One thing I learned in a lifetime of making friends from all over the world, is that it doesn't really matter where you are from or where you live. As long as the vibes are good, friendships can endure distance, culture, language and time. Maybe one of the most special friendships I have is with two girls named Loreto and Vanessa. I figured our friend group name might be 'Holy Trinity' because that is what we are called on Whatsapp, haha. I guess the three of us has always been a divine combination. S T O R Y T I M E I'm gonna give a quick history for those who don't know (just skip the whole blue part if you just wanna read about Zanzibar): I met Loreto & Vanessa in May 2015 all as bad-ass solo traveling girls in a hostel in Arusha. For me it was the first time traveling on my own, and coming to Tanzania was pretty random: I got an e-mail offer in my inbox the winter before with cheap tickets (350 euro two-way!) and on the spot decided to book it, cause Tanzania looked like everything I needed instead of cold Dutch winter weather at that moment. Yep, that was basically my main reason haha. A few months later, I arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport and get to the hostel I found good recommendations about online: Ujamaa Hostel. I have a bed in the dorm and when I enter, its basically a bunch of girls sitting on the bunk beds discussing where in the world the most beautiful men are from (apparently its Argentina). I immediately got a warm welcome by the girls and they invited me to join them on a safari that weekend. And I was afraid traveling alone would be lonely, well the weeks that followed I was everything but lonely. Probably made more friends then ever in such a short time! The safari turned out an extremely bonding experience. Singing Lion King in the car, going through countless flat tires, waiting on top of the car with Konyagi for spare tires to be brought, setting up our tent in the pitch dark surrounded by buffaloes, almost having a leopard jump in our car(!), going to the bathroom together at night trying to talk about everything but the lions we heard outside the camp earlier, but most of all: enjoying the beauty of Serengeti and Ngorongoro with such an amazing group of people. I'm about to get all nostalgic here... Anyway, back to the story: with Loreto & Vanessa I had a special bond that did not fade away after we all went our separate ways again. We kept in touch almost every single day through Whatsapp and shared everything that happened to us. From our lives back home in Chile and the Netherlands, and Vanessa's adventures on her world trip. In February 2016, we somehow made it work to all come from 3 different continents back to Tanzania to meet up again. We had two weeks of crazy adventures in Arusha and Zanzibar and many many funny, weird, loving but even sad moments. It would have been SO amazing if we could have made it work in 2017 again, but life took us to different paths. Vanessa by now lived in Zanzibar (!) and I in Kenya, so I went to visit her in May. However, Loreto was still busy working in Chile and she could only enjoy the new stories by our voice notes. But... in September 2017, Loreto could make it to Tanzania! Only, Vanessa had already moved to the other side of the world... (if you think I travel a lot, you really haven't her yet). But anyway, I had to find a weekend to still meet my favorite Chilean in Zanzibar and so it happened that I traveled to beautiful Zanzibar on October 19th. T H E A C T U A L B L O G P A R T So, now back to the original topic: I arrived at the airport really late, but thankfully my favorite Zanzibari taxi driver was there to pick me up: Hamadi! Hamadi dropped me at my guesthouse for tonight in town that I had found through AirBnb: Kiponda. KIPONDA CULTURAL APPARTMENT - AIRBNB Kiponda Appartment is a basic hostel in the middle of the old centre of Stone Town. It turned out to be perfect for my one night stay, since Nasir the host was a very relaxed guy that didn't mind having me arrive in the middle of the night and was helpful to explain me to get around (and pick me when I couldn't find back the place again haha). The hostel is upstairs in one of the narrow streets and its on a shared compound. There is a cultural centre/music studio and it gives a nice homely feeling with the plants, laundry and art on the walls. I also found that there is always people around the compound, and they are always friendly. The room itself was basic, a bed, a ventilator, wifi and a shared bathroom but it was clean, there were good locks and in the common area there is a hammock, table and some books, so also nice to hang around. >>> https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15564709?location=kiponda A DAY IN STONETOWNANTIQUE SHOPPING @ MAHO's SHOP, HURUMZI