Finally Africa!

Hi friends! This is Eloise posting. We are in Zanzibar off the cost of Tanzania. Zanzibar is great! There are touristy places, but I prefer the real thing. When we arrived, all our luggage that we had checked was lost! We did not get it back until two days later and I did not get mine back until three!

In Stone Town, the principal town of Zanzibar, there is a local market. It is interesting with all its strange things and smells. When you are walking down the street, there are no sidewalks so you must be careful not to get run over  by a bike. But believe me, their brakes are louder than a ambulance with its siren on passing right next to you.

One day, we took a boat to an island called Chumbe island to go snorkeling. You would not believe all the tropical fish! I love the parrot fish.

parrot fish on Chumbe island

small huts(Chumbe)

there were tons of hermit crabs

The only problem is the mosquitoes. Some can have malaria but if you take anti-malarials  it is okay to get stung, and you sleep under a mosquito net.

When you are in town and you want to play with kids, here is the secret: hand claps. You don't even need to speak either English or Swahili (though most of them speak both) !

The buses here are called Dala-dalas. They are super crammed and you never know when you might end up with a baby on your lap.
To see more pictures of Stone Town, click HERE.

Our next stop is the mainland! See you soon!