Zanzibar

Day 8 of the trip – we are headed to the fabled land of Zanzibar! Tanzania turns out to be the name of the mainland, Tanganyika, combined with the islands of Zanzibar, and initials of Independent Association tacked on the end. They seem to operate separately – to get in to Zanzibar we had to show our passports and yellow fever certificates.
We had to take a crowded very early morning ferry across a channel, trying to get out of the way of vehicles also on board, then a van to a big modern ferry. I sat outside at the front watching another ferry unload with people carrying off random goods, including freezers (one freezer per guy, carried on his head and neck).
I stayed out on the front when we left port until a storm came up. We can expect a shower at least a couple of times a day since its the start of rainy season but usually nothing too serious.
In Stone Town, Zanzibar, we headed in through the narrow winding streets to find our hotel. This is a place as exotic as the name, it seems more like Morocco or India with calls to prayer echoing through the alleys, whitewashed buildings with studded wooden doors, and men wearing little fez type hats, like Pepe Le Pew in the cartoons. The air smells of spices – these are the Spice Islands. So we went on a spice tour, wandering through a forest of plants and trees used for spices and amazing teas – men use ginger and women nutmeg for comfortable times, according to our local guide.
I wandered the streets that no map can help you navigate to find the old slave market, which operated
for about 300 years until it was shut down and an Anglican church built on the site in the late 1800s. You could see the old slave quarters which were a dungeon with chains, and the site of the old whipping
post which is now inside the church. Slaves were whipped to weed out the weak from the strong. Its
estimated up to 50,000 slaves a year passed through here from eastern Africa to the middle east until
the market was closed with the help of the efforts of the famous David Livingstone.
That night we went to the crowded food market on the wharf where vendors are waiting to rip you off and dodgy boys are everywhere. Their trade seems to be mature white women but there aren’t that many of us around so I was very popular. In fact we seemed to be the only westerners in Stone Town.
The next morning we headed north on the main island to Kendwa, a beach resort. Here we need to watch out for Maasai gigolos who look for white women willing to pay for their services. I cant imagine – even with their striking height, colouring, robes and jewellery, these seem to be the homeliest of the many Maasai we have seen. I guess if you cant sell jewellery or herd goats you are sent off to hustle women.
A few of us went on a boat trip around the north tip of the island to a protected area where we snorkelled. Fish were amazing but coral not so much. The area is between the main island and a tiny exclusive island recently rented by Bill Gates. Back at our bungalows, had a great massage on the beach for $20 before happy hour and dinner. Service is incredibly bad here, it takes hours to get your food and your bill.
Back to Stone Town to catch the ferry back to mainland Tanzania, we had a little time to wander the town to see the sights including Mercury House, where Freddie Mercury of Queen was born. We were advised not to eat a lot before this afternoon ferry since the seas can be rough. They were. We went from the island with the smell of spices to the crowded ferry with the sounds and smells of spewing. Upon arrival in the rain we had to walk a long way with our bags to the shorter ferry across the channel, trying to avoid dodgy boys along the way.