STREET Even though I had been to Zanzibar a couple of times before, my time in Stone Town was always pretty short since I normally head to the beach as soon as possible. I did the 'standard' touristic things, but now I had a full day before my Chilean friends would arrive on the airport, and I was actually pretty excited to see more of the old town. I love Swahili culture and it doesn't get more Swahili then the old town. Narrow streets, the different Middle Eastern and Asian influences in the architecture and especially: all the little shops with the most amazing stuff for sale. One of the shops I loved was Maho's shop on Hurumzi Street. Its a small shop and it has mostly antiques. Maho told me a lot of Zanzibari people are also getting more into 'modern' furniture and they put all the old antique stuff in boxes under the bed. He tries and finds these boxes and with that fills up his store with the most random items. Clocks, Omani wood carving, Indian tin boxes, jewelry and a lot more. I somehow ended up going home with an authentic Zanzibari license plate, which he told me was very old and I don't know how old that means but it looks nice on my shelf. ZANZIBAR COFFEE HOUSE Shopping, especially when the heat starts kicking in can be exhausting so I decided to grab some brunch and ran into the Zanzibar Coffee House on Tharia Street. This place is pretty amazing, as almost every building in Stone Town it has that old school Swahili vibe. And the food is pretty amazing too! You can sit downstairs which is like a little cafe, but absolutely don't forget to go all the way up to the rooftop as well. It has a little breeze and gives you a beautiful view over the colorful roofs of the town. The interior is also nice, its not overdone, gives a very relaxed vibe and not to forget I had an amazing fresh passion juice + a Nutella pancake! Appearantly it is also a hotel, and even though I have not seen the rooms I imagine that they will also be very nice like the rest of the place. >>> https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g488129-d647233-Reviews-Zanzibar_Coffee_House-Stone_Town_Zanzibar_City_Zanzibar_Island_Zanzibar_Archipelago.html ZAFARANI RESTAURANT After breakfast I met up with Aida, which I met through... surprise... Instagram! I know a lot of people think its weird or crazy, and yes there are definitely creeps out there on the internet, but during my time in East-Africa I have met a lot of amazing, cool, creative, helpful people through Instagram. I always quote how I even ended up in Kenya at first through an internship I got through someone on the gram. Anyway, Aida is one of those cool peeps I met on Instagram. She grew up in different countries in East-Africa and now lives in Zanzibar, and she was the perfect new friend to spend my day in Stone Town with since she also LOVES all the cute little shops. But before I get to that, first we went for lunch at Zafarani Restaurant. It was recently opened and I had already seen some pics of it, and it looked really nice. But in real life it might be even better! Zafarani is located at House 567 Shangani, and you will immediately recognize the white building with the Zanzibar ocean turquoise doors. There is free wi-fi and the interior is super pretty. The food was also amazing, and the portion I had was huge (I had a pesto pasta with shrimps), especially since we got a free soup as a started and had an amazing hibiscus iced tea too. The other dishes on the menu were a mix of Swahili food and uses a lot of the freshest ingredients off the island such as seafood, mango and avocado. Absolutely a nice place for lunch, but I can also imagine it as a good spot to catch up on some work for the less fortunate ones that need to do so. >>> http://zafaranizanzibar.business.site/ >>> https://www.facebook.com/ZafaraniZanzibar/ COMMUNITY CRAFTS SHOP Located on Hurumzi Str. 416 (I hope its correct, but check the photo with the Dada/Moto sign to find the exact place), there is this Community Crafts Shop which I immediately fell in love with. The shop promotes community based crafts production from Zanzibar, and they are not the lame 'Hakuna Matata' fridge magnets, but beautiful products made from local ingredients and material. They have woven hats and bags and a big assortment of soaps, oils, but also baobab mustard and tamarind chutney which are all produced as eco friendly as possible. This was my absolute favorite shop where I got some really nice presents for my friends and also myself. I actually bought the Babu Zanzibar Sea-Sand Cinnamon Cocoa Butter natural scrub soap (sea picture) and I swear my skin has been soooo glowing and smooth ever since I started using it, I actually wish I had bought more! >>> https://motozanzibar.wordpress.com/ FORODHANI GARDENS / EVENING FOOD MARKET I have