In 2017 we went to Zanzibar. It was a long journey from our hometown. Door to door for about 20 hours. The flight took around 10 hours with a short layover in Hurghada (Egypt). The plane was very small and I remember that it was one of the most uncomfortable flights so far. But we were going to Zanzibar, so who cares!!!

Arriving at the airport was a very unique experience. It’s not an airport as we know in first world countries. We came into this little space with no windows, it was very dirty and there was one man sitting in some sort of cabin, checking the visas and stamping us in. After that we could pick up our luggage. 

Once outside on our way to our bus, a man approached us with his hands full of change. He wanted to change all of this for a 20 euro note and asked if we could help him. Of course we wanted to help. After trying to count the money, the man was already gone, and our 20 euros in change was only 17 euros. Oops! We all gathered in front of different buses and they drove us to the hotel. We booked an all inclusive, because we wanted to relax. It was beautiful! Not too luxurious, but very homey and the staff was so nice! It was right next to the beach and we could walk down the stairs from the bar straight into the water.

During our stay we also had a small visitor, a kitten! One of the cats had kittens and they were very curious. It was so sweet. Of course we didn’t only stay in the resort. We did a spice tour where they showed us where and how the spices grew. We saw cinnamon, ginger, pineapples, mangos, and much more. We took a walk through the mangroves (where my hair exploded, like Monica’s when she was in Barbados – Friends episode), they made hats from leaves for us, we had an amazing local lunch, and visited the house where Freddie Mercury lived when he was little. And now the best part: we went to a tortoise sanctuary on an island close by. The beach was gorgeous! There were some really big and old tortoises!! We were even able to feed them. It was so special!

A couple of days later we booked a tour where we could swim with wild dolphins. Awesome! I’ve done it once before in the Dominican Republic, but never in the open ocean. We got picked up around 04.30AM. A car pulled up, he drove us to a very remote place, where there was a man with a very small boat. I remember saying to Paul: Is this right? I mean, is this what the resort arranged for us? It didn’t really look like there was anything arranged.

The man asked us to hurry and get into the boat, otherwise we would miss the dolphins. Okay. We got some goggles, sailed to the open sea looking for dolphins and at one point he shouted: GO, GO, GO!! I didn’t understand. He wanted us to jump in and look for the dolphins. Okay! I jumped in. Didn’t see anything. He said we were too slow, so get into the boat and he would sail us to the correct spot. Again: GO, GO, GO. At least now I knew to jump in.

And there they were! Beautiful! We tried to take pictures, but they were really fast and the current was so strong. So we snapped a few, hoping that there was a good one. But wait! What do I feel? Ouch! That hurt! Ouch! What is that? I saw little bright blue/green spots swimming around me. I felt electric shocks. Ouch! This hurts! I tried to get out of the water as fast as I could. When I looked at my skin, it turned all orange and it was a bit swollen. To this day I still don’t know what they were, but it was very unpleasant.

It was a very unique, and fun experience, but we were really exhausted afterwards. So we asked the hotel if we could arrange a massage. No problem! I went first and Paul second. The woman who massaged us was really friendly, but I don’t think she was a licensed massage therapist. When she massaged me, her large breasts were constantly in my face, beside that, she came very close to my private parts. I felt a bit violated after the massage. When Paul and I talked about the massage, he said he had exactly the same experience! Well, let’s not do that again!

With a few days left, Paul’s birthday was coming up and I wanted to surprise him. What you need to know is that Paul doesn’t really like celebrating his birthday, but being in such a wonderful place in the world, I wanted to make it unforgettable! A few days earlier someone else celebrated his birthday and the staff arranged a really cool experience. So I managed to ask the kitchen staff to do the same for him and make him a cake as well. While talking to the kitchen, Paul walked in. I think he heard. Whoopsie!

But before dinner I arranged a day on the water. SUPPING. It was so cool, at least, that is what I thought. Paul on the other hand was not really fond of this activity, so I ended up paddling him around all morning, haha! It was his birthday, so why not!

On his birthday, when we sat down, all the lights went off and we heard a noise. Music! The kitchen staff walked out and used the ladles and pans to make music. They started singing and dancing while walking through the restaurant and ended at our table. It was so much fun and so special, but I think it was a bit of an embarrassing moment for Paul. One thing for sure, it’s a birthday he will never forget.

Zanzibar is absolutely worth visiting. We had a blast and it was very interesting learning more about the culture during our day trips. Maybe next time we can go on safari! 

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