Having both
travelled extensively around the world, it surprised me that neither myself nor
my Dutch girlfriend had ever been to Africa. One call to Pure Zanzibar later
and we were set for a luxury holiday, at a price which was lower than you would
expect, if the hotels descriptions were to be believed.
So it was
with a mixture of excitement and slight trepidation that we boarded the plane
on our journey into unchartered territory. After
landing at Dar El Salaam, we transferred to the small plane that would hop us
on to Zanzibar. With just a soft holdall each and the very basic domestic air
terminal (and ‘bus stop’ would give a better description than the rather grand
use of the word terminal) where they wrote out our Passport numbers by hand, it
became very clear that we were leaving behind a lot of the ridiculous gadgetry
clutter and self importance of the world that we usually inhabited and heading
for somewhere simpler and friendlier.
In Zanzibar
our transfer was seamless, in fact the only hold ups on the entire trip were
the M25 and Heathrow in equal measure... so much for ‘progress’...
Furthermore
everyone we met was eager to help and smiling, even when they didn’t need to
be.
Stonetown
was a fascinating haphazard maze of old houses and shops and schools and small
businesses – in fact it was often difficult to tell the difference. Every
tourist gets lost in the unnamed unsigned streets but any local will happily
point you in the right direction or walk with you and chatter away. We felt
safe and relaxed. Yes a few budding entrepreneurs did try to sell us stuff but
at no point was anybody too pushy. We walked to the sea front on our own at
night, and in the day drank crushed sugar cane under the giant Banyan tree
chatting to locals who stopped by. Our hotel was right in the heart of
Stonetown and there could be no better way to soak up the atmosphere. I think
day trippers might feel uneasy about suddenly being confronted by the rabbit
warren like streets – but they need not worry, maybe you need to be there for a
bit longer to realise how friendly and vibrant the area is.
We moved
onto the Baraza Resort for a blissful and tranquil week on the beach. The calm
that we felt as we walked into the reception area, the smiles and welcome of
Jemima our villa hostess, the views of the ocean, the gentle breeze... I am
sure these images will stay with us forever. The ocean front villa was not only
pure luxury, but beautifully designed with day beds for reading and relaxing
and plunge pool to cool down. Within a few paces we were on the white sandy
beach and every afternoon when the tide came in we swam in the sea, which was
like stepping into a warm bath! In the mornings when the tide went out we
watched the fishermen casting their nets in the shallows. They would feed their
families with their catch and bring back the empty shells to sell. They were
also always happy to talk about their lives and their work. In the evenings we
would eat expertly prepared unhurried meals in the cool and comfortable
restaurant, or out under the stars, always with attentive and smiley service.
All of the waiting staff well trained and perfectly polite – but no sense of
stuffiness that can make you feel uncomfortable. This is the sort of relaxing
that we didn’t want to end.
I mentioned
earlier that we had travelled extensively, so it was very interesting to
compare our Zanzibar experience. Obviously
when you stay in Luxury Resorts and hotels the staff are usually very nice. Of
course they are. But what we found in Zanzibar, and Jemima was a perfect
example, were staff who loved their job and loved where they lived. It is often
arrogantly assumed in the UK that people from less wealthy countries would all
like to flock to our shores for our better way of life. This was the opposite
of what we found in Zanzibar. People seemed genuinely content with their lot,
proud of the islands friendliness and often went over and above what they
needed to provide in the way of service. I’m sure lots of holiday resorts will
claim this... but here it is actually true. And it makes all the difference.
We got
engaged whilst on Zanzibar – it was that romantic and relaxed. I couldn’t think
of a nicer place to have this memory.
Many thanks
to Tarquin and Susie and the staff at Pure Zanzibar for making this happen. And
the most often repeated quote that I read in the Baraza Guestbook I will repeat
here, ‘We will be back. Thank you.’
Jerry &
Marjolein