written about this place before (read it here), so I won't go into detail again but if you are in Zanzibar. Make sure you go to Fordhani Gardens, catch the local boys diving and doing saltos into the ocean with a beautiful sunset in the background and grab some good food and sugar cane juice at the food market. LUKMAAN - FINALLY! When looking for the best restaurant in Zanzibar, there was one name that kept popping up: Lukmaan. But as mentioned before, I never really spend that much time in Stone Town so it was only this trip I managed to get to Lukmaan for the first time. I now know, if I would ever live closeby this place, I would never cook again because YUMMMM. The decor and dishes are simple, but good. There is a nice terrace upstairs where you can enjoy different sea food curries, Swahili snacks, naan bread, biryani rice and more accompanied by fresh fruit salad or juice from the little parlor in the front of the restaurant. The fact that even the locals are crazy about it, and it is really affordable make it a must-go when in Zanzibar for everyone. >>> https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g488129-d2395394-Reviews-Lukmaan_Restaurant-Stone_Town_Zanzibar_City_Zanzibar_Island_Zanzibar_Archipelago.html >>> https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lukmaan/568859349833173
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Maybe you have read my blog post from last year, because I was at Nyegenyege Festival in Jinja, Uganda last year as well. It was SO good, that I could not miss out on the 2017 edition that took place the first weekend of September. I have to admit, when I'm partying I try to live in the moment and often forget (about) my phone, which I think is a good thing. But not ideal when blogging haha. However, I managed to take a few photos and really wanted to share them, because it was another amazing festival weekend at the shores of the Nile. This year I managed to get on the party bus on Thursday evening, meaning making lots of new friends, drinking all sorts of random drinks offered by new friends and dancing in the path way, followed by some hours of deep deep sleep while making our way to Uganda. And also, the most grumpy Ugandan visa picture e-v-e-r (and nope, not posting evidence of that haha). My friends Edwige & Jack would come later that day, and I was supposed to go check out the AirBnb out in the mean time. However, I had a tiny bit of a difficulty reaching our host. So I just chilled at the festival site for a little bit and then met up with our host Moses at Space Cafe in town to grab a coffee and some breakfast. After that I went to check-into the room. It was simple, but close to the centre of Jinja and just 15 minutes by boda/picki/motor taxi to the festival ground, so perfect for us! It turned out our Airbnb host Moses was a chill Ugandan guy that was actually also going to the festival himself. Perfect, so we didn't have to be home early and all :) After checking in and having a shower, my friends arrived. But... it was raining like crazy, so we just chilled at the house for a bit. The festival lived up too all expectations once again. SO many artists, ALL stages were amazing, the BEST location and not to forget all the cool people you get to meet in a magical place like Nyegenyege. Also, the food at the festival was great. From great rolex (chapati and omelette), to our favorite fried chicken (with amazing mayonnaise for the fries), Jamaican jerk and the Dutch Bakery company 'Brood' - all you wished for and it was there! I think the only downside was the rain during the festival weekend. It got a bit chilly and very muddy (I actually ended up having a little involuntary mud bath...). But for the rest it was amazing and I hope to go to at least another edition in the future! >>> http://nyegenyege.com/ The following is not specific to the Nyegenyege Festival but I went here when I was in Jinja, and thought they were worth mentioning (again). The DeliThe Deli is such a cute spot. It has a a nice menu with lots of healthy and very, very tasty options and nice seats outside on the terrace. It's on the Main Street in Jinja and just like last year, we spend quiet a few brunches/lunches at this place. >>> https://www.facebook.com/thedeliug/ Nile River Explorers CampSince my friends were heading back to Nairobi on Sunday, a day earlier than I was going, I decided to spend one night at Nile Discovery Camp. I don't think I will ever get over the nice tents with view over the Nile and especially... The showers with a view! Imagine showering, while seeing the Nile, lots of green and even monkeys passing by! Spend the whole day at the terrace chatting with new friends and enjoying the tranquility and the views. Only downside was that its a bit of a drive, especially from the festival.
