The last part of June, John and I enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing and adventure-filled 8 days in Zanzibar, Tanzania. There were so many wonderful pictures and activites to share, that this blog is only the first of three about our time on this very interesting island. At the recommendation of our dear friends, Wanda Wood and Bill Damour, we stayed at the Imani Beach Villa - a charming 9 room guest house about 20 minutes north of Stone Town. Young British owners, Simon and Kristen Bennett, really know how to run a beautiful, service-oriented and relaxing place. Their staff members were accomodating, helpful and all had great personalities. They have a flexible meal plan with a menu of delicious items, ranging from hand-made somasas to chicken in coconut curry sauce and squid salad. One can order anything on the menu from 7:30 am - 9 pm at night and eat anywhere you would like. Half and full-board is available, depending upon your day's activities. Their new Tree House Bar is breezy and has a great view of the water.
The Imani is located along the water front on the west side of the island. It's beach is rocky and not really a swimming or snorkeling beach. It is covered with fisherman, their boats and nets. A very lively place.
We spent many hours reading, watching the World Cup Soccer games, responding to emails and otherwise getting to talk with their other very interesting guests. One such guest was a young East Indian engineer, currently working in Nigeria, on holiday with his parents. It turns out that in 2007, he had lived and worked in Poulsbo, WA. Each Saturday, during market season, he would meet his friends at the Poulsbo Farmers Market. He just raved about how much he loved the market. I think he probably bought tomatoes from our Smoke Tree Farms booth. What a small world!
We took advantage of many of the excursions offered by the Imani and also went reef and wreck diving with a great Dive shop (OneOcean). Although we are both certified PADI Open Water Divers, we had not been scuba diving since the late 1980s. So, the OneOcean Dive Master gave us a great little refresher course and we were on our way. It was like riding a bicycle.
Pictures above: Imani Beach Villa entrance; Imani Beach Villa Tree House Bar; fishermen's boats near the Imani;view of the sea in front of the Imani with one of the two house dogs; Simon and Kristen Bennett, owners of the Imani Beach Villa.
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