Stone Town rocks (get the pun? Get it? harharhar)

When did I update? Tuesday? Right... Wednesday was another bright sunny day, except for the hour it rained. But that was painless enough, I even enjoyed it a bit! I did manage to get sunburned - unintentionally. I sat outside reading and the shade moved. So that was fun too :) Actually the biggest news for me was that the place I stayed had a laundry service. My clothes are so clean and pretty... it made me very very happy. So that was Wednesday, rain, sun, sunburn, laundry... And a beautiful sunset which I took way too many pictures of.

Thursday I was up early again, camp threw my body clock out because we were also in bed before ten and up by 7.30 so now I'm in that routine, and every couple of days I have to have a really early morning, 5am or so, and I shift a bit further left... now it's bed by 9 up at 6. Well almost. Anyway, bus left at ten for Stone Town and I was dreading it a little because I had a really bad experience on Monday with some jerk wanting me to buy him a cocacola, he got quite rude. But it turns out that jerks are jerks everywhere and actually Stone Town is beautiful and the people are all very lovely and welcoming. I spent Thursday afternoon exploring the city. It's reasonably old and full of alleys and lanes so walking is ideal, and the whole place is pretty compact. It would only take about an hour to walk around the whole town! But I spent three hours meandering and looking at museums. There's the Museum of Natural History, one room full of photos, clay models and stuffed animals. Kind of creepy, a little sad, but worth it just to see a dodo skeleton! The Peace Museum, which is in the guide book, has recently closed but it's a pretty building anyway. Saw the Old Fort but it's under some kind of repair and you can't get in so really I just saw a big old wall. That's right next to the confidently named Muesum of Wonders, which was pretty decent if slightly overzealously named.

I changed guest house too when I returned, a better area I think and a better price, so I had to get used to the new location so the walk was good for that!

Then today was the spice tour - a must for Zanzibar apparently. It was quite interesting to drive around the different spice farms and collect stuff, though I left it all there because I couldn't take it to Europe with me. Cinnamon was cool, it's just bark! Who knew... And then we tried lots of local fruits, it was fun. Jack fruit tastes kind of like pineapple, there's malay apples and bitter orange and other stuff I forget. And then lunch, really yummy, full of all the spices we'd seen!

You know I think this is probably quite a boring post to read. I had fun doing this stuff, but none of it's that exciting to read. Not like killing chickens and being kidnapped by buses. Oh! I know... I was walking back to the hotel yesterday and a policeman started chatting with me. Locals often start talking to tourists and usually they want something but I thought oh a policeman, I've been well trained by my mother that this man is only here to help. So when he asked where I was staying I told him, which I normally wouldn't do. Next thing he says "I think I would like to visit you today." Oops. So I told him that unfortunately my husband and I were going out for dinner and we were on a pice tour all day tomorrow so it was not a good idea. Quick thinking/lying.

There's your Africa' a crazy place story for the day :)

Tomorrow I fly to Greece, with a 16 hour layover in Doha of all places. Apparently they'll put me up in a hotel but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much! I've got 4 hours to kill in Dar too so I'm meeting up with Musa, the language school guy we met on our first day here and I'll pass my sim car to him for one of the volunteers and see if he's keen to drive me around for half a day! Then it's on to colder climes. It's so hot here I think this might be the first time in my life I'm looking forwar to cold weather!

So I'll see you in Greece!