A day in Paje.

You’re waking up. Paje. Zanzibar. New Teddy’s Place. Your foster home. Your mamma and your daddy. 

First challenge – evaluate the time through the mosquito net. Dark – go back to sleep. Bright – check if you can make it for the last breakfast call. Is it before 10? You did very well today. Slightly salty cold shower. Salty breakfast - it all goes well with the ocean. You feel deluxe. 

Second challenge -  identify the current tide through the palm trees. You’re taking few steps up the stairs to the Amsterdam viewing platform (go figure). Ocean close enough – go for a swim. Ocean far enough – go and walk on the water.

Third challenge - actually leave. You’re thinking – I’m ready to go. 3 hours later you leave the cosy premises. You are about to experience the exquisite walk through the hall of fame. 5 meters in -  concrete fence. 10 meters in -  concrete fence and a water tank. 20 meters in. You see it. You swear. You swear a lot. You put off your sun glasses. You put them on. You want to kneel down. White sand is killing your neurons. Your brain can no longer process the colour data. This ocean is superior to your brain. Water. There is no Pantone for it. It’s black, blue, see-through and fluorescent green.  Sky - can be innocent baby blue or stormy drama queen. Sun. It brightens up the ocean lanes. Wind – you inhale the salty pheromones. You’re gone already.

Challenge number four - must keep going. Next stop - Mr Kahawa. The house of goodies. You order a date shake. You stay horizontal. You’re still not ready to read a book. You watch the live show. It can be the European sister rolling in the sand and her courageous boyfriend hunting for the best shot. 

# paradise

It can be bunch of people chasing cows. Poor fellas (and I mean the cows, not the people) just came here to chill. 

# real zanzibar experience

It can be the herd of beauties doing selfies. 

# me

You might decide to watch the kites. They are the substitute clouds. With the low tide you’ll see mamas farming the ocean and taking care of those sea weeds. Babas will hunt the octopus. Little mtotos will be busy catching the petit ocean snacks.  You might as well try to understand the ways and means of the beach market. Real Zanzibar Coco, real Zanzibar shells, real Zanzibar khangas, real Zanzibar Masai show. Surely a foreign department, since Masai people tend to hate the big water and are more of a mainland origin. Dolphin tour, spice tour, forest tour, blue safari, kalamari, beach grill, party thrill, shooting star or kite– anything you want. It’s all for you dear Muzungu friend.

Sun is now beyond your horizontal reach. It must be four (?). Time for a private show.  You need two things to make this work: some clouds and a low tide. Let’s assume you got lucky. Shadows are going out. They are about to show you their best moves on the sandy dancefloor. Now, what do you need those clouds for? Those clouds, my dear friends, they do the magic. They make the shadows disappear and make them dance somewhere else. You need to spot the dancers. Clouds might as well decide to cast out the dancing trees and play the trick in the ocean. This is your tropical Christmas tree. This is your Netflix. 

Time to go home. Just before the sunset, local heroes play football (soccer?) on the beach. You meet someone from Teddy’s sitting on the shore watching the kite masters. Lord, they can fly. You exchange the awes. You go back to Teddy’s. You hit the bar. There will be good people waiting for you. It gets dark. Now, what happens after dark is a whole different story. Next time Gadget!