>>> http://www.camponthenile.com/ If you know me, you know that I love the coastal life. A LOT. Missing the beach, having some leave days left and my birthday, I thought it was time to book a ticket and fly down to Ukunda to meet my friend Jacky who lives in Diani. (I was actually gonna go try the new SGR train, but unfortunately all tickets had been booked...) I left straight out of work to the airport, and had some amazing views during the flight. You have no idea how excited I got from seeing the ocean from the plane! I had never taken a flight straight to Diani, and I immediately fell in love with the cutest little airstrip Ukunda has. My favorite taxi driver in Diani, Sifa, picked me up and dropped me at Jacky's house. We cooked some food and went for a cocktail at Forty Thieves. But nothing too crazy, since we had big plans for the next day! MARINA ENGLISH POINT Saturday morning we took a matatu to the Likoni Ferry and after crossing over, we took a tuk tuk to our first stop: Hotel English Point Marina. Opened last year, this is a big new modern hotel with a view over the water and the old town (definitely the biggest plus of the whole place!). It was a bit empty and the sound of the wind made it seem even emptier, but we had a great lunch and drinks. And the deck with the view is really nice and great to take some cool picture for the gram ;). MARKETI After our lunch we went to the 'marketi' or old market in Mombasa town. First we went to the indoors fruit/veggie and spices market, where lots of sales men have their little stalls and some real exotic stuff to sell. One of my favorite stall was Mr.Ali's (see photo on the right) who sold rambutan, carambola (star fruit) and many other fruits and let us try many of the cool fruits for free! We ended up buying fruits for ourselves and the kids at the friend's house we were staying at to try. I also bought some Kenya green tea, masala spices and pilau spices which I can confirm are just amazing as they smell! And obviously I bought about 15 bags of achari to make my colleagues back in Nairobi happy when I'd be back in the office on Monday :) A WALK AROUND TOWN From the marketi we walked down town. Mombasa Old Town has a fascinating vibe. The people and houses are a Swahili mix between local, Arab, Persian, Asian, Portugese and British influences. I personally love the narrow streets and the old colorful houses with beautiful wood carved doors and balconies, the little stalls on the streets and all the different people that you see. I think the pictures will do more justice than words: JAHAZI COFFEE HOUSE A really cool spot in old town to go is Jahazi Coffee House (opposite Ajabs Barber Shop). In many cultures coffee houses are social places to meet up, and this place reflects that Swahili vibe in it's interior: cosy seats with pillows on the floor and beautiful wood carved furniture. Definitely a must to go for a coffee, or juice! Another part that is really cool about Jahazi is the community learning centre, that you can visit by taking the stairs on the right of the coffee house. We went to have a look at met Abdi, who use to come to the community library as a kid. Now he and his family run the place. The Light of Life Library is 17 years old and mostly exist because of book donations. Besides a library, it is also a place where youth can come to do activities. This is very important because the community has been battling with a lot of drug addiction, so the centre also tries to prevent or assist in rehabilitation of local youth for instance by giving them a trainee ship at the coffee house. In the future they are also planning to start activities specifically for women. A really great initiative! SEA SIDE TEA After strolling through the streets (and let's not forget... it's hot and humid in Mombasa!), we needed a refreshment. So Jacky took me to the end of the old city, where the creek starts and you see Nyali on the other side of the water. Right there is this lovely old man, with his pots of tea boiling and ready to be served. There are mostly older men, sitting and having their afternoon chat over a cup of 60 bob sugary sweet tea and the cool sea breeze. It was so relaxing to sit down in the shade and enjoy our tea. We just watched over the water, and some local kids swimming and catching small fish. Definitely try find this spot when you're in Old Town! SAFINA CRAFTS SHOP On our way back, we passed Safina Crafts. A small store in one of the beautiful old building that sells the most amazing Swahili crafts. I was about to buy my whole interior here when I realized I don't even have a house to put it yet, but I know one day I will come back to do exactly that haha! This is a store to my heart. The beautiful wood carved furniture from local craftsmen, golden Aladdin tea pots from the middle east, old paintings and maps, beautiful hand painted crockery. And the best part is that it is a small shop, so not all of it is very organized and walking around you just discover more hidden gems in dusty corners. I wanted to buy everything, but it wouldn't fit in my suitcase anyway. But Jacky bought me this beautiful Arabic wooden jewelry box for my birthday, and it has a prominent place on the shelve in my bedroom. I love it soooo much. Thank you again love! VITAMIN SEA To be completely honest, Kenya has wayyy nicer beaches than the ones in Mombasa if you ask me. But hey, it wouldn't be me if we wouldn't spend at least a day at the beach! So I went to Bamburi Beach Resort and Reef Hotel, which are fine places where you can get a sunbed and chill. But just don't have lunch at Bamburi, go to Yul's Restaurant instead if you want some good food! Last but not least...
