Moondance - Van Morrison

Zanzibar Kwenda Beach Hut for $10
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2-1-07 Zanzibar Kendwa Beach

Zanzibar.  The word alone conjures images of the exotic and magical in my mind.  History tells of its import as far back as the Romans and possibly Egyptians.  It is an island of spice and mystery they say, and I can’t wait to arrive.

I head directly up to the very north of the island to a little beach called Kendwa.  I heard a hotel called Kendwa Rocks with cheap shacks on the beach right next to a good dive shop so that was all the info I needed.  The Rocks was full because they had a ‘full moon party’ going that Saturday, which we’ll get to in a minute, but I found another place down the road which had similar beach banda huts for $10 a night.  When I say hut, I mean it.  A wooden frame covered with palms, sand floor, a bed, a table, no electricity.  A hut.  Gilligan had it better.  But to honest there is something to be said for not wearing shoes for 4 days and having the waves rock you to sleep at night.  Granted it was hot and the mosquito net was necessary, but sometimes roughing it is the way to go.  Yeah, I was just complaining about the 4 nights of camping and here I am basically doing the same thing again, but this trip is about the new experience sometimes so I’m just going to go with the mood as it hits me.  The setting really is paradise.  Azures and Aquas from the gentle Indian Ocean, lush greens from the forest, and baby powder soft sand.  All with barely another tourist in site.  This is what  the Caribbean want to be.

Zanzibar Kwenda Inside Hut
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That night I have a few beers with an Aussie and a Dane and wake up a little groggy but ready for my Scuba trip.  The reefs here are much better than I expected.  Lots of soft coral, sponges, colorful fish.  Really the most interesting reef I’ve seen since I dove Australia.  No big pelagics (sharks, mantas, etc.) which I prefer but the macro stuff can be fun too.  A great day in all.  The problem is my skin has been toasted.  I wasn’t exposed that long but still I’m burnt.  They dive shop guy asks me if I’m taking Doxycycline, for Malaria prevention.  I am I say.  No good, terrible reactions to the sun for us pale faces.  Stop taking it , he says.  Hmmm, now I’ve got 4 days planned here and another 5 for diving the Red Sea.  That’s a bit hard to constantly cover up.  But Malaria?  I know I’ve been bit already in Nairobi so I keep on the pills and buy a big goofy hat.

Zanzibar Kwenda Dive 090
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Saturday night is the full moon and Kendwa Rocks has their Full Moon Party in full gear.  I’ve heard about these all night rave-like parties at a few beachy places like Thailand and Bali.  Didn’t expect my first to be in Africa but so be it.  The party is a bit under my age limit and more geared toward the locals so I don’t last very long.  Far from till dawn actually.  But on my walk down the beach back to my banda I experience something very cool.  The moonlight.  I’ve never walked in such bright moonlight before.  The Kendwa sand is powder white and the strong moonrays are just glowing off the sand and sea like it’s high noon in reverse.  It was wild.  A bizzaro world, as if the Technicolor blues and greens had turned Fellini black and white.  Crazy.  Then again, maybe I had one beer to many.  Naah.

Zanzibar Kwenda Dive 095
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Addendum which I forgot to mention:  Reading Conrad's Heart of Darkness in ther banda beach hut in the sweltering humidity , the bed covered in mosquito netting and lit by a kerosene lamp and three candles stuck in the sand was the most surreal thing I on the trip so far.  I imagined Coppola reading it the same way when he got the idea for Apocalypse Now.  Also, totally missed the Superbowl fore the first time.  Didn't even catch a score till 7 hours after it was over.  Sad.

Zanzibar Kwenda Dive 097
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Stone Town – 2-4-07

Well the sun thing got to me and I decided to bail on Kendwa a day early.  I’m in the Zanzibar capital, Stone Town.  It’s a very old town with narrow alleys and streets that wind in a maze of circles, and buildings and forts from built by Sultans hundreds of years before.  Cool, but the place needs a paint job.  Sadly the most interesting thing I find is a bar called Mercury Zanzibar.  It's named after Freddie Mercury, the singer from Queen who was apparently born in Zanzibar.  Who knew.

Zanzibar Kwenda Dive 096
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It’s too hot for me to explore more than a couple of hours before I need the ac of an Internet Café so here you go.  A couple of pics and a quick summary.  Consider yourself lucky.  Next update from Kenya but no idea when I'll have decent access again.  Assante (thanks in Swahili).