New Years 2012 - ZANZIBAR!!

Isn't that mentioned in a Tenacious D song? Where the hell is Zanzibar?!? Well I found out! Zanzibar is an island off the coast of Tanzania known for their exotic spices, interesting history and beautiful beaches. College Roommate I cross paths yet again in Stone Town in Zanzibar City. With four pairs of footwear and two backpacks between the two of us we started to wander around Stone Town. The seafood market was our first stop. Lobster, shrimp, fish, octopus, vegetables all grilled and on a stick. Any food on a stick is always a favorite of mine. College Roommate had lobster for the first time. After some more wandering we found a terrace bar right on the coast and enjoyed a few cold beverages.

The next day I saw the condition of his gym shoes...ratty, dirty, stinky. Except for the full beard and pony tail, the shoes were in the exact same condition as he (heh heh heh). I brought my old pair of running shoes which I bought two years prior. His gym shoes were also bought two years ago, but at a second hand store. Since I had a new pair of shoes in my apartment in Saudi Arabia (Yes, I am living in Saudi Arabia right now) and a pair of flip flops in my back pack, I decided to give him my old running shoes and the stench acquired from traveling and wearing them for the past 24 hours. The old second hand shoes were thrown out and his new second hand shoes were aired out for the day. I had my flip flops which seemed to be more than enough for 5 days on the beach and my return trip...

We went on with our first day in stone town, drinking coffee with the locals on the corner, eating potato soup (THIS SOUP WAS FREAKING DELICIOUS), and cold beers, before we made our way to the bus station. The trip to Bwejuu was very amusing for us. We decided to tap people on the shoulder until they turned around and pointed at local lady as if she were the culprit. WE ARE HILARIOUS!!! It didn't seem to get old either...we continued to do this for the entire hour and a half bus ride. Exiting the bus, we walked down a gravel road to our new home for the next five days. Me and the US Peace Corps Uganda. Small bungalows right on the whitest sand beach I've ever seen. It was beautiful. They were overbooked and six of us were put in one large bungalow and our price per person dropped from $30 to $9 per day. No one seemed to mind.

New Years we found a small bar with loud music and lots of people dancing. Since the bar was right on the beach and the floor was made of sand, the 15 of us piled all of our sandals in one spot with the intention to pick them up at the end of the night. As the number of people grew, the dance floor engulfed our sandal pile and sprayed them all over the place like a shotgun blast. Some people found one of their sandals, but most of us were unable to find any of ours. Barefoot in 2012...

2012 continued and we continued along with it, playing Zanzibol on the beach and also taking a late night voyage in the Indian Ocean. The seas were calmer than expected which allowed my paddling to be rewarded with increased speed. College Roommate at one point said, "Whooaaa! Slow down!".

Unfortunately all good things need to come to an end. After an amazing five days with PC Uganda, I made my way back to Stone Town to catch my ferry back to the mainland. Also unfortunate was the footwear count between College Roommate and myself. We had started with four and were down to one...the running shoes I gave to him. My feet were pretty tough after walking barefoot for the past few days on the sand, so I made my way to the van with some Germans and one other American I had met on the beach. We looked for sandal vendors along the way and in Stone Town, but could not find any. Since the ferry was leaving soon I did not have a chance to venture through town to find a pair. Waiting in line barefoot, the locals pointed at my feet and spoke to one another in Swahili. "Yeah yeah, I don't have shoes on". The ferry ride was about 2 hours long and I found myself back in Dar Es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. The pavement was hot and I was able to find a shady patch on the sidewalk to cool my feet. What to do now...

BOOYAH! Guy with pack of sandals on his head across the street! Finding a gap in traffic I was able to catch up with the sandal guy. I asked him for sandals and he said 20,000 schillings (about $15). I had 7000 schillings in my pocket and a boat load of foreign currency (Saudi Rials and US dollars). I showed him the schillings and he turned and kept walking. A good samaritan seeing the battered condition of my feet started yelling at the sandal guy and told me to give him 5000 for the sandals. The sandal guy was hesitant (I think he was just a delivery guy) and the good samaritan grabbed the sandal bag, ripped it open and gave me a pair of bright blue sandals which were too small for my feet. I thanked him and continued on my return journey to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.