The Farmhouse, Dar es Salaam and Stone Town

July 1st

The Farmhouse was an absolute gem in the middle of nowhere. Once we had our tents pitched we warmed up in the rondavel bar- a thatched roof, mudwall hut with glowing coal heaters and bamboo furniture lining the perimeter. A very cozy, authentically african place to chill out after a long day on the truck.

We were escorted by lamplight to the Farmhouse 'restaurant', where we were greeted with African drums. We sat down to a delicious meal of roast beef, vegetables and potatoes- all freshly picked from the farm. The restuarant was housed in the remants of a tribal chief's home, only recently discovered by the Farmhouse owner. The chief had 27 wives and over 120 children, so was forced to move out to larger dwellings (his family was the beginnings of a nearby village). With a Kilimanjaro beer in hand, the stone walls, thatched roof, and glowing coal heaters made for an incredible atmosphere.

Our next day of driving took us into Dar es Salaam, a hectic, bustling city featuring an exotic mix of cultures, religions, and influences. I've been told the city resembles a slightly clearner version of Northern India. As we were weaving through the local traffic, windows down and cameras snapping away, I was lucky to have a fellow overlander draw my attention to a hand reaching up into my window, presumably at an attempt to steal my camera as we drove. Windows were up for the remainder of the journey through town, despite the 30 degree heat.

We found ourselves pitching our tents as the sun went down on the gorgeous Indian Ocean. The white sandy beach was full of locals strolling along on a beautiful Sunday evening, with the odd tourist scattered amongst them. I managed to get a dip into the salty water, which I've come to miss dearly since my time in South Africa.

I've been looking forward to getting to the exotic island of Zanzibar since I saw photos in the planning stages, and that morning we were a peppy group ready to make our way to the ferry. We packed light and made our way by foot to the ferry which took us across the beach bay into the main port of Dar es Salaam. From there we caught the 2 hour ferry to Zanzibar island, pulling into exciting Stone Town. The streets, if you could even call them that, were lined with tall narrow buildings, with walking room for three people across. The city is an absolute maze- again very much like parts of India and Morocco. The muslim influence was all around us, with alcohol being more difficult to find, and women fully covered. The island has a local population of over 2 million- which is astonishing considering its size. Our group enjoyed sunset cocktails at "Africa House" which sits right on the shore of the Indian Ocean, featuring an exotic african-indian atmosphere. We had heard great things about the local fish market, so a group of us made our way through the maze of streets to find the bustling lamplight bazaar of seafood. The crowded street was lined with vendors, tables adorned with a variety of deadly foods (well, deadly for me), naan, and coal grills to cook up your dinner selection. I managed to find some delicious, freshly caught kingclip, and despite my aprehension about contact with the neighbouring shellfish, I enjoyed the kabob without any allergic reaction. phew.

Dessert was a pan-fried crepe with sliced banana and chocolcate shavings, drizzled with chocolate. Amazing. No seafood market is complete without a random monkey jumping from shoulder to shoulder, so as I enjoyed the last bits of my dessert I enjoyed the company of a very cute, but devilish monkey. It peed on me. That's 2 for the animals (hornbill crap, monkey pee), 0 for Bonita.

We had a few drinks back at our accommodation, before 4 of us wandered back into the streets to enjoy some delicious ice cream, overlooking the Stone Town port. Our body clocks weren't ready for a late night, and fortunately neither was the non-drinking muslim community, so we crashed early, to head to the North Beaches of Zanzibar the next morning.

And that brings me to today! CANADA DAY! I've got my Canadian pins on my bathing suit as I soak up the sun on the most beautiful beach I've ever been to. I'm notoious for accidentaly making inappropriate comments, and I proved myself yet again when I invited our muslim minibus driver to join us on the beach for a beer to celebrate Canada's birthday. oops.

The water is crystal clear in the most spectacular shade of blue. I've got some snorkelling planned for tomorrow and on July 3rd, we head back to Stone Town, and into Dar es Salaam before travelling inland to Arusha.

It looks like I might have some travelling buddies for my trip to Mombasa once my overland adventure is over. The kitesurfing on the Kenyan coast is supposed to be great, so I'm looking forward to my 6 days there before I tackle Kilimanjaro.