September 15-16, 2025 | Eat, Pray, Love: Africa Edition
By Day Five in Zanzibar, I finally accepted something about myself: I may want to be the kind of traveler who does all these non-stop fun excursions… but my body is not built for that kind of delusion. 😭 After that full day tour (spice farm + Prison Island + Stone Town), my legs were sore, my brain was full, and my spirit was requesting a break. So yes, you guess it, I took another rest day.
When “One More Excursion” Becomes “Absolutely Not” 🛌
I had this whole cave excursion saved on GetYourGuide — the kind that sounds fun when you’re planning from your couch. It was going to hit multiple caves and The Rock Restaurant. Really about to have me out there living my best “adventurous island girl” life. But when I woke up? I didn’t have it in me. Not one ounce. Not one sprinkle. Not one crumb of energy.
So I did the most responsible thing I could do: I stayed at the villa and fully committed to a pool day. I called my bestie back home to catch up on all the things. I swam a little, floated A LOT, and relaxed like it was my job. Because honestly… what’s the point of booking a private villa with a pool if you’re never there long enough to enjoy it?
By the time I looked up it was around 4:30pm, and I realized I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. So I went to the hotel restaurant and ordered kabobs with naan bread and a frozen piña colada. And bestie… it was so good. Like “yes, this is why we rest” good.
You Gotta Be Quicker Than That 🏃🏾♀️💨
After lunch I went for a beach stroll — but I purposely walked in the opposite direction this time because I was not interested in another run-in with that overly protective dog. I learned my lesson. 😅
The walk was actually really nice. I noticed construction happening nearby, probably resorts expanding or renovating for tourist season. I saw kids playing soccer right on the sand — laughing, shouting, fully in their element. And then I saw three dogs laid out in the sand, chilling like they owned beachfront property. They weren’t aggressive or bothered at all, but I still gave them plenty of space when I walked past because nobody needs a part 2 dog chase.
And then — of course — I spotted two Maasai men walking along the beach. I immediately tried to nonchalantly turn around like, “Oh wow! Look at that…” Y’all, my escape plan failed miserably. Of course they caught up to me, introduced themselves, and we were walking and talking and enjoying this beach walk together.
Their names were Mike and Peter, well those were the names they shared with me, and they were genuinely nice. They told me they’d been best friends for 20 years, and I’m not gonna lie — Peter looked like he was about 18. I was like… how? But okay.
They explained that during tourist season they come to Zanzibar to sell their handmade items along the beach, and when rainy season comes, they go back home near Kilimanjaro.
Mike told me they walk about 25 kilometers a day! Yeah thats almost ~16 miles, which immediately humbled me because I barely get in my 10k steps a day. 😅
Now when Mike started asking about where I was staying, who I was traveling with etc., as a solo female traveler, I never share those details, especially not the truth if I do share anything. I kept the conversation friendly, stayed aware of my surroundings, and made sure to purposefully walk past my resort during this beach stroll. Safety first, always.
Learning Maasai Culture on the Beach 🐄
We ended up talking about Maasai culture, and I loved that because I had just visited a Maasai village in Kenya. Mike shared that there are three different Maasai groups. He mentioned Irkisongo (Kisonko), Kuparapuyo (Purko/Irpurko), and Larussa (Ilarusa) in Arusha; and while there are differences in how each tribe dress, build their homes, and certain customs, they are all Maasai.
Of course I asked about the whole “living in the mountains for 3 years” and “killing a lion” as part of thier coming into manhood tradition because that’s what I had learned in Kenya. He told me he didn’t kill a lion, but they had to kill hyenas because they were attacking their sheep, and he even showed me the wooden club (rungu) used to do it.
After inquiring about my relationship status….
we got into the topic of marriage and dowries. Mike said when a man wants to marry a woman, he may pay around 25 cows depending on her beauty — and one cow costs about $350.
