The rainy season

The rainy season on Zanzibar usually begins in the second half of March and ends in May, but as it often is when it comes to weather forecasts you can never be exact or sure. However, this year the first big rainfalls appeared at the end of March and finished few day ago.

 I guess packing raincoats for your African holidays would probably be a little disheartening, so I'm about to cheer you up. Even the hundreds of  litres of water pouring down from the sky, can't do much to lower the tropical temperature - it usually stays around 26-28 degrees Celsius, paired with huge humidity. The ocean is even hotter than usually, becoming the perfect place to wait out the rain, probably an experience you've never had before. That's why of any waterproof gadgets we recommend umbrellas the most, or if you want to be super eco- friendly, huge banana leaves can also do the work.

The rain isn't relentless, but sometimes it can last up to 2 days non-stop. For that possibility it's best to be equipped in books and plenty of patience and willingness to relax rather than sight see. Other days, though it rains for only an hour or two, and when the sun comes out you are rewarded for all the time spent looking at the dark blue sky blurring into one with the ocean. The sunbeams enlighten the fresh green tropical flora, making the raindrops look like tiny glistering diamonds. The colorful flowers can finally fully flourish revived by the beatific rain.

The rainy season is crucial for our garden to bloom and evolve into its full magnificence. It's only the first time for our plants and flowers to experience it, and the improvement is undeniable and definitely worth of those few days when it's impossible to get suntanned. The green leaves complimented with red and yellow flowers make for a beautiful natural composition, able to entrance anyone. 

Sunrise

This amazing experience is definiteley worth to wake up early in morning! 

The islanders have a different way of counting time.

Sunrise marks the beginning of the day. This is 0.00 o’clock Swahili time (equal to 6 a.m. European time). 1 a.m. Swahili time equals 7 a.m. European and so on, until 12 a.m. Swahili (equal to 6 p.m. European time). This is when it gets dark and the Swahili time goes to 1 p.m., which is 7 p.m. European. 

Making appointments with the locals, always remember to be specific which clock you are referring to!

April 23th 2017 - Marafiki Bungalows is 4 months old

I proudly present Marafiki Bungalows, how it looks like today!

We are the happy owners of the most beautifully located swimming pool on the island! 

You can enjoy the breathtaking view with a drink in your hand. Come to try our banana milkshake or Pinacolada!

2 months later...

It has been over 2 months since the last entry. I’m very sorry to all concerned for the silence. The care of the construction has taken me without rest, leaving little time for other matters.

Today, 2.5 months after the start of construction, I can proudly look at the result: 8 out of 10 scheduled cottages are ready, outbuildings are ready to be covered with the rooftops, and the area is surrounded by a beautiful stone wall. 

Young, muscled men excavated a huge hole for the pool.  The swimming pool has been designed with a direct ocean view. It will be nice to sit down on his edge with a drink in hand and to enjoy the ocean, glittering with many shades of Sapphire and turquoise.  We also thought  about the small guests – part of the pool will be shallower, allowing safe water games.

The season for kite-surfing has just started!

 It's been almost 3 weeks since my arrival! The rainy season is coming to an end, exceptionally late this year. Usually it  stops raining in mid-June. It is not like rainy days as we know from Europe, usually it rains briefly, maybe a few minutes and then the sun comes out and it’s a beautiful day.  In our garden rain drops glisten on the leaves of banana plants then rapidly dry out in the sun. These showers are great for nature. The vegetation is now particularly lush with greenery. On our plot of land  flowers bloom and there is a wonderful array of colour. The bushes have new, fresh leaves which bring out a variety of shades of green.  

It is an ideal season for tourists who want to explore more of Zanzibar rather than just lying on the beach for their entire holiday.  The temperature is now around 26 ° C which is conducive to sightseeing. The narrow streets of the old part of the capital (Stone Town) are not yet congested or stuffy. 

The main summer season begins in Zanzibar around the 15th July. Most Italian hotels have opened after the spring break. The Italians for many years are the largest group of tourists. Local kids at the sight of a white people cry out happily, "ciao!" and local vendors to encourage people to buy their goods " guardando non costa niente"-"looking is free!"

The beginning of July, is a long-awaited start to the kite surfing season. The Mecca for fans of this sport is located in the South-East of the island, in Paje.  In Kiwengwa you can begin to see the first kites of the season. Favourable winds will blow until September and then only from December to March.

At the construction side - day 4

What we saw Thursday at the construction site, was very optimistic. 

The foundation of the first bungalow is ready!

At the beginning  of the plot, workers are  digging the foundations of the staff building. There will be rooms for staff and storage space.

Owing to the nature of the substrate - coral origin rock, digging the foundations  is a very hard work. Workers using the hammer and chisel extract piece by piece the fragments of rocks. These extracted fragments are used to build the foundations of the bungalow.

The workers work in flip flops, and some even barefoot! It's  amazing, considering that the base surface is uneven, rough, with protruding roots. And the used tools are sharp and dangerous.

An additional difficulty is the fact that just lasts Ramadan, the  9th month of the Islamic calendar. During the month of Ramadan from dawn to dusk Muslim above 10 years of age are not permitted to consume any foods, drink any beverages, smoke, use of cosmetics, have sex. At this time you must not lie to Allah, the Prophet and his alternates. A lot of the time you spend praying. The last meal before the next day of fasting Muslims eat before dawn. From the moment when they hear the call to morning prayer of Fajr, they  refrain from further food and drink. Until dusk.

For the followers of other religions it’s hard to imagine  how you can operate for many hours in sweat without a sip of water and food.

Zanzibar- where is it at all?

Zanzibar is an island in the Indian Ocean, just 40 km from the coast of Africa. It is the largest island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, which consists of Unguja (Zanzibar), Mafia and Pemba.

The Island of Zanzibar belongs to the United Republic of Tanzania and is a part of its autonomy - Zanzibar. It has an area of 1 658 square km. Its length is 90 km and the width is 30 km.

Zanzibar is located in the southern hemisphere, 6 degrees south latitude. For Europeans and North Americans it may be surprising  that the most sunny windows are those from the North ;-)

Zanzibar is located in the same time zone as Eastern Europe (in summer UTC + 3 h).

The island has  900 thousand  inhabitants. Friendly, warm-hearted, cordial.  99% are Muslim.