The Spice Island – Part 1

After two long weeks of work, I took advantage of half day Fridays and hopped on a boat over to Zanzibar.  First off, let me say the ferry and the ride over was an experience.  I decided not to pay the extra $5 for the 1st class cabin (all foreigners) and sit with everyone else.  It was loud and hot but the views were to die for.

OK, maybe the port in Dar es Salaam isn’t that pretty.  The water was brown and dirty, plus there was definitely a smell.

But once we got going, paying less for my ticket was totally worth it. 

Things were going well until this guy (not the arms guy but the one in sunglasses) showed up and started passing out a little something.

The waves were a little rough but I felt pretty good thanks to some time out on the lake this summer (thanks Paul).  There were a few people that definitely used their bags for more than pictures for their blog.

After a few hours on the water, we finally saw land.

Look at the difference in the water’s color.  This looks blue and pretty and inviting.

I ended up staying at a very small and locally ran place called the Zenji Hotel.  It’s close to the dock, cheap, clean and everyone was super nice.  I’d stay here again in a minute.  The place is pretty traditional and all the furniture is made on the Island.  Breakfast is included and the banana jam is to die for.

My first afternoon on the island I spent wandering the alleys of Stonetown looking at all the beautifully carved Zanzibar doors.

Stunning right? I did a little shopping as I wandered and tried to keep cool.  It was something like 92 degrees with 98% humidity. 

Eventually I made my way back to my room, took a power nap and headed out with one of the lodge’s staff, Yosef, to the night market in search of food.

Every night at dusk a night market literally appears out of thin air.  Hannah, one our readers, told me I HAD to have a Zanzibar pizza.  I wasn’t sure what to expect and Yosef wouldn’t enlighten me.  Eventually I discovered it was this.

I know the picture is blurry but what you see here is something similar to a crepe filled with a scary assortment of things that turn out to be delicious.

I don’t know if you can see what’s inside this little creation but there is ground beef, something similar to spreadable laughing cow cheese, onions, green veg, mayo (yes, seriously) and few other things I didn’t catch.

It ends up on this skillet thing and is cooked on both side until the outside is crispy and the inside is gooey.  When I saw this being made, I knew I’d need Cipro.  I knew my belly would be very upset.  Come on, warm spreadable cheese mixed with warm mayo?  It turns out that this was actually really yummy and I had no belly problems at all.

After a yummy meal, better than most I had in Dar, I wandered back to my hotel and was asleep in minutes.  I needed my strength for the Saturday spice tour. 

So, what do you think?  Would you risk eating the Zanzibar pizza?