The fast ferry to Zanzibar takes about 2 hours. So why we chose "the slow boat" which takes 4 hours? Well, first of all because it's 20 € cheaper and secondly because it's 20 € cheaper. The boat, which easily could have been mistaken for a ferry from the 1900's, was full with a colourful bunch of local travelers plus 2 mzungus (whites), us. The engine sat in motion and the half asleep passengers who had patiently been waiting for the ferry to go off shore, arouse suddenly, it was time for fruits. We still don't know why, but everybody had fruit in their hands, and there were an energetic peeling, sucking, biting and slurping accompanied by the sound of a tired diesel engine reminding us how long the journey would be. Five hours later we arrived in Stone Town.

Zanzibar could easily been described by the swahili expression "hakuna matata" (no problem). This place has a cool and laid back atmosphere, and one soon gets into the rhythm of the island. It is also called "the spice island" and you can learn about all the exotic fruits and spices grown here by attending the "spicetour". Even though we recognized most of them, they are not entirely like the ones you'll see in your local supermarket. Take for instance the nutmeg, we know it as a spice grated from a dry nut, but before it gets to that it's the core of an apricot look-alike fruit with a certain resemblance of something from outer space.