Much better now...

...thanks for asking.

Went on a spice tour yesterday with Lauren, and Nina and her kids (Nina is Lauren's Aussie friend who nearly volunteered for SPW but is now doing something else over here in Zanzibar). Much better value than Prison Island (though that's not exactly hard), especially with lunch thrown into the bargain.

If it was just being taken around looking at spices, it might have been quite boring, but it was made much more interesting by the other people on the tour who, as I'm finding is usual, all had tales to tell about their travels (or, failing that, about the travels of someone they know).

We also visited the slave caves, which were used after slavery was abolished and the market in Stone Town was closed. And then, the beach. Unfortunately, we didn't know the tour included the beach when we arrived at the tour office in the morning, so it was another undies job.

Last week, on Pemba, I fixed the second hole that had appeared in my trousers, which I've basically been wearing most of the time I've been in Tanzania. As soon as we arrived on Unguja, however, another three sprung up out of nowhere, so I've had ot put them to sleep. So, yesterday afternoon, I made the very exciting purchase of a pair of jeans. Now, this may seem pretty mundane to devote an entire paragraph (and maybe even a second) to this one purchase, but I haven't worn jeans for nearly seven months, so this is very exciting for me. They even fit.

The shopkeepers were very friendly too - they kept offering to teach me Swahili because I will have learnt bad Swahili on the mainland (Zanzibar is generally accepted to be the birthplace of Swahili and therefore the "correct" version is spoken here).

Last night we went to Sweet Eazy, a very mzungu type of pub with another live band (after having eaten in Amore Mio where they had a small acoustic set who sang, surprise surprise, "Hello" by Lionel Richie, and the really annoying "Jambo" song that is constantly being played here). Lauren and I played (and I use that term in its loosest possible sense) pool against Juma and this other guy (who was rather good), and lost 3-0. I blame the cue. And the cloth. Now I come to think of it, there was a definite slant to that table, that made some of my trick shots nigh on impossible. And don't get me started on the flaws in the balls...

Today we're planning to bugger off to Bwejuu (I think that's right) in the east to get away from Stone Town and see the beaches. Some of the other volunteers should be arriving here today or tomorrow, so I should see them then.

Can't quite believe I'm going home in 8 days. Now I'm feeling a bit better I feel like I should make up for the last few days I've missed. Bit difficult when I've still got another two days on antibiotics, but never mind.