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After an atmospheric dinner by lamplight at the Forodhani Gardens – an open-air fish market where a full range of delicious seafood is barbequed according to your taste – we were taken to our first night’s accommodation at Mtoni Marine Centre. Friendly hotel staff greeted us and ushered us through the green jungle of coconut trees and other tropical plants to our room. A beautiful scent wafted towards us from the large four-poster bed, where we found fresh flowers artistically placed to decorate the white linen bed sheet – typical of this island of paradise off the coast of Tanzania.
We woke early with enthused anticipation to see Zanzibar in the daylight and most importantly, to explore the underwater world. Following a lavish breakfast at the beach-front, the tour operator arrived punctually to drive us to One Ocean Diving Centre.
There was some confusion with the booking, but by the grace of God it ended up working to our advantage as we got an instructor to ourselves. We first watched an introductory video highlighting the potential dangers of diving and explaining the techniques to employ in order to ensure a pleasantly memorable scuba diving experience. Then, we were kitted up with wetsuits, flippers, masks and oxygen tanks, and led out to the boat moored on the beach.
The sea was blue and crystal clear, but quite choppy as the wooden fishing boat powered across the waves. Our destination was a coral reef off one of the small outer-lying islands called Bawi, which is a few kilometres from the largest main island, Unguja (the other is called Pemba). The boat stopped, anchored and we tentatively put on the diving equipment. I almost fell-over backwards as I stood up, due to the weight of the oxygen tank on my back! I slowly and cautiously waddled in my flippers to the side of the boat with Tom holding my hand to support me. Our instructor was already in the water and shouted up for me to just step out and jump into the sea. One, two, three, I counted under my breath and jumped. As I emerged to the surface I saw a big splash as Tom jumped in, after which our instructor helped us check our regulators for breathing from the tank. He then deflated our life jackets and we sank down under the surface of the water. As we submerged further we could see the sea floor clearly, which was adorned with exquisite coral and exotic fish. They were so vibrantly coloured and varied in shape and size that we had plenty to capture our attention during the 45 minute dive. However, initially we found equalising difficult and felt great pain in our ears, but after a few attempts we mastered the technique and were able to enjoy the experience. Once back on the boat we were served a delicious lunch of local delicacies and fresh fruit to reenergise us for another underwater exploration (but just snorkelling).
Due to the day’s exertion, sleepiness overcame us as we travelled across Zanzibar to the other side of the island (only a 45 minute drive), but as soon as we arrived at our next destination we instantly livened up. The beauty and majesty of Uroa Bay Beach Resort overwhelmed us. Delightful thatched cottages separated by neat pathways lined with trees and lanterns stretched before us. After being served our welcome drink of orange juice in a champagne glass at reception we were shown to our room/cottage and were informed that we were the only guests, as it was low season. That was yet another example of God’s extravagant love and abundant favour towards us. We had a large exquisitely designed swimming pool and private beach all to ourselves! Furthermore, the restaurant served us food at whatever time we requested, even out of their usual hours, and allowed us to choose our own set menus according to the different combination of dishes we fancied. In fact, the service in every area was first class. The staff were exceptionally professional, amiable and quick to meet our every request. If anything, they were too good to us...
On one night we were given a ‘honeymoon special’ on the house, which turned out to be a banquet big enough to feed the entire restuarant staff. The hotel resort is run by Italians and we had observed that they enjoy eating, but had not appreciated quite how much they eat. We were first served a modest portion of cold prawns on a bed of salad, then a large bowl of crab soup with bread rolls, then a huge dish of lobster and pasta, then generous plates of chips, mixed vegetables and salads. By this time we were definitely full and more than satisfied with the vast quantity and superb quality of food. We thought a stroll along the beach in the moonlight was a good idea to help our bodies digest, so were just about to leave the table when a waiter came and brought a gigantic platter of fresh seafood to our table. Slightly confused we courteously told the waiter that there must be a mistake, because we had not ordered it, but the waiter insisted it was for us and called the manager to explain that it was part of the ‘honeymoon special’. We were not sure what to do, but since we did not want to offend their liberality, we decided to eat as much of it as we could and politely asked the waiter to keep the rest for lunch the following day. Tom and I were laughing together at the hilarious incident, while also breathing a sigh of relief that it was finally over...when a vast salver of fresh tropical fruit and two portions of rich chocolate cake were brought to us! Bursting at the seams, we had a few mouthfuls of dessert and then ran out of the restaurant before they could make us eat anything else! All in all, it was the perfect environment for our honeymoon; quiet, relaxing, beautiful and quixotic. Four days did not feel like long enough in that place of paradise. We wished we could have relocated there for the rest of the year!
Our last two nights were spent at Tembo Hotel in Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar. To break up the journey we stopped for a Spice Tour, which was fascinating. The Zanzibar archipelago is also known as the Spice Islands, as it is one of the centres of the world spice trade. Interestingly, none of the spices are indigenous, but rather were all transplanted to Zanzibar by Arab and European colonialists during the 19th century. A local expert guided us through the dense green forest plantation, pointing out numerous trees and plants along the way. Each produced a particular herb, spice or tropical fruit, but what was most interesting was his explanation of their unique growth patterns and multifaceted uses. It brought to light for us the wonder of God’s creation and his manifold wisdom in designing the natural world, such that every need of mankind can be met. If we could only be better at connecting to the mind of God, there would surely be no physical or mental infirmity afflicting humans today, because the preventative and remedial cure for everything already exists in the physical environment.
I think God must find it entertaining watching man ‘discover’ and ‘invent’ ways of advancing the level of civilisation on the earth. For instance, during our subsequent Stone Town Tour we were shown the ‘House of Wonders’, which was a ceremonial palace built in the late 19th century for the 2nd Sultan of Zanzibar. Its name was coined to typify the pioneering works of modernity it exhibited, such as electricity and an elevator. Ironically, it is now one of the least developed buildings on the island, yet it is proudly still referred to as the ‘House of Wonders’ by the people. In general, Stone Town has a strong colonial character, with the markedly contrasting architecture and infrastructure of the middle-Eastern and Western parts of the world.
Notwithstanding, the Western influence is now less conspicuous, as 95% of Zanzibar’s population are Muslim. Indeed, there are only two churches in Stone Town, compared to over 50 mosques. The strict laws, civic order and discipline of Islam are reflected in the town in a very conspicuous manner, to the extent that crime is almost non-existent. For example, we tried to buy some coconut from a stall on the street that displayed an array of fruit, but the owner was not there so we could not. We were told he had gone to the mosque to pray and that it was completely normal to leave your shop unattended, as no-one would think to steal anything. I wish people had that much fear of a deity or God in Kenya!
In closing, Tom and I were blessed with a honeymoon that was truly divine. We tasted the paradise of heaven and cannot thank our heavenly Father enough for His extravagant love towards us. Our prayer now is that we would learn to appropriate and continuously walk in the blessings of God’s Kingdom in our everyday lives, such that life on earth becomes synonymous to heaven.
