Karibu Zanzibar!

Pole sana for the delay since the last post. Internet here can be very irregular, and I have been very busy with my classes in Research Methods, Ecology, Human Origins, and Kiswahili. It's been a while since I had to take more than one class at time... uffdah. But I went to Zanzibar last weekend!

To go to Zanzibar, you have to take a ferry out of Dar Es Salaam. We were on one of the faster ones, so it only took about 90 minutes. The ride gives you great views of the coast, and fog on the way there gave us a really eerie perspective of all the freighters hanging out away from the mainland, waiting for permission to dock from harbor control. Unfortunately, the light made some of it impossible to photograph.

We spent most of our time in Stone Town, Zanzibar's main port. Stone Town is perhaps best known for its architecture, which represents an eclectic mix of Arabic, Indian, and Swahili styles. Stone Town is not organized in neat grids. For a visitor, it is very confusing. Only a few major roads cut through and around the maze-like design of the city. I tried some creative shortcuts to get to a spice market, and wound up getting totally lost. Fortunately, the major roads are very easy to navigate, and even a totally confused mzungu can make his way back using them.

Zanzibar is famous for its ornate doors. There is great diversity in the elaborateness of the designs, but even some of the most modest dwellings have a distinct entranceway.

Mti mkubwa, or Big Tree. This 99-year old ficus is marked on most Stone Town maps, and is a great reference point for idiot tourists like me. I should admit up front that our weekend in Zanzibar was pretty touristy. But we work super hard the rest of the time, I promise :)

Most of the original Stone Town buildings are a couple hundred years old (or older). Beneath an outer layer of plaster, most of them look this. These buildings are literally made out of rocks.

The balcony of Emerson Spice Hotel, an especially swank joint that is still under construction, but looks fabulous.

The darajani (Bridge) Market. This is the main market in Stone Town, and people come here to buy produce, spices, meat, and especially fish.

Some octopus in the fish market section. It reeked like dead fish, but the atmosphere made up for the overpowering stench. People in Zanzibar eat a ton of fish. It's local, fresh, and delicious. Unfortunately, certain types of fish that are popular among tourists are sold at a premium that local residents cannot afford. Zanzibar's tourism sector is extremely developed, and it's great to be a guest there. However, the large demand from hotels and restaurants catering to tourists has inflated the cost of many types of fish and shellfish. Buying a small skewer of lobster or kingfish costs about TSH 4000, which is only US $2.67, but some Zanzibarians would be lucky to make that in a week. Regular joes are left with the fish that tourists don't want, which are affordable but monotonous. The fishermen themselves are also very poor, and only retain a fraction of the value of the fish they catch, usually because they are indebted to sponsors who have supplied them with nets or other equipment. These guys have guts. You can spot them as far as a mile or two off the coast, sailing in tiny one-man boats with only a paddle, let alone a sail or, god forbid, an engine.

A kanga featuring our beloved commander-in-chief. I've seen some great variations that say things like "elected by God" and so on.

A catholic church on the site of the former Zanzibar slave market. Before aggressive missionary action in the 19th century, Zanzibar was the hub of East African slave trading for several hundred years.

Another cool church.

Freddie Mercury's birthplace! He was born in this Zanzibar house before going to India for boarding school. Our tour guide some other native Swahili speakers usually refer to him as "Queen Freddie Mercury."

The national museum. It looks great, even though I believe it was almost totaled in a sea-to-shore bomdardment.

We had a wonderful tour of a Zanzibar spice farm. Zanzibar is renowned for its spices, and we got to see, smell and sometimes taste cardamom, lemongrass, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and many more. This is black pepper growing on a vine. I bit into it, and cried a little.

One of the spice farm employees climbed this huge tree to get us coconuts. He sang at us and kept yelling hakuna matata and karibu Zanzibar the whole time. He used a little rope to keep is ankles together and justed inched up the tree. From the top, he just hurled 'em down. Fun fact: more people are killed by falling coconuts than lightning.

A delicious meal served at the spice farm. On the plate, you see pilau, sweet and savory bananas, plantains, and cassava. Needless to say, it featured a lot of spice.

We made a brief trip to Jozani forest to see the Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey. They're adorable, and don't give a toss about people around them. You walk right up to them and hang out. Kind of like college squirrels.

Sunset from the coast in Stone Town.

Yours truly in front of what is, in my opinion, the coolest door in Zanzibar. The arched top is not typical; this is the door to a Hindu temple, and has more Indian influences (as well as Hindi engraving) than others. The grid of brass spikes is ornamental, but originally comes from doors designed to deter war elephants from smashing them in.

The Stone Town coast from the ferry going home to Dar. Baadaye.