Hello Africa

by Nicole Wood (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find Tanzania

Paradise can be elusive. It might look easy enough to find... a beautiful Maldivian beach scene can tempt any weary office worker looking to escape the mundane. Still, the truth is, not all powdery beaches and turquoise waters are made equal. I realized this a couple of years ago after booking a trip, not to the Maldives, but to another spectacular island with equally shimmering shores and clear waters. Born and bred in South Africa, at the risk of sounding blasé, I know what natural beauty is. There is no doubt that my country is blessed with the kind of jaw dropping nature scenes that can be on the cover of any best selling travel magazine. Despite having access to nature’s best, my husband and I packed our bags for East Africa and headed for Tanzania’s main island, Unguja, perhaps better known as Zanzibar. Being a Stockbroker, I could not wait to leave the fast pace of the financial markets behind me and melt away in the dreamy blues of the Indian Ocean. As we touched down on the humid Spice Island, I certainly expected the Zanzibaris to be welcoming, but I couldn’t possibly have foreseen the effect of the care-free island life that was coming our way. Let me start off by saying that South Africans are a friendly bunch. The most remarkable thing is that it is not even the people who have reason to smile that are the kindest. The friendliest people in SA are usually the poorest of poor, always willing to share a smile with anyone they meet, despite the daily struggle to survive that so many of the people in our country face. The islanders here though, have their very own unique vibe: a collective sense of careless bliss that slowly creeps into your heart and then later envelops all your senses. It’s best summed up in the phrase they often laughingly share with you: “Hakuna Matata”. Growing up with Disney’s Lion King, I initially thought it was a reference to Simba’s song. I soon realized though, it had nothing to do with the little lion’s song. It was them simply and honestly proclaiming in their native tongue: “No worries”. The more I heard it, the more I actually started to believe it. Eventually I could not care less anymore whether the world was on the brink of financial collapse or what my hair looked like. Each morning’s Swahili greeting of “Jambo!” (Pronounced “Jumbo”) made me smile inwardly and look forward to the experience of tranquility this paradise had to offer. And there was plenty of it.... As a small child my family and I used to pick up beautiful shells on the beaches of South Africa, yet as the years went on, the shells became more and more broken; perhaps a reflection of our humanity. Here on the silky sands of Northern Zanzibar, you can gather intact shells on the beach, and if that isn’t enough to remind you of your childhood, massive starfishes scattered across the shallow ocean floor should certainly awaken your inner child. The island came alive each evening as the last deep-red rays of sunshine bounced off the ocean and the drumbeats and singing of dancing fishermen on their dhows drifted towards the shore. You can see all this in a photograph, but you can never wrap your heart around how it makes you feel. You suddenly realize that this is the pace that life was meant to be lived at - a tempo in tune with the drumbeat of a Swahili song and the tides of a turquoise sea. I’ve never been to the Maldives. I do hope to go soon and take as many photos as possible. The thing is just, a perfect picturesque beach is not really sufficient anymore when I’m searching for paradise. What I long for most is for the feeling of home that captivates your mind and never lets you go. It is the heart and soul of its people that will always keep you dreaming, longing for the day that you can return. Call me biased, but no other continent’s people will ever welcome you with arms wider open - than that of - Africa.