Zanzibar the capital island of Tanzania off the Coast of Africa. An amazing jumble of people, monkeys, spices, back alleys, rain and more rain and did you know Farrokh Bulsara, AKA Freddie Mercury, member of Queen, was born here. With a two day port stop time to explore. First an excursion with Vicki’s group. Off to the Jozani Forest the home of the monkeys. While we spotted a few the hundreds of other people we did not leave time to really enjoy the moment. Off to a spice farm with an interesting guide. Spices are cultivated there but only sold by the government. We sampled the smells and saw the various plants. Cinnamon, pepper, ginger, cocoa, lemon grass, nutmeg, cloves and yes vanilla. Palm hats were distributed and Don had his third happy birthday song from the group. We walked through a mangrove forest and learned about the requirement for salt water to improve the sustainability of urban areas from erosion and tropical storms. The next day we had our own walking tour with Omar through the narrow alleys of Stone Town, a UNESCO site. More torrential rain and ankle deep rivers to navigate, or not, as eventually no waiting it out. Back to the ship via the shuttle to dry out.
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