SANSIBAR Chapter 3 - Insight after the vacation: Tanned skin weighs 3 kilograms more.

'POLE POLE!'

Or as we say in Berlin:

Chill out, dude!

Just like the famous 'Hakuna Matata', it's something you hear on every street corner.

Kids shout it at you when you try to cross a huge puddle.

Pole Pole.

Slowly, slowly.

Deceleration.

We have witnessed this more than enough times, and it's more than just empty talk...

I haven't encountered a country where people live their lives so relaxed and in peace with themselves.

Even in traffic.

Pole Pole is not appropriate there, on the contrary.

It was so close more than once.

Especially our driver yesterday, he plowed through the traffic and often came dangerously close to other road users.

He constantly overtook everyone.

Rapidly.

Whether there was a curve... or a hill... or he had poor visibility for other reasons... it didn't matter!

Floor it.

One of his maneuvers was particularly sweaty.

In short:

Only millimeters were missing that saved us from crashing head-on into an oncoming bus.

I was already thinking about our travel insurance policy that would transport our corpses back to Germany in case of an accident.

But no one seemed particularly impressed by it.

Everyone and everything is relaxed.

Hey, you almost killed us all just now.

No worries, brother.

Hakuna Matata and all that.

It's amazing how calm people stay in all the different situations that would be unthinkable in Germany.

No matter how bad they drive, how dangerous their moves are, or how they obstruct traffic. No matter when, whether young or old.

Everyone smiles at each other and patiently waits while they chat about this and that.

Pole Pole! There it is again.

Just imagine that in Kreuzberg or somewhere!

If someone just sets the turn signal wrong, they start chasing each other with machetes at Kotti, insulting each other's mothers and sisters....

Even the animals here have internalized this, by the way.

For example, the chickens don't care at all when they are about to be run over by cars.

They stand on the road and move very slowly... if at all.

Pole Pole, they think, and I get scared every time the taxi driver still stops despite that.

First you can see the chicken, then suddenly it's gone.

'Did he really drive over it?'

I always panic and check out the window to see if I see any feathers flying....

And speaking of chickens.

Every time I look at the chicken dishes on the menu in the restaurant, it says:

'from the farm'.

So that's what they call it. I see.

Personally, I believe it's more likely to be backyard chickens that strut around freely in the trash-filled 'favelas' near the hotels.

In the afternoon, you have to be careful that they don't get caught clucking in the spokes of your bicycle or ending up under your car, as they will be deliciously grilled on your plate in the evening.

Ah, I love animals.

Anyway, let's move on.

(sorry Maya) 💙

Speaking of animals:

Today was finally the day.

We went on a little beach walk.

We strapped on our 'beautiful' water shoes and started walking.

And although Juli resisted our excursion with all her might, surprisingly it was SHE who had the keen eye and spotted almost all the critters first.

Whether it was the highly toxic Portuguese man o' war or the most beautiful starfish, she discovered everything and proudly presented it to me.

At a safe distance, of course.

Because she has me for the rough stuff. ;)

Today, she even discovered a huge, pretty mean-looking spider that was waiting for its prey on a palm tree right above our chosen chill spot.

Of all people, Juli!

There really isn't anyone who is more afraid of spiders. And speaking of a chill spot.

This is located in our last accommodation here in Zanzibar.

We have had a total of 5 accommodations, and let's just say... we should always strive to improve.

And alright, it didn't work out so well in the end.

We went from resorts that were like something out of a picture book to a room that has no electricity, no water, and not even the possibility to flush when using the toilet - and that is partly because not a single drop comes out.

From the toilet or the tap.

That's a real problem.

I want all of you to go to your toilets now and flush.

Be in solidarity, come on!

We don't need a moment of silence, no, just pause for a moment!

Record the sound when the rush of water shoots through the pipes with force... Capture it!

And remind yourselves that having a flush is NOT a given!!!

Amen.

Plus, we are sharing the hard, way too small and narrow bed with 348 mosquitoes that seem to be so hungry for humans that they gnaw through the insect netting like something out of The Walking Dead in search of a snack.

At the beginning, we just wanted to turn around and leave. Unfortunately, it's not that easy.

Because everyone wants to be in this corona-free parallel world, and the whole island is practically fully booked.

Unless you want to and can pay 3400 euros per night, then of course you get something.

