Zanzibar Nutshell

I don't know what Muslims call it, but when they get up before sparrows fart and start chanting their prayers over the loud town speaker its time to move on. So we have... yep back to Dar... again. Not for long though as we'll be on a train back to Mbeya in a couple of hours.

As for Zanzibar, we'll other than the unrequested wake up calls I can't fault the joint. Seriously though why do they chant over the loud speaker? I respect their rights to worship their religion but not at the expense of some early morning shut eye for the rest of us. Ten past four they started this morning, that's not even a set time? But don't let my whinging deter you Stonetown in Zanzibar is a great spot to visit.
It's one of those medina set ups where you ain't got a hope in hell of finding your way around, but somehow you still do. Spice tour is good too, but I wasn't impressed with the chocolate plant. I'm not a fool I knew it wouldn't be wrapped in foil, but I hoped it would at least taste somewhere close to a Mars Bar. Nope its texture was closer to a soaked cotton ball and it's taste was well.... hello.... where are you? Later in the tour our guide took us to some old slave caves. The history seemed really interesting except for one thing. I couldn't understand a single word our guide was saying. He was so keen to tell us all about the Sultan and how he kept slaves in the cave that he forgot one little detail the English language. All I got was something about using rope, swimming hole, crocodiles in the dark and tip me more and I'll take you to show. Needless to saw all in our group passed on his generous offer.
The tour guides in general here in Africa have been a little sub par. They are just too eager to tell you everything and show you around, and it doesn't make sense as the rest of the country seems to have all the time in the world to do things... 'pole pole' (slowly slowly) being the motto of life over here. But the minute you pay them money to show you around they switch into overdrive. One time back in Mozambique at some botanical garden place in Penhalonga we had to ask our tour guide to leave us alone because he literally had a jogging to keep up with him. I guess they just need a little more training.

So now it's back to Malawi for us and some volunteering in Nkhata Bay.

PS Zanzibar banana chocolate pizza things rock!