Out of Africa

Leaving Zanzibar was bittersweet - the ocean and beach life was certainly easy to get used to, but the heat and desire to be back on familiar territory had us anxious to return to Kigali.

On our way to Stonetown, we decided to stop and take one of the very touristy, but very interesting, spice tours the island is known for. Zanzibar is sort of the heart of your whole spice cabinet and it was fascinating to see each of the spices we use growing. Some of the spices we saw included; cinnamon (it is a tree), black peppercorn (seeds from a tree), cacao (more on this coming), lemongrass, cardamom, ginger root, nutmeg, coffee, turmeric, and many more! The most surprising one for me was cacao. It grows in green mini-football size pods that dangle from huge trees. Inside the pod, there are large seeds covered in a fleshy white coating. We got to eat this coating and it was amazingly delicious. Inside this seed is an inner seed which is the cacao bean. It is very small compared to the pod it comes in. Who knew. Anyway, we got to try all the spices in raw form and then were treated to a feast of different tropical fruits. Most of them we had never even heard of, but they were delicious. Then they brought out the "Dorian." It's a fruit that smells like shit - literally. Supposedly it is very good tasting. Ari tried it, I didn't. It is probably the last Dorian she ever eats if you know what I mean!

We spent a final night in Stonetown showing our friends around and left early the next morning to make our way to the ferry dock. We had heard that the ferry ride was epic (lots of seasickness and vomit bags for everyone as they got on the ferry) so we were prepared for the worst, but it was sunny, smooth, and we both got some sleep along the way. We had a long wait in the Dar es Salaam airport, so we got some lunch at the restaurant. I was so glad to see they had real ketchup. A funny moment was needed, so I decided to shake the Ketchup bottle with the cap only loosely resting on top. It was classic. Ketchup everywhere. On me from head to toe, all over my face, all over the floor and walls, all over our luggage. Half the bottle gone. I smiled. Ari laughed. A picture taken and I had to change out of my only clean clothes!

We had a layover night, back in Arusha and then made it safely back to Kigali the next morning. At the Kigali airport, we were greeted by a regiment of saluting soldiers and about a hundred women doing a traditional dance. We had become celebrities and didn't even know it. It is also possible that they were practicing for the arrival of French President Sarkozy the next day, but we're pretty sure it was for us.

Glad to be back in Kigali, we quickly got back into our routine and headed to town for some Western food. Salad and burgers. Dreamy. On our last day, we decided to try out a fancy Indian restaurant in downtown Kigali. The atmosphere was quiet and the food was great. A perfect and memorable last meal for Ari and I to share together.

We are sad to be separating for the next couple months when I fly out tomorrow. However, the whole experience has been unforgettable and we feel so lucky to have been able to do it together!