Please provide any questions you may have and an answer will follow from one of the team members. Thanks BDS.
PLEASE LIST YOUR PREFERENCES. (ITEM 1)
(Q), Please see below message from Pervin. Check out second last para, M&P want to know what day we plan to move to the Beach from Tembo.
Before we can respond with an answer we need to know how many days each member want to stay in town. Please give your indication but think carfully.
Dear Benito and Betty,
Wow, the A Team man has got up from his deep sleep and now we are hearing from him daily!! What a change!! See what ZNZ does to people!! It is so good to see the response and how everyone is now excited. I thought that after the 2008 trip you guys will take ages to return, but 4 years is a good gap. Znz will always wait for you all.
It is exciting to know that you guys are all booked. It is very convenient to arrive and depart to/from ZNZ, even if you have to go via Addis. We are going to Znz 16th March to 3rd April., and we have friends from Sweden joining us, who depart on the 25th so we will be free after that to go to Oroa or, we can take them as well and make an outing of the day, while they are with us. So as soon as we can do it, we will, and get back to you guys. We will spend the first 2 nights in Stone town with Tony.
(Q) We plan on joining you only at the beach, so once you know the dates, that will be great. It will be good if before we go there we have the fixed dates, so we know what we are talking about. How are we going to do it? Book as a group, and how will that payment be done? I need to know what we want to do if the place is worth it. Who exactly have booked their flights already?
The ideal way for Bruno to do the safari is after the 2 weeks in Znz. I am in touch with him. We are going to Ngorongoro and Serengeti from 10th to 13th March, with these Swedish friends, two are my Arab friends, ex Zanzibaris, so you will not hear from us during that time.
Our website: www.wildersun.com
Our home landline +255 27 254 4589
My Arusha Mobile +255754312212
My Znz Mobile +255 777459459
Well, keep in touch.
Regards, Pervin
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Dear Benny,
Thank you for the wealth of information you've distributed.
Having perused you Qs & A's , list, I couldn't find anything to add to the list.
As for our likes or preferences they would be :
Day 1. Arrive Zanzibar (30/10 ) to recover.
Day 2 to discover what the back streets have to offer. and somewhere between
Day 3, or 4. ( and depending on others ) or maybe day 5, fit in a picnic.
On Day 5 0r 6 shift to the beach resort , up until departure.
Now on the subject of the beach resort, --- and of course dependant on the report from M & P plus peoples' budgets, --- my perusings from your links, have led me towards 2 delicious sounding resorts. Blue bay and Paradise beach. Blue Bay mentions
' exquisite cusine ' ....... fresh from the sea a.s.o. I hope it ain't a clump of seaweed.
We do look forward to enjoying the group's company and our main aim is to be in it's company.
I shall pronounce on the choice and need of anti malarials in the next few days.
Till then kwaheri and may we all remain safe in God's keep.
betty s.
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Hi all,
Appropos Benny's blog and Pervin wanting to know how many days we want to spend in Stonetown and the beach resort - it'll depend on what the Uroa beach resort is like and the rates we get. If it's great, personally I'm happy to spend 7 nights in Stonetown and 7 nights at Uroa. Other than Rooky, the team arrives on 30th October. Suggest moving to beach resort on 6 November which gives us 7 nights in each place. However, if Uroa isn't up to scratch & we have to look at staying at the Blue Bay, then, as funds are limited, I'll personally have to spend more time in Stonetown.
Pervin & Merwyn can this decision wait until you've checked out the Uroa hotel?
And in response to how we pay - obviously block booking is going to be cheaper. Once we know how many nights we intend staying, then I guess each of us has to quote our credit card details to the hotel directly??? Advice from M & P & Tony in this regard would be helpful. Thanks.
Love, Px
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POSTING FROM BRUNO.
Will start to look at all the offerings. As far as beach accomodations whatever the group decides is OK. In stone town Tembo is great. Do not know if the group is going to spend time in stone town both when we arrive and when we leave.
My preference would be to spend 3/4 days in town, go to the beach for a week then return and spend 2/3 days in town, that way one is not running on excursions 7 days straight. I am OK with whatever the group decides.
