Jason has taken advantage of his rest period to send us a report and pictures of his Zanzibar experience:

Zanzibar - I had images of warm, balmy weather, perfect white beaches with exotic food, your basic beach holiday paradise. This trip was a warm up for my extended tour of Southeast Asia and Australasia. It appears that I am in good company for even Dr Livingstone used Zanzibar as a base from which to plan his explorations of the rest of Africa.

All arrivals step ashore in Stone Town, which is the heart of Zanzibar and also the most interesting place on the island. Around the port there is a colourful hubbub of people, all offering to find you a hotel or a tour, offer advice or present a myriad things for sale. I found these street touts a bit of a pain and discovered that they generally receive a commission payment from the hotel or tour company they are pushing. I therefore made it clear that they were not going to be paid by me as well! It is, however, useful to engage a guide because once you are in the care of a local, the others seem to leave you alone. It is a little like the informal parking attendant syndrome we experience at home.

Having settled in I walked about town, getting my bearings and trying to absorb the feel of Stone Town. "Stone Town" is a bit of a marketing label - the Zanzibari normally refer to it as "Zanzibar Town" or just "Town" as it?s the only one on the island. It's an interesting place, a warren of alleys flanked by houses standing between three and five storeys tall. Most of the houses seem to have some public function on the ground floor ? a mix of schools, mosques, shops and offices ? with accommodation above.

Walking about you always seem to find an interesting surprise. One night at about ten o?clock I came across a quadrangular courtyard ? in the centre was a flagpole alongside which was an incongruous television set, perched atop some tomato crates. About 25 people were gathered around watching a programme about dolphin training. Around another corner I found a bakery sharing the ground floor of a building with a mosque.

After exploring the town on foot I decided it was time to take to the road. The first five kilometres after I left Stone Town were a little frightening! The traffic consisted of some large trucks which crowd the roads and traffic rules are largely non-existent. Overall I found the approach to driving to be a little ?laissez-fair? to say the least ? traffic lights are treated as mere suggestions. However, the motorists are generally patient and cautious ? no doubt the care they take is born out of sheer self-preservation! Once I got into tune with the prevailing attitude things became easier ? it helped that the Zanzibari drive on the left as we do in South Africa.

About 10km from town the traffic had eased dramatically and I was in good company ? I found that bicycles are extensively used for transport ? even milk deliveries. Cycling through little villages which straddle the road I was greeted by hosts of exuberant children with cries of ?Jambo! Jambo!?. By the time I had finished I felt I had greeted ever person under the age of eight on the island! On the east coast the greeting is usually ?Ciao!?, this being a popular destination for Italian tourists.

A definite highlight for a hungry cyclist in Zanzibar is the food. I tried all sorts of tropical fruit, including the Jakfruit (fanasi in Swahili). This is a whole new taste experience that defies description. The eating process is not without its difficulties, however, I ended up with the plant kingdom?s version of ?superglue? all over my hands and mouth. No problem ? the vendor is always forthcoming with a solvent, sometimes palm oil and on occasion industrial hand cleaner!

My northern base was Kendwa Rocks, a sandy enclave of holiday resorts set around a village. The villagers hold daily soccer practice and I enjoyed joining in a couple of games, quite surprised at the quick, clean style of play. Soccer has a huge following in Tanzania and Zanzibar ? every village has a team. When it was discovered I was from South Africa most locals responded with ?Ah?Bafana Bafana!?. Not a day passed when I did not see a local proudly wearing a South African soccer jersey. Also in evidence were a goodly number of Super Eagles jerseys (the Nigerian national team) and a selection from Europe.

Even though Zanzibar is only about 105km long by 45km wide, the tourist spots are very localised and there is still plenty to explore in the backwoods. It is advisable to be well-prepared when you head off the beaten track, however. On one day ride I was unable to obtain any bottled water and had left my water purification tablets back at camp. After downing my fifth Coke I decided to risk the local clear, pleasant tasting water and paid the price with an upset stomach. Fortunately I only suffered for one grim day.

While visiting remote places my language skills became a bit stretched. The guidebook says that English and Swahili are spoken, mostly true in the towns and tourist spots. However, in the villages Swahili is the language of national identity and English not much prized. ?How long have been here? And you don't speak Swahili!?? incredulous locals would grill me. Even a few words of Swahili helped put me in the good graces of the friendly and accommodating people I met.

Zanzibar is excellent, flat, easy touring. There are about two hills on the whole island. The highest point is all of 153 metres. The weather is consistent, if a little too hot and humid for comfort. My cotton T-shirt was permanently clammy, but I had the saving grace of an airy, cool and dry Capestorm cycle top (thanks to Anna!). Top of my touring highlights was a beach cycling trip along the hard sand for 25km from Uroa to Matemwe. I was joined by a man who spoke only Swahili, but we rode together in companionable silence. Also excellent is the range of dirt tracks. I used a 1:100 000 map and my GPS (Global Positioning System - a highly accurate satellite based navigation system) to navigate some far-out 4WD only routes, knowing I wouldn?t get too lost. As it happened there were plenty of people to steer me back to the main roads anyhow.

The terminally web-connected will be pleased to know that Internet cafes are available in the main centres. In Dar Es Salaam especially they are of excellent quality and cheap.

Zanzibar is a superb tropical paradise getaway. Romantic, idyllic and a touch quaint. I?ll never forget walking in the full moon at Nungwi beach. It's the place of honeymoons.