Paje by Kite - Zanzibar

We left Stone Town and headed to Paje, a village on the south-east coast of Zanzibar for a beach-week.

While it took us a few days to 'slow down' and actually enjoy chilling on the beach (rather than planning our next move/destination/flights/etc), once we settled in, we really enjoyed our time in Paje.  Once we hit our rhythm, Megan got into sitting in a hammock reading a few books each day.

While Mike went kiting whenever the wind would allow.

In the mornings and evenings, and also during the days when there was no wind, we chilled out at Paje by Night - a very relaxed hotel which allowed us to use the pool, chill on their sofas and use the internet despite the fact we were actually staying at the much more basic Kitete Beach Resort next door.

View from our room!

Paje by Kite - one of many kite schools along the beachfront - was also run from here.  With the best pricing for rentals, friendliest staff and very relaxed attitude it's understandable how they have grown to outpace the competition over the past few years.

Paje had a really relaxed vibe (despite all the touts constantly pitching trips).  We also thought the sight of Masai walking/riding up and down the beach was classic!

All up - we really enjoyed decompressing in Paje before diving back into the safaris - next up the Serengeti!

"Jambo, Jambo"

We arrived at 4am in Stone Town on the Island of Zanzibar after an epic series of flights through Zambia, Ethiopia and mainland Tanzania.

We agreed that since we had been ‘on the go’ for weeks, that we needed some time to relax and recharge before safari mania resumed.

We arranged 2 days in Stone Town before we headed to the beaches on the east cost. Stone Town -  the old town of Zanzibar City - was famous as a major spice and slave trading  in the 19^th century. The heart of Stone Town mostly consists of a maze of narrow alleys lined by houses, shops, bazaars, and mosques. We delighted in spending a few lazy days wandering around shopping, eating delicious curries and sampling the local Swahili food, including lots of seafood!

"Jambo"means 'hello' in Swahili and we were warmly greeted by the locals every two minutes with 'Jambo, jambo'.

Beautiful wooden doors everywhere!

The bustling alleys were chaotically exciting - walkers, bikes and motorbikes/scooters flew through the alleys, somehow always managing to miss colliding!

Mike getting a much needed haircut. Best of the trip by far!

Although the spice trade isn’t as active as it once was, the island is trading on its history and organises tours to ‘spice plantations’. Although very commercial with large tour groups, we learnt quite a bit about how spices are grown and used.

Fresh turmeric

Cloves

Fresh nutmeg & mace (the red plasticky covering)

For chocolate lovers - cocao!

Star Fruit

Lychees - perfect for my next martini! 

Fresh coconut flesh and water!

The colouring used for cooking tandoori

 

We enjoyed some freshly pressed sugar-cane juice in the evenings while wandering through Forodhani Gardens and seeing the local fare of charcoal bbq'd fish, shrimp, lobster & of course the "Zanzibar Pizzas"

Next, off to Paje on the east coast. Turquoise waters and tanning for Megan, kite-boarding for Mike!