I had a great incentive last week to get lots of writing done thanks to the imminent arrival of my friend. I’m working on an idea for a novel now: a murder mystery, set in Zanzibar. My dear friend Zack has come over from Prague where he’s about to open a new bar to pick up a few tips on hospitality from the Pongwe management team and, most importantly, to hang out with me! I managed to finish a draft of my first chapter just before his arrival on Saturday night. As I predicted, Zack was blown away by Pongwe and demanded a moonlit tour as soon as he had his welcome cocktail in his hand. We strolled over to the new swimming pool and then down to the smooth sands shining in the moonlight watching the rollers break and letting the foamy water tickle our ankles and drag the sand from under our feet. We only turned back to the bar when it was time to replenish our drinks and I introduced Zack to Pongwe’s scrumptious cocktail snacks of hot-spiced nuts and fat green and black olives with garlic. It was a lovely to feel so knowledgeable about Zanzibar as I entertained Zack with some of my adventures so far.
A typically serene Pongwe sunrise
Zack is a keen fisherman and diver and I do neither so we agreed to do both during his stay. I wanted to make sure Zack had a welcome feast to remember so I ordered us the seafood platter which is big enough to share and served by candlelight on the beach. Really fresh fish is hard to come by in Prague so I knew it would be a big treat. We gorged ourselves on lobster, shrimp, prawns and crab claws all washed down with a light South African white and forced ourselves to call it a night after several nightcaps and Zack’s third defeat at backgammon.
I woke up without a hangover (I haven’t had one since living here) but with fishing on my mind. I knew Zack was itching to try big game fishing but I knew my sea legs wouldn’t be up for it. I conferred with the front desk team and we came up with a win-win solution for a boy-girl dream day out. Zack would spend a morning game fishing with Ali, who is something of a local celebrity fisherman here, and I would get the chance to be pampered beyond my wildest dreams at a luxury Spa. Then we would meet for lunch at the Spa Hotel. Perfect!
The next day Zack had to meet Ali on the beach at 6.30am which is actually one of the most beautiful and serene times to be out there. The sun has just risen and apart from the Maasai guards at either end, there isn’t a soul in sight. I was woken briefly by the roar of the speedboat engine before dozing off again. My pick up time was not until 8pm. While Zack patrolled the deep waters beyond the coral reef looking for marlin, tuna, barracuda or kingfish, I had a lazy breakfast and hopped in a cab for a very bumpy ride to the Kempinski Hotel, further north up the coast. If the roads had been in better condition it would probably have taken us 20 minutes but instead it took us nearly an hour. The Kempinski Hotel is vast. It occupies a huge stretch of coast with landscaped gardens and concrete structures, restaurants, pools and villas. Not to my taste, far too impersonal, but the kind of minimalist design that lends itself perfectly to luxury spas. And that was what I had come for.
I was greeted at the reception by a Thai therapist (all the therapists are Thai) who led me down cool wide corridors to the Anantara Spa where I was seated in the fragrant reception, served ginger tea and offered a warm towel. It all looked and felt terribly luxurious. Very minimalist, ochre with touches of white and black, scattered flowers, carefully placed elegant volumes on massage, exclusive hotels, alternative therapies. I discussed my treatments with the manager and was led off to an exquisite, spacious suite with massage tables and a bathroom and outdoor shower. I was told to change into loose pyjamas before my 90minute Thai massage. During the massage I was able to lose myself completely while the therapist silently and expertly contorted my limbs, releasing both emotional and physical tension. Afterwards I took a shower outside, my bare feet on decking, high walls hiding me, a rectangle of sunny sky above warming me. Next the salt body scrub that made my skin feel softer than a baby’s and then downstairs for a manicure and pedicure and plenty more of that delicious ginger tea. Stunned to realise I had been in this sanctuary for almost three hours I settled my bill, which by London standards was pretty reasonable, and floated off to meet Zack at the hotel’s Jetty Bar.
He had been dropped off by Ali in the boat an hour ago and was stretched out on a lounger sunning himself with a beer. The jetty juts out 150m over the reef so it was quite a trek to get there. Impressive, but all too vast for me. Zack was waiting for me with an expectant smile. “You look great,” he said waiting for me to ask The Question. So I settled down on a lounger next to him, ordered a drink and asked for the whole story. He proudly told me how he had caught a huge king fish which the bar staff were keeping in the fridge for him. “I caught us supper for tonight,” were the last words I remember Zack saying before I dozed off after my tough morning at the Spa. My nap didn’t last too long and we did manage to have some lunch at the Pool Bar before taking the bumpy taxi ride back to Pongwe. Everyone was very impressed with Zack’s catch and the king fish steaks the chef cooked for us that evening melted in our mouths like butter.
Zack
I will leave you with an interesting fact courtesy of Zack. Did you know that the shortest war ever was between Britain and Zanzibar and lasted 38 minutes? It began when the Sultan of Zanzibar died and his nephew Khalid bin Barghash took control. The British thought he might be in trouble and sent the navy in. Shelling began on August 27th, 1896; after Barghash’s fleet of one ship was sunk, he fled.