A super big thanks to my friend & partner in crime... Jacky! Thanks, for taking me around, letting me stay at your and your friends homes, showing me once again why the coast is so amazing :) Asante sana! A goodbye trip? Might sound ridiculous, but if you ask me any reason for a trip -especially with friends- is a good reason! :) So since Jack and I were leaving (for 2 whole weeks, so a very very big goodbye indeed ahum... whatever), we decided it would be fun to do a one-night get-away trip. We started looking for places close to Nairobi that we could drive to and could fit six people and found Lahai Cottages on Airbnb. It was a very last-minute booking, but it all worked out in the end! Lahai Cottages are just behind the Great Rift Valley Lodge close to Lake Naivasha and is on a hill, so you actually have an amazing view from the house over the lake. The house itself is from a British family and it feels very much like a home, with lots of books, boardgames, DVDs, photos of the family on the walls etc. There is a big modern kitchen with pretty much everything you need for cooking, a super fancy dining room, a living room with a TV and couches, two sunrooms (one with a dining table and one with seats) and another seating area upstairs (in case you need lots of privacy while on your trip, there are enough places to go haha). There is one en suite bedroom downstairs (definitely the nicest one) and two upstairs of which one is ensuite. Downstairs is a bathroom that you can use when staying in the one non-en suite room that has a really good shower. There is staff to assist you during the stay, and they were super nice and helpful (immediately fixed a lamp that was broken, drove with us to the village to get some stuff etc). The house is surrounded by an enormous garden and the plot itself is even bigger, there are other cottages but we only saw the other guests once during our stay. There is a shared (heated!) swimmingpool and a tennis court, but we only had time to test out the swimming pool. The pool was great, there were some sunbeds and a little bar like area, which make it perfect for spending the day during a longer stay. Unfortunately we only had one evening and one morning, and it wasn't sunny. Another thing that we as a group really liked were the dogs at the cottages. There were four of them and they really liked to hang around the house (sometimes in the house too, but that was because we were fine with them walking around). There was even a parrot but he was very quiet. We spend our evening making fresh-juice cocktails and barbecuing a whole lot of lamb chops, chicken and steaks. We played games and went for a late night swim in the pool (we did that last time in Naivasha too and I promise you having a heated pool makes a big difference haha). After that we decided to watch a movie, and all snuggled up on the couches in the livingroom where they even had extra fleece blankets (big plus for me). The beds were great and the next morning we made a lovely bloody Mary breakfast in the sunroom with a table viewing the garden and the lake. After breakfast we decided to go for a walk on the plot and almost thought we got lost in the bushes, that's how big it is! Also pro-tip: wear something on your feet when going for a walk down there :). After that we played with the rugby ball on the grass field and had home made lemonade, and all of a sudden it was already time to pack our bags and head back to Nairobi... It went super fast, and we all agreed that we should go here again for a full weekend sometime soon. It's the perfect distance from Nairobi, not to mention it's always beautiful to drive with a view over the Great Rift Valley, and the house itself has everything you need. There are beds for six people, but I think you could easily have a few more people sleeping on the couches etc. Lahai Cottages: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6786386 One of the most exciting things when living abroad, is when your friends or family come visit you. On July 4th that was the case again, one of my closest uni friends Marloes came to Kenya for her first time! And I do not mind showing her how beautiful Kenya is! Since she came from Kampala, we met each other early in the morning at Nairobi airport at the gate to fly straight to the beautiful coast. We wanted to spend some time on the beach and had decided for