So…beauty is expensive and
“If you want quality, you have to pay for it.” – Hustle & Flow
And he acknowledged I would be on that expensive end. See what’s understood doesn’t need to be explained, he already knew! 💅🏾
He also mentioned that while men used to marry more than one wife, the newer generation is more open to having just one.
They also taught me their “happy happy” handshake — basically a dap with snapping the fingers combo.
Also because they meet tourists all the time from all over the world, they’ve picked up conversational words in tons of languages like English, Polish, French, Spanish, Italian, and Serbian, to name a few. That part honestly impressed me.
Eventually we parted ways, and I went back to my villa, relaxed, had my last dinner there and called it a night.
Day 6: Floating Breakfast 🥞 & Checkout Drama 💳
Day Six was my last day at Zan Orient Beach Hotel, and the manager gifted me a complimentary floating breakfast. It was beautiful and thoughtful… and also enough food to feed an entire family. It was literally every breakfast item on the menu! 😲 I don’t know who they thought was eating all that, but thank you. While I hate wasting food, I really appreciated the gesture.
Now… checkout is where things took a turn.
The hotel charged lunch, dinner, and the tour to the room, which is normal. So I expected to check out the way we do back home: tap my card, pay, leave.
Except when I tell you I tapped my credit card about five times and it kept saying “unable to process.” Meanwhile, each time I’m getting the alert: Approved. Approved. Approved.
So now I’m on the phone with the people down to the bank, and they’re like, “Ma’am it’s approved on our end. The merchant is declining it.”
So then the hotel suggested I go to the ATM and take out cash and I said absolutely not. I’m not doing a cash advance. I’m paying with my business card like I planned. Then I asked about an online payment link perhaps, apparently that wasn’t working at the time. Then they asked if I could do a bank transfer. With a credit card???
We were going in circles. At that point I was just like… puh-lease.
Long story short, after about an hour of unnecessary stress, they switched the bank on their end and magically my card went through.
Not surprised. Just irritated. 🙄
Famous Zanzibar Restaurant 🪨 + New Hotel 🏩
After all that, Mahad picked me up and drove me to my next hotel Antres Villas on the northeast side of the island — about an hour and some change away. On the way we stopped at The Rock Restaurant just for a quick photo op.
It’s that iconic restaurant surrounded by water, and because it was low tide, I was able to walk right up to it from the shore.
And yes — the Maasai men were there too. They’re everywhere. 😂 One of them helped me with my pictures and even rinsed my feet after. They really are kind and extremely present. 😂
Solitude May Be Chasing You, But The Maasai Men Will Always Be Faster 🧘🏾♀️
Once I got to the northeast side, the vibe was completely different — more resorts, more restaurants, more tourists. And that meant what class?…
More Maasai men hustling, more conversations, more “walk with you” energy.
And listen. They are sweet. But sometimes my social battery is on 2%.
I went down to the beach because I like to scope out my area wherever I’m staying. Plus who doesn’t love long walks on the beach. And wouldn’t you know it? Like clockwork, a Maasai man joined me on my walk. And he stayed with me for at least an hour ya’ll.
His name was Allelujah. And baby, he was committed to this conversation.
I mean he even sat down with me at a restaurant while I tried to order a fish sandwich. The restaurant didn’t have it, so I left… and somehow I left my sandals behind. 🤦🏾♀️
So I walked all the way back to get them…with Allelujah.
Someway, somehow, truly I don’t even remember, I managed to part ways before reaching my hotel. I stopped had dinner at the hotel’s beach restaurant, and went to sleep… because the next day was water excursions!
Wrap-Up 💜
Zanzibar really said ‘rest is part of the itinerary.’ Days 5 and 6 were soft but chaotic in the most relatable way. In between the rest days, beach strolls, cultural conversations, and checkout chaos. I was settling into Pole Pole + Hakuna Matata island life more and more everyday.
Up next: dolphins, snorkeling, sea walking… and a very unexpected flight situation. 😅 Stay tuned!
– CYA! ✌🏾
Leave a Reply