August 8 - Stonetown, Zanzibar

Ok, we've been lion bait, battled a few cities, humanitarians and now we have been slugs on the beach. Oh, and Sadie has changed her name to Sara. Seems Africans have a really tough time saying and remembering the name Sadie, so she is now introducing herslef as Sara in the hopes they will remember. It seems to be working. We arrived in Stonetown desperate for a hot shower and a clean room which we got at the Abuso Inn. We stopped in Stonetown for 2 nights before heading up the coast to the beach.

Zanzibar is a heavily touristed island off the coast of Tanzania. It is the birth place for Christianity in Africa and the African slave trade. Obviously Christianity did not take hold here like it did on mainland, it is 95% muslim. Most women have their heads covered and many wear berkas. As I look accross the skyline from my roof top table and see the mosque, I realize it will be an early start tomorrow with prayers broadcast over the loudspeakers at 5am. We just visited the site of the slave trade market where the slaves were held in chambers waiting for their market day and eventual journey to America, Europe and even Brazil. Now there are only two chambers left for viewing and an Anglican Cathedral in place of the slave market site. There is a beautiful sculpture to honor the slaves and tours to educate tourists about the history of the slave trade and its eventual abolution. You can't help but feel the history. Ron and I have both just read The Book of Negros, a Canadian novel about an African woman in the slave trade. Thank you to whoever reccommended we save this read until Africa.

Stonetown is a really interesting place full of shopping opportunities (Sadie, Anna & Janet took full advantage while Ron eventually ditched us), history, good food and various tours. We went on the spice tour to learn about all the spices they grow here. The tour itself was a bit underwhelming but cool to see where the stuff in all those little jars in the cupboard beside the stove come from! We can't say the best part about Tanzania has been the food so we sought out a few comforts of home like espresso, gelato, pasta etc. We did try out the local bbq garden. Local chefs set up tables in a seaside garden and cook tons of different foods, seafoods, Zanzibar pizza (unlike anything we would call pizza but good) and chips (aka french fries). It was a treat and the local vibe was really fun. We had a drink at the infamous Africa House Hotel on the rooftop to watch the sunset while the girls played with the owners 4 mo. old monkey named Geo. Heaven.

The best part of our week though was of course the beach. We drove for about 1 1/4 hours up the coast to a place called Kendwa Beach and checked into a beach side resort. The beach is stunning; white sand, clean and really long. The water is the most amazing turquoise blue. Our six days up there consisted of; laying in the shade on the beach, reading, laying in the shade on the beach, swimming, laying in the shade on the beach, walking (we even did a family run one morning along the beach), laying in the shade on the beach and eating. We eventually got into the groove of how to "reserve" a beach shade hut, hammock and loungers, keep it all day for us to come and go. We also learned the fine art of waiting for table service which took up to 1 1/2 hours between ordering and eating. We have played countless games of Euchre.

We did venture out on a snorkeling day trip. Our vessel was a traditional Dow with sail and motor. The sail is a large piece of canvas strung up on a mast and boom - sort of - made from lashing together lengths of local trees. There was about 20 of us on board. Our route was during low tide so we had to travel outside the reef to our island destination. About six people were sea sick within the hour. Luckily the Gosneys used every ounce of concentration they had to stay well and it somehow worked, we rode on the roof with the crew! Snorkeling was new for both Sadie & Anna. We were not feeling especially confident when we were finally ready to jump ship, one girl was already climbing back over the side saying the current was too strong. Sadie didn't skip a beat and after an initial bit of panic, Anna caught on and we swam all over. The fish were fabulous, Anna & Ron even saw a stingray. After snorkeling we headed over to a beach where some of the crew had cooked up 2 huge tuna, rice and sliced fruit for lunch. The trip home was much less eventful with calm seas and under sail (with a wicked sail set up I'd have to draw instead of try and describe) getting us home in the late afternoon. Zanzibar is very expensive so we kept our activites fairly simple knowing we needed the rest.

Zanzibar was also our first intense experience with touts, or people trying to sell us stuff. Bargaining is definitely part of the process and learning to say no thank you in as nice a way as possible is a necessity (they are offering anything and everything!). The girls have both tested out the fine art of bargaining and I'm sure soon will be teaching us how to do it better. In general we have felt quite safe here in Africa. The general rule of thumb though is to stay close to home after dark and if you have to go out, take a taxi. Since it is impossible for us to even try to blend in around here, we are following these guidelines. We did walk the beach after dark though at Kendwa Beach in front of the resorts to find our dinner each night and that was completely fine.

And how are we doing as a family? Well, it's been just under 4 weeks since leaving Toronto and it has been 24/7 with no break. I have no real perspective to gage how we are doing but I think in general we're doing ok to great. Getting in touch with home and the occasional treat goes a very long way for all of us. Oh, and a beer for Ron & Janet most evenings too. Ron is working like crazy to work out most of the logistics and we love him for that. Every day is not perfect for sure but as I write these notes, it becomes crystal clear how much we are seeing and experiencing. Ron and Janet have each read a couple of books already and the iPods are a saviour at times. I think food has been the biggest challenge (very clearly predicted by Ron from the start) to date. The girls have both lost a few pounds and are still resisting the local fare. And have I mentioned how much Janet craves a really good coffee?

Thanks to everyone who has been in touch, it is much appreciated. Asante Sana, which means thank you very much. Victoria Falls is next via Johanasburg where we are booked in a nice hotel with a pool and hopefully high speed internet. Whoo Hoo!