In 2013, I learned that the best way to wash the dirt off from Kilimanjaro is to visit Zanzibar, a small island off the coast of Tanzania.  Last month, after helping with a Kilimanjaro trip (trip report) organized by Himalayan Adventure Labs, I got another chance to visit this ‘Spice Island’.  The goal was to rest, recover, and to have another go at kite surfing as I didn’t get very far in 2013.   I was joined by Jenny Husby, another native of the Pacific Northwest who was on our 2017 Annapurna Circuit Fastpack and also a participant with our Kilimanjaro trip. For the most part, we spent three solid days doing nothing in this tropical paradise before I headed to Dar es Salaam for some sailing classes.

After a few days of lazing away at the beach, I took a puddle jumper to Dar es Salaam on the mainland. In the months leading up to my visit to Tanzania I had spammed the yacht club, asking if (please!) would someone be available to help me improve my sailing skills? As luck would have it, a local ex-pat from South Africa named Peter had just finished teaching a keel boat class and had some time to show this landlubber around.