Monday 29 July 2013

Tanzania: Our day of rest!

Sundays are a day of rest for the SCAW team here in Tanzania...NOT! On our days off our fearless leader, Ted has planned big and exciting things to experience here in this beautiful country! We planned a side trip to the island of Zanzibar, a twenty minute flight from the mainland in a 12 seater prop plane.  It was all about culture today, folks!



We began our tour with a relaxing breakfast buffet at Serena Hotel, and met up with our local guide for the day, Said Suleiman Mohammed, an herbalist and tour guide specialist for Zanzibar. He led us to a local spice farm and we enjoyed the lychee fruit from the tree, fresh sour sop, jack fruit, dorian and tried a vast array of spices as we learned how the traditional plants grow and how to use them to treat common ailments and diseases.

We shopped, met with a jeweler to learn about the properties of Tanzanite, a rare gemstone mined only in Tanzania and toured the Stone Town. With the incredible knowledge of dates, historical facts and practical knowledge about herbs and spices, our guide was outstanding in his profession. We were welcomed into a traditional home to experience a local meal, prepared over an open fire. We were asked to remove our shoes before sitting on the dinner mat, where we sampled rice pilaf topped with squid in a coconut sauce, shrimp, cassava, and bread fruit. On our way to the airport, we wandered through the fish market and took one last look at the exquisite doorways in the Stone Town. The day was a cultural experience that we will never forget!

Team Tanzania
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