Zanzibar, Tanzania

Merry Christmas!

I woke up today at about 06:30, only to find out the door to the hostel dormitory was closed from outside and could not be opened. Oh well, hakuna matata. I then laid in bed hoping the door would be opened soon for breakfast (I didn’t want to wake anyone else, thus the passive nature of my response); shortly before 08:00, another dorm-room resident woke up, discovered the door was latched closed from the outside, and then called the hotel staff to notify them (luckily he had a functioning cell phone and their number); so we were freed and my bladder was thankful. I then had a delightful breakfast (included with the hostel costs) which consisted of a spinach omelet, chapati bread, banana, watermelon, mango, orange juice, and coffee; this was one of the best breakfasts I have had on my travels. I then relaxed most of the day since I deemed it was too late to travel to Stone Town (I would like a very early start to give me as much time there as possible) and since it was Christmas, I wasn’t sure if anything would be open (the hostel staff later reassured me that people on Zanzibar don’t celebrate Christmas on account of them being Muslim; however, tomorrow, being Friday and the Muslim day of worship, many things may be closed . . . perhaps I should’ve gone to Stone Town today after all). I had a few beers (Kilimanjaro Lager and Safari Lager are the two locally produced styles available at the hostel – Kilimanjaro is the better beer), planned some future portions of my travels, and typed out some journal entries while taking it easy. Later on I walked to the beach and took some photos. Then I put my camera and valuables away before returning to the beach to watch a few people taking kite surfing lessons and to dip inside the water myself (the first proper dip I had in the Indian Ocean); the water was very warm and pleasant. Next, I returned to the hostel, showered, and relaxed some more before joining everyone for a Christmas barbeque. For our grand feast, we had grilled fish and octopus, seasoned chicken, a delicious spinach and coconut dish, salad, rice, a curry vegetable dish, French fries, and, for dessert, fried bananas in a sweet sauce. After our big meal, I went to the bar and talked with an architect from South Africa; we shared some drinks and interesting conversation before deciding to join one of the hostel staff members for some more drinks at a nearby club. When we were all ready to go, we walked to the outdoor nightclub; once at the club, I could see that the South African and I were the only foreigners there (“Hey Otis, my man!”), but it didn’t matter; everyone was there to have a great time. At the bar in the club, we each had some Konyagi (a local gin that was deadly tasting) and tried some more of the local beers (there was a well-crafted stout beer that requires a taste I haven’t quite acquired, but was still pretty good). The South African and I eventually made it to the pool table and we played doubles against some locals; unfortunately we were too drunk and not very skilled to begin with. After hanging around the pool table and watching the precious few dancers on the main floor for a few hours, we decided to call it a night. We walked back to our hostel and hastened our way in to our beds. By the time we fell asleep, it was past 03:00.