zanzibar

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Dessert time in Stone Town, Zanzibar Island

Here we are in the hustle bustle part of historic Stone Town, Zanzibar Island, patiently waiting for the local halwa stall to serve us our almond and cashew halwa.

Halwa is a sticky dessert made with fragrant spices all cultivated in the Spice Island, one of the names of Zanzibar Island. They use cardamom, saffron, rose-water mixed in with a variety of nuts from cashew to pistachio. The mixture is held together with corn flour and ghee and lots of sugar.

This lovely treat is served best with black coffee. A sweet indulgence when on your guided walking Spice Island tour.

IMG_5659Want to taste sweet Halwa? We can add Zanzibar Island to your Safari.
Finish your time in Tanzania with the lovely beaches and blue waters of Zanzibar Island. Pure bliss!

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Life worth Exploring. ™
Make memories on your Journey To Africa Safari.

Get in Touch //
Email us – Safari@JourneyToAfrica.com
Toll Free – 1.877.558.6288
Outside of US – 1.713.592.6228
Form – Request Information

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Cinnamon Tea or Coffee

Brrrr, it is cold here in Houston, Texas. 35 F as I write this. The Arctic winds have not spared us but boy, seeing pictures of you up there in the north all bundled up with the risk of frostbite, I should not complain.

What has been on rotation on my desk to warm me up? Cinnamon tea and coffee.

tea - cinammonI bought some cinnamon sticks on my Safari to Zanzibar Island. Cinnamon stick and ground cinnamon is everywhere to be found on the Spice Island. The fragrant sweet smell of cinnamon is lovely when walking the streets of Stone Town. Cinnamon is one of Zanzibar’s spice exports.

We got to see cinnamon trees on our guided spice tour. The tree we stopped to look at was not very tall and narrow. The guide said it was a young tree. The cinnamon sticks we buy is actually a bark cut out from the tree and then dried up under the hot sun of the tropics. When it dries up, it gives it the curled up look.

I incorporate cinnamon in my sweet and savory cooking for flavor and adding it to tea makes sense.

Cinnamon Tea.
At our house, we love this loose Ahmed Tea infused with cardamom.
Add a small piece of cinnamon stick.
For a nice kick, a pinch of red chilli flakes.

We use our french press to brew.
Then add milk and sugar if you like.

And tayari [done]. Dip a cookie and enjoy.

tea post - farhana

Coffee on the streets in Zanzibar with Halwa. My daughter enjoyed a sip.

Cinnamon Coffee.
Using the same french press, add coffee with a small piece of cinnamon stick and a tiny piece of ginger root.

These drinks should warm you up, a little at least, with this Arctic blast.

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Life worth Exploring. ™
Make memories on your Journey To Africa Safari.

Get in Touch //
Email us – Safari@JourneyToAfrica.com
Toll Free – 1.877.558.6288
Outside of US – 1.713.592.6228
Form – Request Information

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Zanzibar Island

News from our Safari //

You can not help but admire these old doors in historic Stone Town, Zanzibar. Some are more than 100 years old. The more intricate with accessories like brass knobs and larger in size, the richer the family. So much history in Zanzibar Island.

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Pack for a Purpose

Planning for the Safari is done. Now, the packing fun begins.

For my camera gear, I am renting a 70-300 f4-5.6 L from Houston Photo Rental for my Canon T3i.  I will have about two 32GB cards, flash, my laptop to download the pictures at night and get some work done where wi-fi is available. June is going to be a cooler month [70-50F range] so more long sleeves and pants. Since I am walking in Serengeti [terribly excited] trekking shoes are a must. Can not forget SPF, hat, sunblock and my trusty scarf.

What else? School supplies. A lot of lodges that we partner with are members of this great organization called Pack for a Purpose. They work with the lodges around the world, identifying what they need for their community school and ask us tour operators to let our clients know what they can bring – 5 lbs of supplies or whatever you are comfortable carrying.

Lodges on they are currently partnered with that we will be stopping by :
– Onsea House in Arusha
– Gibbs Farm in beautiful Karatu Region
– Rhotia Valley right outside Ngorongoro Gate
– Sayari Camp – we will pass our supplies to this lovely camp on our way to Olakira Camp
– Ras Nungwi Beach Resort in Zanzibar Island
– Chem Chem Safari between Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Park

Looking forward to making someone’s day when in Tanzania.
Life Worth Exploring!

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Pre-primary kids playing at Rhotia Valley Tented Camp
[picture taken by Rhotia Valley]