Zanzibar

What a cool place, you would be forgiven for thinking it only existed in pirate novels. Good news for everyone though, it is very real and as interesting as would be expected. We caught the 'slow boat' over from the mainland, which turned out to be far more enjoyable then the 'fast boat' on the way back. This is primarily due to Leighannes new sea sickness affliction. First port of call was the ancient Stone Town, former seat of all the numerous powers that at one stage over the last 600 years ruled Zanzibar. The imperial palace, original British consulate, and Sultan or Oman resident are still standing and magnificent. Stone Town also has the best seafood market around. At dusk all the fisherman set up tables in the park and sell their catches to tourist and locals alike. Both nights we feasted on lobster, kingfish, tuna, shark, prawns, etc... all for about $5. There is nothing quite like a great meal that is really cheap as well.
Zanzibar, being a 'Spice Island' we ventured out the next day on a spice tour. Somewhat unsure of what to expect it turned out to be one of our best days. The island is full of every kind of fruit, herb, spice you could think of and some you've never heard off. Who knew that pepper grows on big trees and starts out green. Also, cloves eaten straight from the tree are incredible strong and would make really good beer food. We tasted almost everything including cinnamon bark, star fruit, sour soap, mango, papaya, watermelon, and many more. Overall the tour was very interesting and fulfilling. The day was topped off by a dip in some incredible turquoise waters.
After Stone Town we made our way over to the east coast to relax on the talcum powder sand. The sand is so white it hurts your eyes, in full sun it is impossible to walk down the beach without sunglasses. We spent 4 days sitting on the beach and eating lots and lots of cheap seafood.
Zanzibar was our last stop in Tanzania before catching the train to Malawi.