Diani. And besides it was Marloes her first time, it was actually my first time in Diani too! I don't know how, but in the +12 months I have been in Kenya I went to a lot of places, but not Diani. Even though, some say it's the best beach in Kenya. So Diani it was. Diani's best taxi driver Sifa picked us up and brought us to the AirBnb we had booked in advance: Shambani Cottages. We were welcomed at Shambani by Francis, who brought us the amazing news that instead of the Twiga Cottage that we booked (1 bedroom) we were upgraded to the Flamboyant Cottage. This was an entire villa, with a big kitchen, seating space, dining table and one en-suite bedroom downstairs. Another en-suite bedroom, lounge space and dining table on the first floor AND a rooftop terrace surrounded by palms with two beach beds on top of the villa. It had an amazing Swahili interior and the place was huge for just the two of us. Besides, the cottages are surrounded by green and palms which gives it a very quiet and peaceful vibe. There is also a beautiful swimming pool, that we didn't try out because we were a 5 minute walk from the beach. Shambani Cottages is all the way down the Diani Beach road (opposite Jacaranda Hotel, where you can get great lunch + dinners on the beach). When you cross the road (Shambani works with some guys that will walk you to and from the beach, and can help you get sunbeds and a shed for a small prize), you arrive at where the Mwachema River flows into the ocean. This creates a sandbank, and a quiet place to swim with few waves. Since it is also kind of at 'the end' of Diani beach, it was almost empty when we were there and less beach boys etc. Also the 'Shambani guys' are there to help you out if anyone of the sellers are being annoying. Besides, the beach in Diani IS amazing! Twiga Cottage, Shamabi: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2363465 Flamboyant / Baobab Cottage, Shambani: https://www.airbnb.nl/rooms/5026652?location=Kwale%2C%20Kenia&s=Z5M3cTQR (this is not the exact same villa, but very very similar) Shimba Hills & Wasini Island/Kisite Marine Park
We decided to not only spend our days on the beach, but also explore a little more of the area. On Thursday we went to Shimba Hills, just a 1,5 hour drive from Diani for a half-day trip. This is one of the many National Reserves in Kenya. We actually booked it really last minute through Francis from Shambani, but got a good driver that picked us up early that morning so we would have more chance to spot animals. We saw giraffes, warthogs and all types of gazelles. The elephants were hiding that day. We stopped at a few amazing few points and we joined the daily hike all the way down to the Sheldrick Falls where we refreshed in the cool water and took some photos. It was quiet a slippery hike, so make sure you don't go on flip-flops or you will end up walking on bare feet like me haha. Personally, I think a half-day trip was enough to see the reserve and a whole day would be too long. On Friday we wanted to go to Wasini Island, a few hours drive south towards the Tanzanian border. We went on a boat with a few other tourist and first went on the look for... dolphins! We saw a few of them, but since they were hunting for fish we mostly saw fins. After that we went around Wasini Island towards Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park & Reserve. The sea was super rough and a few people got sea sick (including poor Marloes :( ). But the Marine Park is beautiful, it is close to an island and has the clearest blue water ever! I went snorkeling and saw beautiful coral, lots of fish (Blue Tang aka Dory, Potato Fish, Unicorn Fish, Parrot Fish etc.) and even swam for a few minutes next to a huge sea turtle! It was really awesome and because it wasn't deep, with a small dive you were next or in between all the fish. After another rough boat ride back, we went to a restaurant on Wasini Island where we had an amazing local lunch including seaweed and chapati. There was a choice of fish and chicken, and we even tried some sweet fresh crab. After lunch with a view we walked through the village for a bit. From Wasini Island its only a short trip back to the main land, where the boat guys sang songs and drummed which was really a fun. I think this is really worth to do as a day-trip when staying in Diani! |
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