Located a 2 – 3 hours ferry journey (or 30 minute flight) from Dar es Salam(Tanzania), Zanzibar is an Island bathed in sunshine that is becoming a bigger tourist attraction each passing year.
Stonetown is the capital city on the island – and from here you can get transport to anywhere. It is worth staying in Stonetown for a couple of nights to walk around the town – and see some of the history. It was a huge slave trading port and there are still some of the original trading buildings standing.  The architecture, language and culture of the east coast of Africa, but especially Zanzibar is largely influenced by the Arabs that colonized there – and Stonetown is a stark example of this.
If you are there in the evening it is worth heading down to the seafront and trying some food at the night markets. You can buy all sorts of seafood – but my personal favourite is the lobster that cost $1 for a tail.

If you want a bit of peaceful relaxation then my recommendation is the east coast of Zanaibar – when I stayed there I paid $10 a night (including breakfast and dinner), the beaches were calm and relaxing – the sun rises are breath taking.

If you want something a little more lively,  then head to the north west of Zanzibar where the resorts are aimed more at the younger crowd with restaurants on the beach and bars that are open until well after the sun goes down. During the day you play sports on the beach, go snorkelling or diving or rent a motorbike and see more of the area.

Zanzibar is a great place for young people and families with older children – it is not quite a child friendly resort island – but I am sure that it will get there one day!!  For some pictures of Zanzibar (a bit dated but still great) click here…

In Tanzania I went to see a soccer game – the Dar es Salam (the Simbas) team play the Arusha Football Club at the Arusha Stadium. This was in my first couple of weeks of moving to the country and one of our friends got us so we could stand next to the players bench. In typical African style the game started late and after about half an hour not much had happened – so the fans started getting a bit rambunctious. It was not long before we realised we were in trouble when we had about 100 angry fans running towards us from across the pitch and a similar number of riot police running to meet them from behind us -leaving us bang in the middle. It was a great experience – especially because we emerged unhurt!!

The United States has an interesting mix of professional and non-professional sports. I had the priviledge of going to a High School football (American Football) game in Virginia – and it was obvious that these students had been well drilled in their craft – to an extent where one wonders if they study, or how pushed by parents / teachers they must be, especially as high school and college sports represent so much income for these institutions, and are doorways to bigger things for the players!
I also would really suggest trying to go to a baseball game in the US – while it is not an adreneline packed sport – the atmosphere in the stadiums is worth going to experience even if you dont have a clue about the rules (the same can be said for cricket!). It is the only professional sport in the world where everyone in the crowd sings a song before the game (take me out to the ball game)…it is quite fascinating! Remember to bring a glove cause if you catch a ball that has been hit into the crowd you can keep it!

The Australians are quite incredable at Sport – they dominate internationally in 3 sports (rugby union and league and cricket) play soccer and basketball to a good standard and then they have Aussie Rules Football (AFL) which no one else plays but is a vastly entertaining sport. All this achievement in a country of 20 million! During my stays in Australia I really got into rugby league and would try and go to see the Queensland Cowboys as often as possible. The atmosphere at these games is great it is so laid back that two ends of the statium have grass banks that you can bring a picnic blanket and have a beer while the game is on. The atmosphere directly reflects the Australian culture of being laid back – I like to call it the “No Worries Culture” and it makes Australia a great place to visit or live!

I still have a few sports I want to watch in various nations – these include an AFL game in Australia, a gaelic hockey game in Ireland, Ice Hockey in North America and a football (soccer) game in South America. It is amazing how sports really can reflect the ambience of a nation!

The first on my list is an Ethiopian restaurant called Spices and Herbs. It is located near the Impala Hotel not far from the town centre of Arusha. The atmosphere is very laid back – and that really adds to the feeling of a community style meal. The food is a kind of sour bread that you use to scoop up different types of meat in spicey sauces -it is a great evening out!

The second  restaurant that I would occassionally visit would be Stiggys bar and restaurant – located just around the corner from Spices and Herbs, it is own by an Australian ex-pat. They offer a wide variety in their a-la-carte menu including stone oven-baked pizza, steaks and a good selection of beverages. There is a very casual feel to the place – and with a bar area and pool table you can spend many an hour hanging out with friends or enjoying a good evening out with some quality food.

Fast food is not something that you would put together with Arusha – but one restaurant is changing that. MacMoodys offers a much wider range of food than a normal fast food chain – from pizza to chips and burgers to chinese food – there is always something to fill up on.  if you are in the centre of town and need to grab a bite to eat in between bartering for a non-mzungu (white) price, and finding the right dala-dala, Macmoodys could be the stop for you!

There are more and more exceptions appearing to this – for example if you were in one of the bigger cities in East Africa – such as Nairobi- and going out for a meal, then dressing how you would in the west would be more common. But generally in smaller towns and villages dressing appropriately is a must.
Another advantage to dressing sensibly is that tourists are more likely to be targetted for higher prices when buying gifts from the markets.

Another big cultural tip for East Africa is to realise that if you offered food in someone’s house or village, it is considered rude to refuse it.  I would not recommend travelling to villages if you are a vegetarian or vegan because you will more than likely end up offending your hosts if you refuse food, as meat and milk are stables especially amongst the Maasai people.

East Africa is a great place to visit -there is so much to see and a vast range of peoples and cultures to see and experience… but a little thought about cultural thoughfulness can make the difference between a good trip where you saw a lot, and a great trip where you made friends and experienced a lot!