Tanzania Day Three: Zanzibar: Nungwi: Exploring The Neighborhood.

As is often the case,  I did not sleep well after my long day of travel. The malaria medication and time change kept me up most of my first night in Zanzibar. So it was 8 a.m. when I awoke. This is way to late when I am on vacation. I quickly grabbed my camera and headed out to explore the grounds of my beautiful resort, the Diamond of the East, located near the fishing village of  Nungwi. 

It was overcast as I walked to the beach, only a few hundred feet from my room. Even under the cloudy skies the beach was spectacular. The sand was soft and white.

After exploring the beach I decided to leave the resort and visit the surrounding community. 

I walked out the only road to the resort and immediately noticed the many  tiny yellow eggplants growing wild. 

I knew it was eggplant from the leaves and purple flowers. 

My exploration of the area ended as rain showers quickly moved in. I was soaked by the time I got to my room. I changed into some dry cloths and had a delightful breakfast at the hotel buffet. When leaving the buffet I noticed the rain stopped and the hot tropical sun was quickly evaporating the rain that fell. 

The grounds of the resort were heavenly in the late morning sunshine. 

I quickly grabbed my camera and soon came across this beautiful bird perched in the flowers.

It allowed me to approach before it decided to fly off.

The rains returned again and I spent some time editing photographs until lunch was served at 1 p.m. And what a wonderful lunch it was. So many foods to choose from, including many native dishes from Zanzibar.  This is a link too some more photographs from my morning walk Tanzania Day Three Zanzibar morning walk September 30 2019

After lunch the rain stopped. The intense tropic afternoon sun didn’t keep me from exploring the surrounding area. I again set out on the road to the main highway and nearby village. 

The road that led to the village was mostly woodlands for about  a mile from the resort. Even in the afternoon local residents, school children and the elderly were walking on the road. Occasional an old van or truck carrying passengers would pass but most of the motor vehicle traffic was motorcycles. 

As I continued to walk I came to small road side stands were folks were selling just about everything from small markets with fresh produce to furniture.

I asked a couple of local residents if I could photograph or their stores and almost all of them were reluctant, even when I offered them money. It was my first day in Zanzibar and I decided not to push the issue and just photographed mostly countryside ,

and an occasional domestic animal, like this goat. 

However, these two fellows wanted to be photographed and posed for me. 

It was very hot now so I returned to the resort and walked to the beach. It was beautiful

The white sand, cumulus clouds and blue ocean made a spectacular scene. 

I walked down the beach encountering come crabs, 

and local resident selling their artwork along the beach.

It was now late in the afternoon and I returned to my room for a short rest before leaving to watch the early sunset. The sun rose around 6:15 so I new it would set around twelve hours later since the day and nights are equal length near the equator. 

Clouds obscured the setting sun but it was still a nice scene.

Sailboats could be seen from near the shore all the way out to the distant horizon. It was a beautiful start to my stay in Zanzibar. Here is a link to some  more photographs of my afternoon hikes and the sunset.  They  more fully tell the story of my day. Tanzania Day Three Zanzibar. Afternoon and sunset. September 30 2019. 

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

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