We begin to get the impression that this Zanzibar extension is way too jam packed with activity, but Job is proud of his island and anxious to show it all off.  Today we leave at 8:00 a.m. to drive to the north end of the island and first tour a small family-owned spice plantation.  This is actually quite interesting, and a 16-year old member of the family accompanies us, climbing trees to bring down samples of a spice or fruit.  In his spare time walking along, he weaves palm fronds into rings and hats and bags for all of us.  Phyllis especially likes her frog necklace, and Craig is proud of his crown, but alas none of these can make the trip home (or even to Sicily) with us.  Needless to say, the youngster was tipped well, and we learn the next day that he excitedly called Job to say he was able to use the money to buy new shoes for school that afternoon.  Another brother climbed about 80 feet up a coconut tree and threw many down for us to sample.  Ronald tried to climb the tree but quickly learned his feet were not hardened enough to go more than 6 inches.  This is only the second time we’ve seen Ronald stymied on this whole trip (the first being when he got his jeep stuck in a stream in the Serengeti and had to give up on going further in that direction).

The spice farm abounds in cloves, vanilla bean pods (look a lot like green beans), cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardamom, as well as fruits such as pineapple, passion fruit, and lychee nuts.  Most of the spices grow on a bush or tree or vine that looks totally unlike what we expected.  We have a buffet of the fruit spread out for us at the end of the tour, and it’s almost like having lunch already.  However, the real lunch is next, after a drive to another elegant beach side resort.  These lunches always include a free beer or wine or water or Coke, and there’s no debate about what our choice will be.  While there seem to be few dark beers in Africa (Craig did find a fine stout at the golf course in Arusha), the Tusker, Kilimanjaro, Serengeti or Safari local beers are most welcome on hot day like this.

Next we visit a small seaside enclosed sanctuary for green turtles, typically those brought in by fishermen who found them injured in their nets, which is assuredly a worthy cause but rather disappointing since we have seen so many animals in the wild by now.  Then a stop to see dhows being made the traditional way (learning that the biggest one we see would cost approximately $7,000 -- a seeming small sum for us but a lifetime of savings for most of these people).   Back at hotel around 6 p.m., another exhausting day!