Zanzibar – Watching the tide roll in….. then I watch it roll away again.

My body and mind are confused. I am in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, perfect for relaxing and chilling out (something I have always been very good at) but for some reason, I feel unsettled. My mind and spirit feel elsewhere. It is taking all of my practiced determination to let go of such debilitations and enjoy the time we have here.

Tucked away in the tropical garden

For the last few days of our stay on Zanzibar we have moved to a little self-catering cottage complex on the South of the island. A big step down in terms of ‘luxury’, this is certainly a good stepping stone to reclimatisation in Muheza. It has none of the opulence of our previous accommodations and its beauty lies in its simplicity and integration with the natural surroundings. It is a stunning and delightful place, set just back off the beach in a tropical garden designed for shade. It has many little pergolas and our favourite is up on stilts catching the full force of the sea breeze which certainly takes the edge off the heat. From here, you look down out over the sea and can watch the tide rolling in and out. Very calming.

Our favourite spot - lovely breeze, great views. and Morning Tea

The breeze also keeps the mosquitos away, of which there are plenty. On our arrival it was a bit of a shock to find our cottage with unnetted windows and teeming with the blighters – more mosquitos than I have seen since arriving in Tanzania. But Zanzibar has almost eliminated malaria and so it is more the irritation than a health risk as such. Closing the shutters and a quick fumigation of the entire building before we went out in search of supper was very effective. On our return it was ‘safe’, if not a little aromatous, with not a single biter in sight (except lying in state on the floor)! 

I think we will have a lovely few days here.

I have also received great news from Muheza. The two laparotomies from last week are recovering well and the service continues to thrive without me. Even in the face of staff bereavement and medical student examinations, they have managed to do a mesh hernia repair independently. Woohoo! I am chuffed to bits.