The rise and fall

This evening we saw the moon "rising" from the sea and tomorrow we will go up incredibly early to see the sunrise over Zanzibar. But now we will go to bed since we are really tired after today's adventures at the blue safari.

Custard apples without apples and custard

Does that sound strange? Well it actually isn't that strange! Here in Zanzibar they have a fruit named "Apple custard" and it doesn't taste like apples but a little bit like vanilla (hence the name, we guess). The consistency is a little bit like soft avocados, but the flavor is one of a kind and quite difficult to describe. But we can say that it is one of the best fruit we have ever tasted!

We got an opportunity to try this fruit and a lot of other fruits when we went for a spice tour last Sunday. There are many spice farms at Zanzibar due to the history of Arabic and Indian influences, and many of these spice farms are situated close to Stonetown. So we went for a visit during the drive from Stonetown to Paje. It might sound a little strange to go and see how spices grow and how the plants of the spices look like but it sure was interesting!

We saw how cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and many other spices grow. We also got a chance to see a lot of fruits; big ones like jackfruits, strange ones like red bananas and the most surprising one the pineapple plant! Look at all these amazing plants:

The benamed custard apples. 

Arabic coffee beans.

Two unripe vanilla pods and one ripe. 

Jack fruit, they look like Dorian but they don't smell bad (at all)!

A lemongrass plantage.

The beautiful nutmeg.

Clove

A djungel of pepper plants climbing every tree possible.

The cinnamon is taken from the bark of this tree.

The pineapple plant, not as one would have expected.. or?

50 shades of red

We were very careful sunbathing the first day using sun factor 30 and 50. But unfortunately I (Linnea) forgot about the backside of my legs. So now they are 50 different shades of red…

The sunburn got a little worse today when we went snorkeling by a reef. The reef is dead since about 300 years, but there are still a lot of life there – fish in many different colors, “sea spiders”, octopus and some corrals. This was all very nice to look at for the familiarized snorkelers, but hard for the untrained ones.

This is the kind of boat that we took to the reef.

We had to walk some distance to get to the boat since it was low tide.

All of us in the boat.

Look at the hurcheon our guide picked up. The reef was full of them!

The starfish were also in 50 shades of red!

We arranged the starfish to make a good photo.

A nice one and a special one.

We also saw some clams but unfortunatly we did not get any pearls. 

Proof of us snorkling.

We found Nemo! ;)

Over all the food’s good, water’s nice (although quite algy), and the scenery is beautiful!!

African time and a buss without springs

Finally, we have arrived to Hiliki House in Stone town, Zanzibar! It feels good to be here after two and a half months in Nkinga, it is just to bad that our luggage got lost somewhere during the journey! But hopefully it will arrive in just 10 minutes, that is what they told us 30 minutes ago… one can never know when Africans speaks about time. There is a reason why it is called "African time".

The journey here was very long, first we took a cab to Nzega early in the morning (4am), from there we went by bus (4,5 hours) to Mwanza, it was a horrible bus ride! The bus had no no springs so we just kept bumping up and down... 

In Mwanza we took the airplane to Dar Es Salaam where we switched planes. The airplane from Mwanza was late due to “circumstances that were out of their control” and the airplane was to small for all the luggage so some of it got left behind. We wonder if it might had something to do with us bringing 24 kilos more than allowed… hope not!

Here are some pictures from our B&B, which by the way is really good and very cheap.

Bye bye Nkinga...

...and hello Zanzibar! :) Ready or not here we come!

Christmas gifts with a good purpose

Now when it is about time to start buying Christmas gifts for your friends and loved ones we want to make some advertising for the tray selling that is made by Nkingas Vänner. Many of the friends of this organisation transport African fabrics to Sweden. The fabrics are then cut by hand for each tray and then moulded in birch veneer into fabulous trays in one of Sweden’s most well-known and respected tray-company; åryTRAYS in Nybro. 

The money that the selling raises makes it possible for many poor women to safely delivery their babies at Nkinga hospital. The tray selling has also resulted in the renovation of the premature ward and that one nurse could be hired to take care of the premature babies. 

The traditional African fabrics are called kitenge. One can buy it in an incredible number of colours and patterns and most Tanzanian woman uses the kitenge. A translated quote from the back of the trays explains this in more detail:

"The kitenge is a part of the African woman's identity. It protects against both heat and cold, it expresses sadness after the death of family members and friends. In it she carries her baby and everything that is brought from the field and the market. The working hours are heavy and long but the kitenge gives the weekday colour and pattern. This tray is made by African kitenge." 

Don't cry for us Tanzania

Yesterday we celebrated the friday like real Swedes. We invited Maggan and her friend for tacos á la Africa and Swedish candy for dessert. We tried to make tortillas but failed so we ended up buying chapatis instead. But it worked out very well!

It was our last dinner with Maggan, Fanny & Alexandra at Nkinga so it sure was something to celebrate! Fanny and Alexandra are the two nursing students from Sophia hemmet who have lived together with us in the house. Luckily, in a week we will meet them again on Zanzibar! It is sad to be the ones that everybody is always saying good bye to when leaving Nkinga for new adventures, so we are really looking forward to be the ones who get to say good bye! ;)

This weekend will be designated to the project. We are at the end of the data collection and it will feel really good when this part is finished! Wish us good luck!