After our wildlife safari, we returned to Arusha for a couple of days and then went on separate excursions -- Jenn went for 5 days to Makoa Farms (a working farm and horse ranch near Moshi) and I went on a 7 day cultural tour through the Hanang District.  We will, later, publish a post about those amazing experiences.  For now . . .

We spent 7 amazing days on Zanzibar Island, which is very close to Dar es Salaam and the Tanzanian mainland, but might as well be a million miles away.  First, we spent 6 days at Bweju Beach on the East Coast.  The beach was absolutely stunning -- lined with palm trees, clear azure water, and white sand.  Conjure an image of "paradise" and you're pretty much there.  For 6 days, we rested and relaxed -- but we also walked on the beach, rode bikes on the beach (a common pasttime on the island) , went scuba diving, played cards and scrabble, and that is about it.  The food, except for one night, was great.  The views were unreal -- probably the most beautiful beach either of us have ever visited (in fact, I was not even bored and wanted to stay an extra day, which is why we stayed for 6 days instead of just 5).

Thereafter, and before flying to South Africa (where we are now -- in Joburg and heading to Capetown tomorrow), we spent a day wandering around Stone Town.  While ST has a reputation for being exotic, we found it a bit dirty and disappointing.  That aside, however, we saw a few neat buildings (strong arab influence in the architecture), an INCREDIBLE sunset into the Indian Ocean, and we ate some very good swahili food.

We will soon post about our other tours in Tanzania, as well as our South Africa experience so far -- a 5 day safari to Kruger Park. 

A wedding date has been set:  more details will follow, but plan on Saturday, June 25, 2005 in Severna Park, MD.