If you're lucky, you even get a flush. ;)

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Yesterday, we rented bikes.

To my disappointment, renting scooters was not as easy here as it is elsewhere, but I'll save that for next time.

However, riding through African villages on bicycles also had its charm, and when we arrived in Paje, we knew why we were more drawn to Jambiani Beach.

In Paje, many things reminded me of Görlitzer Park in Berlin.

You get approached every 3 meters.

Weed? Smoke? Cocaine?

With the latter, they certainly don't mean the black caffeinated cold drink, and as law-abiding citizens, we would never resort to illegal substances.... But our current landlord doesn't seem to be so averse to it.

Pole Pole, that's his thing, I guess.

He smokes weed all day, drinks his guests' wine, and when he feels like it, he snores loudly in front of the rooms or in the hammocks of the travelers.

A likable guy.

By the way, he is a German expat.

And I understand him sooo well!

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By the way, we're going snorkeling now.

We booked a Safari Blue tour.

If we can't see wild animals in the bush, at least we can see Nemo and his buddies underwater.

The sky is shining in a beautiful dark gray today.

Water is pouring down, even if it's not coming from the toilet, and the weather forecast doesn't look promising.

So there's nothing I'd rather do than spend the day on a little boat on the sea.

Unfortunately, we have to go through with it.

Getting a refund is out of the question.

Oh well.

However, later we'll go souvenir shopping. Something that really leaves a mark.

The anticipation makes everything else today a bit more bearable.

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Next day:

The tour wasn't as bad as we thought, as the weather improved.

The coral reef, like almost everywhere in the world, was basically dead. But the underwater world with all its inhabitants was amazing!

I saw fish that I didn't know, and it was really fun to be down there.

We just had to be cautious all day because of our sunburns

(I mentioned it)

that robbed us of the sun for 4 days.

(You could tell)

That was third-degree burns.

(At least)

And now our skin is peeling off and it itches like hell.

(Karma is a bitch)

Well, as they say,

You learn from pain.

(Let's see...)

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Since I (at least this time) decided against a safari, our Africa trip has come to an end without me seeing any wild animals.

The only wild thing is probably Juli before she has her first coffee in the morning.

Well, aaaaand the palm-sized spiders (discovered by me this time) that almost caused me to fly back to Germany by myself during our city visit yesterday.

Juli, out of nowhere and swinging like crazy, as if she were having an epileptic seizure, suddenly ran onto the road. Of course, without looking.

'Baby, just keep running and for heaven's sake, don't look up.'

That's how it started.

And with that statement, I actually wanted to prevent any reactions of this kind in advance.

I didn't realize that without my warning, she probably wouldn't have seen the huge web (the spider web is as thick as yarn) at all.

I swear, I didn't want to provoke an accident in that regard.

Honestly, I'm attached to Juli.

Just like the fat spiders in their webs.

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I'm going to miss all of this terribly.

The warmth.

The palm trees.

The sound of the waves crashing.

Beautiful plants grow everywhere that wouldn't survive for even 2 weeks with me.

I love all of my green children, believe me!

But they are sometimes so difficult and the opposite of low-maintenance.

I never (really never) know what they want.

I think I need to study botany for 10 semesters just to see something other than them dying....

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Oh man, this day has also passed, and now we're actually sitting at the airport, ready to fly home.

The journey has passed both slowly and quickly, and we greedily breathed in the Zanzibari, stuffy air for what will temporarily be the last time, burning our lungs with its 168 degrees.

I deliberately didn't check the weather app, so I have no idea what awaits us in cold country.

Will we have to trade our flip-flops for winter boots, our sunglasses for wool hats, and our tank tops for winter jackets?

We really don't know!

But of course, we hope that the security check at this airport won't find the African sunrays that we want to smuggle out of the country in our carry-on bags.... If they do, please pray that the yellow ball in the sky is waiting for us in Berlin! Otherwise, the impact into reality will be even harder than it already is.

By the way, one of my 148 sisters once asked me why someone would travel to Africa if not for a safari.

Well... I hope I've answered this question for you (and her) after all the pictures, videos, and blogs... ;)

Thank you, everyone, for any form of attention, and greetings from the 'Island of Contrasts' in the hottest country I have ever traveled to. 🔥 

Over & Out.