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Ah....we are now in paradise, and it is incredible.

On Saturday, in Stone Town, we got up early and had breakfast at Emerson/Green's Tower Top restaurant. That is really a great location, and was a very good hotel. Our favorite place to eat was the hotel restaurant next door called Kidude (named after famous female Zanzibari musician, Bi Kidude -- we'd never heard of her, but we bought her cd, since we ate there so much).

Then Yussuf met us, and took us on a spice tour on the way to our next hotel destination on the north tip of the island. Spice tours are the "required" thing to see in Zanzibar, since it is known as the Spice Island. The guide takes you around and shows you all the various spices as they grow, and explains the process. We saw vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon grass, nutmeg, mint, etc, etc. It was actually pretty interesting, and we had a little "helper" following us around, making things out of palm fronds for us to wear. He made me a turtle necklace, a ring, a watch, sunglasses, and a basket purse, and he made Mike a neck tie. He also demonstrated the "lipstick" plant, which was natural dyes that many of the women use as makeup - the Maasai also use it to color their hair and skin red. After the spice tour, we did a fruit tasting. There are so many different tropical fruits that they have here, that we've never seen before. Some can be found at Asian stores, for example, the leechie (sp?), but many we'd never seen before. My favorite was jackfruit, which tasted like a cross between banana and pineapple, and Mike's favorite was the custard fruit. Mike also tried the Dorian, and in Swahili they have a saying about it, "Tastes like heaven but smells like trash." Supposedly if you eat it, you have to clean your mouth out, or your breath will be terrible. Mike chewed some gum, and that seemed to help!

So then we went to Ras Nungwi. This place is phenominal, and would be a great honeymoon destination. The water is turquise, the sand is white, and there is barely anyone on the beach. The hotel we are staying at is also phenominal. We have one of the best rooms, and it is right on the beach. We can hear the waves as we sleep, and we've been enjoying sitting on the porch watching the ocean. The food is very good, and last night, before dinner, there was some musical entertainment, which was great. Normally, they do a short drum show before lunch and dinner, as a dinner bell, but last night there was a sax and guitar as well as a few other traditional instruments. We were thinking about going snorkeling, but all of the trips are full day trips, so we decided to stay and relax instead. We may go kayaking later today, if the weather is ok (it's been raining off and on). All in all, this is a great place, and I would highly recommend it.

Tonight is our last night in Africa. Tomorrow we will get up at 4:30am to make the long trek back to Nairobi (a 1 1/2 drive, followed by a short plane ride). Then we will be getting a day room at the Safari Club, since our flight doesn't leave until late in the evening. Then home. It's been quite a trip, and there have been so many experiences. I can't wait to go home though, and get back to the daily grind. That's one of the best things about travelling - throughout all of your wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) times and new experiences, it really makes you appreciate home. :)