A few minutes in Stone Town are all you need to suss out the vibrant friendliness of the place. People walking by yell "Jambo!" in greeting, followed by an inquiring "Habari?" ("How are you?"), "Where are you from?" and "How do you like our Zanzibar?"

Getting from one place to the next is very time consuming, but pleasurable nonetheless. Within the first half hour, Jenni and I meet a young man called Ali, who offers to show us around. In broken English he explains some of the history and culture of Zanzibar. Ali tells us that most Zanzibaris are Muslims and that this is the middle of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. We are asked to respect their culture, and not to eat or drink in public until after sunset.

Ali is an invaluable help, and he plays the part of guide brilliantly! He shows us the best places to shop in, taking us down narrow streets filled with the bright colours of materials, clothes, jewellery, paintings and wooden carvings.

Learning Bao Bao

People in the market stalls occupy their time with a game called Bao Bao. This board game consists of a flat wooden plank with holes carved into it, and a series of beads or seeds which are used as the counters. Intrigued, we buy the game from a market vendor, and get Ali to show us how to play. Bao Bao is played by moving the seeds from one hole to the next, and the aim is to capture your opponent's counters as you go along. It requires great mental dexterity, and is rather similar to Backgammon.

Sadly, though, the sun is setting, so we make our way back to the boat.

The next stop on our agenda is Tanga, a coastal town on Tanzania's mainland. Our captain tells us that yachts from all over the world are anchored there, so we'll have the opportunity to meet new people.

In search of fun and friends, we pull up our anchor and sail off. En route, we overnight at Panza, a tiny island which forms part of the Pemba Archipelago (Our journey will entail two days sailing from here). We arrive at around 4 p.m., drop anchor and survey our surroundings. There is no beach on Panza, just jutting rocks and reef formations. Even if one could get over these rocks, rumour has it that Panza is inhabited by locals who practise black magic. As a result Panza has been nicknamed "Voodoo Island" by sailors who are familiar with the area. That night, as if to confirm our fears, we hear chanting, drumming and shouting coming from the island, bringing on a feeling of chill that is conjured up entirely by my overactive imagination. We all have an uneasy night's rest.

At the crack of dawn the rising sun again wakes us. The sea is so clear that I can see the anchor lying on the seabed 10 metres below.

Jenni and I decide we just can't miss out on snorkelling and diving here, but the corals are not as impressive as anticipated, due to recent El Nino-related problems. The marine life, however, is truly astounding: we find an old shipwreck not too far from where we're anchored, and use up most of the oxygen in our tanks exploring it.

Visibility is about 40 metres, and the sun shines straight into the water. All the fish are out in their fanfare colours, and I am amazed at the myriad of wonders we witness. Creatures exist that look as if they have been brought out of a sci-fi movie - or a drug-induced hallucination. We spy the most beautiful iridescent and metallic colours, and the strangest shapes among these aquatic life forms. Only the turning tide, along with warnings that we will be swept out to sea if we're not careful, forces us back to the yacht. Exhausted and hungry, we return to our floating home and enjoy a much better sleep during our second night off Voodoo Island.

The following day we sail for Tanga. Jenni is getting her sea legs at last, and has stopped feeding the fish. We arrive in time for sundowners at the local bar, where we meet sailors from three of the boats anchored at Tanga. Our arrival is used as an excuse for a party - but then again, any excuse would have done, I imagine!

Questions?
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