if I would come to his intermediate/advanced class and answer some English-language questions. I told him I didn't have much time. I could stop by for a half hour or so, but then I had to ride back to Nungwi. I stayed for three hours! The class was very smart and had really good questions. English is such a difficult language to learn. As a native speaker you don't realize how nonsensical a lot of it is, but trust me, there is so much that doesn't make sense. Knowing how to speak English provides many additional opportunities for East Africans. The men in this class understand that and are working hard to make the best life they can for themselves and their families. I'm so happy I ran into Mr. James and took him up on his invitation to join his class.

On the ride back to Nungwi I stopped at the school to play netball with some young girls. This was the first time I saw girls playing a sport (rather than just watching) and so I had to join them. My only other experience with netball came a few years ago when I was in New Zealand. I remembered most of the rules. They showed off some of their best netball skills and then I showed them some basketball moves. They had to leave to prepare for their evening prayer, but I had a lot of fun.

Before arriving I had only heard of Nungwi as a beach and party destination (and it can be if that's what you want), but it turned out to be so much different than I expected.

Click here for more photos of Zanzibar.