Thanks
Bruno
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Hi Ben ...... you asked for some suggestions and my response what I would like to do on this holiday. I will go with the flow. I would like to be on the trips and participate with the crowd.
I would like a day a two on my own when we are in the Stone Town and this will be my itinerary
To visit the cemetery to pay my respects to my mom and dad that too if the grave yard is still in existence.
To go to my house on the main road to see my house above Impex Traders opposite Africa Bar'
See my old school St Joseph’s Convent School
Go to GI have a drink may be play a game of snooker...wish full thinking
Hire a bike and go round the streets of the Zanzibar Town. I was a Health Inspector in Zanzibar and I had to travel on bike doing all the inspections of the eating houses etc.
The moment they saw me coming they would tidy up the place as soon as they could so that they would not pay the fine.
Sometimes they used to bribe me with a cup of tea and a free meal.
I want to go to Fordhani to eat raw mangoes with chilly powder and drink sugar cane juice.
I would like to eat boko boko and the Arabian Halawa sold in little baskets
I would like to drink toddy I must ask Oliver the dealer's name. This used to happen on Sundays.
How about some mandazies with hot cup of tea........roll on October
I would like to eat the fruit salad from the wheel barrow. You remember, may be not you were not in our gang please do not be offended... after the mid night mass we used to go on a rampage and break into the fruit salad trolley that was parked on the side of the Sultan's palace. The top was covered by a tarpaulin and the fruit salad was kept fresh in a bucket .......... I used to pity the bloke all his profits went down the drain ..... no in our mouths. You want believe we had received communion at the midnight mass ....... real devils....
How about the sticky stuff on the pole the guy used to use his fingers to pull the sweet which tasted like candy floss. I wonder if he washed his hands at all.
What about the guy selling bajias shouting An ..done.....done with sweat pouring from his forehead ....... yeah!!! but his bajias were tasty made of chick peas and the coriander and coconut chutney to die for. He used to come to GI on Saturday's and after a few beers we did not have to go back home for lunch ... My mom used to worry she went through hell.
Taking photographs be careful.
This actually happened to me when I was allowed to stay in Zanzibar for 2 days in 1972. They were preparing for the celebrations of Saba Saba Day. John de Silva was with me and happily I was taking some photos of a new development built by the East Germans and you could see these houses from the road... side of the Bohora Gymkhana and the grave yard. No sooner I was clicking I heard gun fire and the blokes rushed towards me and John with their guns and shinning blades mounted on top their guns threatening me and John.... I did not know nor did John that this was a military post and the army were stationed in this building. It also happened that same evening I was booked to fly to Dar to catch my flight back to UK. This happened at 12.30pm. There I was locked in a room. They confiscated my film and poor John had to go to town by taxi to tell the bad news to Pop and Artie. In those days they did not have mobile phones. To cut the story short Wolf came on the scene with John and spoke to the soldiers and said to them ... Do you know who I am? I am the Attorney General release this man immediately..... what a relief ..... so the moral of this story is ...... look before you click ..........
This actually happened to me when I was allowed to stay in Zanzibar for 2 days in 1972. They were preparing for the celebrations of Saba Saba Day. John de Silva was with me and happily I was taking some photos of a new development built by the East Germans and you could see these houses from the road... side of the Bohora Gymkhana and the grave yard. No sooner I was clicking I heard gun fire and the blokes rushed towards me and John with their guns and shinning blades mounted on top their guns threatening me and John.... I did not know nor did John that this was a military post and the army were stationed in this building. It also happened that same evening I was booked to fly to Dar to catch my flight back to UK. This happened at 12.30pm. There I was locked in a room. They confiscated my film and poor John had to go to town by taxi to tell the bad news to Pop and Artie. In those days they did not have mobile phones. To cut the story short Wolf came on the scene with John and spoke to the soldiers and said to them ... Do you know who I am? I am the Attorney General release this man immediately..... what a relief ..... so the moral of this story is ...... look before you click ..........
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Dear Team
BENNY & BETTY’S PREFERENCES – RE WEEK 1 & WEEK 2 (Q & A’s Link)
As Betty & I have been to Zanzibar on a few occasions and have surveyed the stone town fully, we feel we would not want to spend many days walking around though we certainly will do so during the first couple of days meeting up with the local shopkeepers and many of our friends living in Zanzibar.
