Back in Dar (again)

Well her we are back in Dar after a very fast but very bumpy crossing of the channel between Tanzania and Zanzibar. The ferry only broke down twice but we made it in just under two hours nonetheless, and no-one actually puked, but several were sweaty and pale, groping their way toward the rear deck, where the foam and spray was remeniscent of the deck of a WW2 destroyer (what would I know about that?). The quayside at Dar was every bit as hassling as the last time, with people jostling to carry bags, offer a taxi ride or to sell nuts (!). We found a nice taxi and managed to get to the hotel just in time to bag the last room, our own rooms having been given away again by the management.

We had a super time on Zanzibar. All enjoyed the spice tour; others tried their hand at snorkelling and managed to get sunburnt even through t shirts. The reef has degraded significantly in the four years since we last visited; most of the branching and plate corals near the surface having disappeared. Coral s to be found washed up on beaches everywhere. There are Crown of thorns starfish on the reef and the whole thing is badly out of balance. Some preferred to lounge on the beach, thereby baking severely. Most were able to sample the retail opportunities of Stone town. We all enjoyed a public barbeque in Forodhani gardens last night, sampling octopus and chips, and banana and chocolate pancakes. The weather was hot for the whole visit, but the rooms were cool and beautiful. The hotel even had broadband internet (at a price).

The BBQ was a complete contrast to the meal we had on our first night, which was served on the beach to tables set around a bonfire and a music group playing local instruments.

It made a refreshing change just to be tourists in a place where nobody has any expectations of us and we can just relax!

Zanzibar has got busier since we were last there and the hotel has been expanded. The accomodation we stayed in last time os now used for staff accomodation and is waiting to be demolished! The biggest change has been noticable in Dar where people are flooding in from the villages to find work. It's dirtier, nosier, more polluted and when the electricity is off between 7am and 7pm, the noise of generators is deafening and the diesel pollution just adds to the general smog!

We're just off to find some dinner.

Thanks to those of you who managed to post a comment - it's been nice to hear from you! This time tomorrow, we'll be safely home. Please pray for our journey, given our past record of vehicle breakdowns. It's fair to say that one or two of us are slightly nervous about getting on a plane!

We hope you've enjoyed reading our blog and that it's given a flavour of our visit and that you've enjoyed journeying with us.

Love to all of you,

Julie, John, Trevor, Molly, Mandy, Jenny and Jack.