Kiwengwa Beach - Pole Pole

I didn't think it would be safe to run in Africa.

I was concerned about running alone along the three-mile stretch of Kiwengwa Beach. Besides my government's warning about violent crime, I'd read comments from visitors who found the beach boys overly aggressive. I get it—you don't want to be bothered on vacation. But these guys weren't nearly as persistent as the hagglers I've encountered in Mexico or Jamaica. I found them friendly and respectful when I said, "No, thank you."

Kiwengwa Beach felt very safe. The shoreline is lined with resorts, each with its own security guards. Staying alert is always good travel advice anywhere in the world, but visitors here don't need to feel overly alarmed about their safety.


Shops along Kiwengwa Beach

A local Maasai greets me as I run past.

"Jambo. Pole pole." Hello. Slowly, slowly.

Pole pole is a cultural mindset here. It embodies patience, relaxation, and a "what's the rush?" outlook on life.

After my run, my legs are glistening from the early morning heat and humidity. I've never seen them sweat before. At breakfast, Greg says his sweat is sweating.

Greg has decidedly found a way to stay here. Despite the heat and humidity, he is convinced his retirement job will be raking sand on a beach in Zanzibar. It is a diligent and constant task, erasing fresh footprints almost as quickly as they appear.

Pole pole became the theme of the day.

We did absolutely nothing.

And it was wonderful.

We spent the day enjoying our little piece of paradise, lounging on our beachfront patio. I hardly moved from my perch in the hanging egg chair except to order a drink or eat a meal.

It was the perfect complement to a week on safari.

In the afternoon, one of the beach boys recognized me from my morning run. He struck up a conversation and offered to take me to visit a local orphanage. Whether motivated by generosity, business, or some combination of the two, he was friendly and easy to talk to—something we've encountered over and over again during our time in Tanzania.

Maika takes his role seriously and ensures that no one unwanted wanders onto the hotel property.

By evening, a live band had set up by the pool, where we had dinner.

The electricity went out around 6:30 p.m., but nobody seemed concerned. It is the norm on Zanzibar. The hotels all have generators, and the rolling blackouts are scheduled in advance. By now, that felt very Zanzibar: no panic, no urgency, just pole pole.

Despite being in paradise, reality was beginning to creep back in.

For the first time in days, we knew what day of the week it was without checking a phone or watch.

Thursday.

We leave in two days.

Tomorrow we spend another day back in Stone Town.

 

Logistics:

  • A beach boy told me we were lucky to be visiting now. April through June is considered the slow season because of the heavy rains.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear Safari, Ready or Not, Here We Come

Image
  About a month ago, I discovered that the US had changed the Tanzania travel advisory to a Level 3 (of 4): Reconsider Travel - due to unrest and violent crime (and targeting of gay and lesbian individuals). When your own government says, “Have a plan to leave in an emergency that does not depend on U.S. government help,” it is a bit unnerving. This announcement, along with spreading Ebola on the African continent, could be a solid reason to cancel the trip. But travel comes with risks, and these were not enough to stop us. A safari has been on our bucket list for years!   After many years of losing out to active vacations and countries with incredible nature or man-made sights, a safari has finally risen to the top of our bucket list. Leading up to the trip, I kept wondering how exciting can a safari be? What if it is not any different than a zoo or the Disney Magic Kingdom Lodge? What if all we see are a bunch of birds and some wildebeest? Or what if it’s just over-explo...
Read more

Learning the Rhythm in Arusha – Before the Safari Begins

Check back later after pictures are added... Today our flight paths crossed; Greg and I met up in the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia airport to take the remaining segment together. Well, kind of together. Greg continued his fancy business class flight while I continued in economy… but at least we were on the same plane. Although we landed at Kilimanjaro airport, we didn’t get to see the tallest mountain in Africa. At ~20,000 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro likes to be shy and hide in the clouds. As our massive Boeing 777 lands at a tiny airport that’s barely bigger than a small building, we quickly step into our surroundings. We’re given hand sanitizer, our temperature is taken, we learn our first word of Swahili— karibu (welcome!)—and we show our visas. Then our driver, Fabian, whisks us away—on the opposite side of the road from what we’re used to—toward the safari hub of Arusha. Immediately I spot an elephant and comment, “Wow, an elephant already!” Fabian laughed at my joke about the life-li...
Read more

Tarangire National Park Day 2: Watching Them Watching Us

Image
“I kept dreaming something was crawling on me,” Greg said when he woke up—even though we were safely enclosed inside a mosquito net. I spent the night dreaming that I was trying to take a shower before the hot water turned on at 6:00 a.m. On our way - safari day #2! Leaving early in the morning at 7am, I expected something different than yesterday. Edward announced, “It’s a good day. The air is fresh.” It was quiet and peaceful - just us - and a massive park to explore. The animals must’ve felt it too because today they were happy to see us. Today, they made eye contact. They know we are there - watching them - watching us. And they don’t care. Right off the bat we see more elephants Before this trip, if someone had asked me which animal I should worry about most, I probably would have said a lion. But Edward explained that it's actually the unpredictable African buffalo. Watching them, they look like a herd of cows; you don't feel like you're in danger at all. Yet ...
Read more