Day 4 started late on day 3. We received our Covid Test results about 8pm the night of the flight. Finished packing everything and around 830pm we called the reception for them to come by and pick up the luggage that would stay behind since for Africa we could only take a soft side bag with a max of 15Kg (33 Lbs). The hotel kept our 3 big suitcases until we got back about a week later.
Once we got to the hotel lobby, a little stop at the concierge to print out the tests, since we were told we needed a hard copy of it. Taxi to the airport and we got there around 9-930pm. We were flying Qatar Airways, since the non-stop flight from Emirates was not flying the day we needed, making us add a stop in Doha, before getting to Zanzibar - Tanzania.
Of course nothing happens easily, and it took us forever to finish registering into the Tanzania Health Dept to be able to get in, but at the end we were ready to go.
A little snack in before boarding the plane and up we went, arriving at Doha an hour later. we had a 2 hours layover, so we grabbed another snack there, since we did not know if there would be any food on the flight between Doha and Zanzibar. To be honest we were a little disappointed with the Qatar service overall. But we were really excited to get to our first African destination.
And it really did not disappoint, 5 hours later we were seeing the sunrise in Africa and ready to land in Zanzibar.
Perfect landing. Once the plane came to a stop we got on a small bus and were greeted by a guide arranged by my good friend Tatiana from Um Passo Travel that have made everything amazing this part of the trip. The person waiting for us got our passports, our Covid tests and got us waiting at the VIP lounge until they got everything sorted and our car was waiting for us. Our hotel was located on the north of the Island, about 1:30 hrs from the airport. The drive itself was already amazing, and we could see so much of a different culture, while our driver would tell us stories about the island.
After a little over 1 hour in traffic, we got to our destination. Zuri, and what a destination.
After the cultural shock of the drive, we got into what looked like a paradise. Bungalows about 5 minutes from the beach and an amazing beach that looks it came out of a movie set. Our room was not ready yet, because it was around 10am, so we changed and went to the beach for some rest under the palms. That's when i got my first local beer. Kilimanjaro, what an amazing name. And it was so refreshing because it was a hot and sunny day. Vero had a Coconut Rum with Pineapple Juice and We also ordered some Fish and Chips, that was cooked to perfection.
We hanged around the beach until around 1pm. We were very tired from the overnight trip, so when our room was ready we headed over for a shower and a nap. Vero stayed in a little longer so I went back to the beach bar to try the second local beer, Safari. And it did not disappoint either.
I came back into the room around 4pm and we talked about going to visit Stone Town, the old Zanzibar town the next day. I called into the reception and asked how much would it be for a taxi to take us to downtown and back the next day. Their answer was that the car they use would cost us $190.00 roundtrip. I found it outraging, and decided I was going to find another option. Tatiana could not find anything from Brazil, so I took it upon myself. One hour later I have found a service that had amazing reviews and quoted us $65.00 roundtrip to downtown. They are called Zanziworld Tours. Highly recommend Ali. Communication was great via Whatsapp. Settled for them to pick us up the next day at 9:30am and pick us back up at 4pm from downtown back to the Hotel. The day was winding down and around 6pm we decided to go down the beach and walk around for a little until the sunset came. What a sight. And as it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, please see below 4000 words to prove it. And a couple of videos.
After the Sunset, we went for dinner, an amazing buffet style with amazing food cooked to order, plenty of vegetarian options for Vero, but most important, different seafood and different and new foods for me to try. The desserts were also out of this world. We went back to the room after dinner because the next day awaited lots of adventures.
After an amazing night at Zuri, we woke up and went for breakfast. A buffet style that had everything from fresh juices to an egg station and breads and cakes and everything you can imagine. At 9:00am the car that would be taking us to Stone town was at the entrance of the hotel and we began on an amazing journey through history. It was more than one hour drive and when we got to our destination, a stop on Creek Rd, the road that separates the old town from the new town, as they call it. Being from Brazil and knowing how Brazilians are perceived, i had strategically planned to wear the Brazilian National Team Jersey that day. Amazing how right I was. We stepped out of the car and I needed to exchange some money into Tanzanian Schillings so we could pay for things and buy any souvenirs we wanted. there was a small exchange right by the road and we exchanged $100.00, or the equivalent to TSH 230,000.00 (Tanzanian Schillings). Right after we got out of the exchange place, we go...
Day two started early. Since the hotel had given us some sweets and a slice of chocolate mousse cake, we stayed in and made some coffee and had that as our "healthy breakfast". It was Sunday and being their first day of the week, we had planned to go to the old part of town, the Souk district. Souk is Market. and they have several ones, The Old Souk, The Spice Souk, The Gold Souk. In order to get there, we took the metro. DH20.00 gave each of us a daily pass to move around the city as much as we liked it, and we liked that. First stop was the old Souk, very narrow streets, a lot of spices on stands and plenty of stuff to see. Very touristy, but still very interesting. We were a little overwhelmed with all the vendors coming to get you, but thats how they make a living, right. Once we were done in this Souk, we wanted to go the Gold Souk, and it was on the other side of the river. as we walked by the river bank, we noticed some boats that worked as a water taxi, from on...
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