Between a rock and the deep blue sea

The azure waters of Zanzibar will have you fall in love with nature all over again, provided you don't get speared in the foot by a sea urchin

I can count the number oftimes I've awoken atdawn, without any assistance,on the fingers ofone hand. In most cases,it wasn't pleasant. Butthis time, from my beachfacingbedroom onMichamwi Beach, Zanzibar,has all the remarkable qualitiesI could ask for.

Zanzibar, a large islandoff the coast of Tanzania,derives its name fromthe term Zinj el-Bar,which was coinedby Arab tradersaround the thirdcentury. Itmeans Land OfThe Blacks.It's 6 am and myGreek-styled Spartanwhite room is flooded withthe first light of dawn.Drawing away the mosquitonets that enshroud the bed, Iwalk onto the porch of ourboutique villa. There, in themiddle of the beach, amidstthe incoming tide, is a monstrouslimestone rock. Itlooks so alien in its environment,almost as if someoneplanted it there. But that'snot all. Some enterprisingsoul has built a restaurantatop it. There's even treesgrowing on this thing; youcan see their roots reachingout, eager to meet the crabs,barnacles and corals below.

You can walk over to therock during low tide or havethe restaurant's boatmantake you there during hightide. Right now, at 6:15 am, asthe boat gently bobs up anddown in the glassy water, thesky's a dull grey-blue with asmattering of clouds. I pullout my camera hurriedly tocapture the moment whenthe sun breaches the surfaceof the Indian Ocean -- like adeoxygenated diver steadilymaking his ascent. I want toget closer to the action, butthe tide is high and walkinginto the water isn't a wisechoice.

Michamwi isn't your typicaltropical island beach. Theseabed, even in ankle-deepwater, is awash with deadcoral. A wrong footing couldend up giving you a nastycut. And may God help you ifyou accidentally step on atrepid sea urchin. As a localbeach boy puts it, "You stepon one and you won't be ableto stand up again."

Spherical and spiny, seaurchins are the porcupines ofcoral-land. These creatures,from the same family as seacucumbers and starfish, helpmaintain the coral reefs' delicateeco-system. But they'renot nice at all when concealedin seaweed or hiddenin cracks between rocks. Theblack sea urchins that populatethe beaches aroundZanzibar have spines thatcan reach up to a foot inlength. Even the nativeZanzibari people, who cultivateseaweed (that getsexported to China) in theshallow water, wade outwearing thick-soled shoes.

The angular rays of thesun now begin to hit thebeach's pristine white sandand highlight somethingpeculiar. Michamwi's 'sand'isn't actually sand -- it'smore like minute bits ofshells mixed with the occasionalgrain of sand. This isin stark contrast to, say, thesand on Matemwe Beachthat's further up north,which is so consistent thatyou'll have a hard time differentiatingit from corn flour.

As my camera zooms in onthe horizon, there's a splashin the distance. It's a schoolof dolphins, and one jumpsout of the water, disappearingjust as quickly.

A concierge from the villawalks up, saying "mambo",which is Swahili for "How'rethings?" If everything's cool,you reply, "Poa". He asks ifI'd like my glass of bungojuice right now. Bungo, afruit native to Tanzania,tastes like a mix of mango,pineapple and orange. It's anexcellent refresher, especiallyafter cycling on the beachunder the midday sun.Passion fruit with avocado isa good choice too, but bungogets first priority, if only forits novelty.

It's 6:30 am as I crawl backinto my bed. There's a lot instore: the rest of the tripincludes completing a scubadivingcourse; taking a tripwith Captain Kikoko into abog to see wader birds likeflamingos; visiting theancient but still habitedStone Town; and taking arelaxing swim in the muchsafer, turquoise waters ofPaje Beach.

But right now, it's time foranother nap.

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