In the past we enjoyed a few god tours and don’t feel necessary we would want to repeat the same, though one tour to Prison Island and Grave has always been great fun with a large party of friends. We take some refreshments; enjoy the island followed by a swim. This we would be prepared to join others either a ½ days trip which is sufficient.
As a team of over 12 in our group, we can plan our own outings/excursions by hiring one of Tony’s 14 seater buses which would take us to various good seaside locations we wish to visit. On route we can visit some of the exciting spots e.g. Josani forest to see the Red Colobus monkeys etc. This we can plan whilst in Zanzibar.
If during the first 3 days, many in our group fancy a couple of tours, though I have confirmed B&B do not need to go again, we will certainly join the group for the fun of all being together.
To conclude, our preferences would be to spend three to four days in Stone Town doing as much as we can and moving out to the Seaside Beach Resort which may be Paradise Resort Uroa if approved by M&P after they have visited the site and approved. Failing this, Blue Bay is still our favourite due to all the added facilities available with accommodation, which includes breakfast and dinner ensures we will be enjoying good big breakfasts and wonderful dinners as experienced in the past. Dinners enjoyed either in the main restaurant or under the stars.
Other attractions on the complex are theme nights – African & Masaii nights where the food is just special, choice unlimited, which includes local floor show of dancers, live band, dancing around the pool, eating under the stars etc., and of course midnight swims in the lit swimming pool which we have also done and enjoyed.
Other facilities are sporting events from Scuba diving, table tennis and snooker and every night a live band, music for listening and dancing whilst we relax around the bar area.
From our past experience in Zanzibar, Blue Bay has done us proud and we would be happy to return but of course we cannot make this decision as we will join the rest of the party whichever location is selected as our plans is for us all to spend the second week together.
No hard and fast rules as we will fit in with the majority.
P.S. Now that we have everyone’s preferences, of course subject to change, I will soon provide a spreadsheet showing exactly everyone’s preferences to assist with further planning.
Guideline schedules will also be added later and in the meantime keep all your suggestions and ideas flowing. Example - Dr. Betty suggested a picnic on day 3 or 4. Let’s all plan together to help get the very best from our holiday so ideas welcome.
New updates will follow at random but will be alerted on ‘What’s New’ provided with a date stamp.
Regards
Benny & Betty
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-----Original Message-----
From: Merwyn & Pervin Nunes <nunes@wildersunsafaristanzania.com>
To: Benito Desouza <bvents@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 8:55
From: Merwyn & Pervin Nunes <nunes@wildersunsafaristanzania.com>
To: Benito Desouza <bvents@aol.com>
Sent: Fri, 16 Mar 2012 8:55
Dear Ben and the rest of the gang
We head for Zanzibar in the next fifteen minutes and our first two nights will be with Toto Tony. We then go to Bwejuu to be with some of our friends. While there we will go to Oroa to check on Paradise resort. The main attraction of Paradise is the fact that they have a choice of accd. and price tags.
From the look of things on an average we will be staying there for between seven and ten days. I would have preferred a situation where I could reserve the accommodation on our behalf. For those of us that know our dates, price range and rooming FB, B+B or HB we would have something to work on. I liked Albert’s style of putting on the table his plans. Bokoboko brought a smile to my face and the place for it is near the Mbuyu tree at Mkunazini.
Believe me your best bet in Zanzibar town is the Tembo and if you guys take my advice between Tony and myself we can try for a special rate. For those worried about booz a hop step and jump away is a pub,and at night they put some chairs right on the beach. With the harbor lights in the background its just WOW. The other advantage after getting high you do not need a cab to go home. I would like to join Albert on his pilgrimage to the Goan Institute as in all my trips to Zanzibar I did not go there even once.
Another thing worth remembering is that your transfer from town to Oroa will be that much cheaper as sharing the vehicle by the number of people.
I am all for the picnic idea as it would be the best way of meeting all the goan Zanzibaris. This is best arranged with Tony which I will do once we arrive there. This will have to be a Sunday.
Best Regards
Merwyn
