Zanzibarrrrr

Wow - I can probably sit here and write for hours about our weekend excursion. Zanzibar was fabulous so I will just write as many details as I have time to include.

We started out on Friday morning at 6am to get on the ferry. The boat was really big and actually quite nice. It's about an 2 hour trip so by the time we got through immigration it was around 10. Although Zanzibar is technically the same country as the mainland which we all think of as Tanzania because of their history of independence, you have to go through immigration and bring your passport with you so I got another cool stamp!

We went out a hotel for lunch, the Pyramid Hotel in Stone Town, where we would stay for the second night in Zanzibar. We first went on the Spice Tour. Zanzibar has a rich history of trade because it is so rich in spices. We walked through just a few feet of the forest and there was tons of all these exotic spices all around us. I bought a basket of some spices to bring home and some natural perfume from the Langilang tree which we were told is used to make Channel No. 5. I bought a small bottle for about $2 so I think I got a pretty good deal. ;-) One of our tour guides climbed up a coconut tree and got us fresh coconuts to drink the milk and then they gave us purses and hats and jewelry made out of the leaves of the tree. There were little children all around who all tried to make the objects so we would give them money - it was really quite sad, but they were happy to see us and we took some pictures with them and made sure they at least had something from our tour group. Nonetheless, it was really interesting, but only the very beginning of our trip.

After that we got on our bus to go to the Eastern side of the island where we would stay for the night. We pulled into this small village and out of nowhere appeared our hotel which had on the side under it's name "This is really paradise" and I agree completely! We went swimming in the ocean as soon as we arrived and it really was clearer than the Caribbean. I can only hope my pictures will partially capture the beauty of this place. That night we had dinner and went to the nearby shady rhasta bar to listen to some African Rhasta guys play the drums. There were some interesting South African formerly British women hanging out with us and we got to have a beer with our professors. Lots of fun! Our rooms weren't quite the Ritz - a bit more hostel-esque conditions. 5 of us had one room with 5 beds all with different unmatching sheets. No running water and only one halogen light that blinked off and on while you were in the room, but it was only one night and it was survivable.

In the morning I woke up to go walk on the beach but was held up the first time by some beautiful little Zanzibarian girls. I was walking with my Ipod and my camera and they were certainly intrigued. I have Swahili music on my Ipod so here I was standing on the beach with about 10 little girls around my in Muslim clothing who were picking up sea shells (99% of the native Zanzibarian population is Muslim and the island was for a long-time ruled by Arabic governments, namely Oman). We all took pictures and they loved playing with my camera. I think I was there for at least two hours. They asked me for some candy, but I didn't have any so they asked for a pen. I went to get one and a few sheets of paper and they were ecstatic and at this point I think another 10 kids were around. They asked me to write my name and then theirs on the papers. I had so much fun just hanging out with them and now I know at least enough Swahili to talk to children!

After that I finally did make it out to the water which because of the tide going out had actually receded at least half of a mile. I took an extremely relaxing walk through the puddley sand and then got to the water. Local women were around farming seaweed which they sell (I haven't yet found out what they do with it) and I just stood in the water for nearly 20 minutes. It was completely peaceful and you really just feel like you are standing there in the middle of the Indian Ocean at the end of the world. There is nothing like it.

After a bit we got back on our bus to go to Stone Town. This is the main city in Zanzibar and the place of the past Omani government and later, the major port for the Slave Trade. We took a tour of the former slave auction sight and the slave chambers. It was really impactful and profound to be there. The city itself is just amazing and so alive with history. There are only a few big roads and the rest is all just little 3 foot wide spaces that exist between all the buildings. Good thing I can at least say "Where is the Pyramid Hotel?" in Swahili too. That afternoon we also toured the National Museum and had a look around. We went our for dinner and first listened to some local Zanzibarian music then we went to a rhasta bar. It is hilarious how many rhasta men there are on the small island of Zanzibar! Our Swahili professor came with us and he can certainly dance reggae.

The next day we got up to go snorkeling. Zanzibar is actually an archipelago of about 50 islands so we took a small boat out to Changuu island which used to be the site where they had the Zanzibarian prison. We took a tour of the old prison which is now a fabulous hotel and then we visited a turtle sanctuary. The turtles living there are huge, only second to the Galapagos, and are kept in the sanctuary to prevent their theft. I think I got some great pictures feeding them lettuce. =) After the tour we went back in the boat to go snorkeling. The water was fabulous and the fish and coral were so colorful and unique. I was so sad to have to leave Changuu island but we had to go back to do some shopping in the market and catch our afternoon ferry.

Back on Unguja (the local name for the main island usually just known as Zanzibar) we headed to the local market. I bought myself some Kangas (the local women wear Kangas which are super-comfortable and beautiful skirts) and a scarf. I walked with my friend Hannah who is here wish us from Colby university and we had a good time haggling with the vendors. They were all quite interested in how we knew swahili and we got a few questions regarding our marriage status and if we had children. Hannah said she had three kids in the hope she might get a lower price on the Zanzibarian soccer jerseys we were trying to get really cheap. I felt like people were starring at me the whole time and I think most of the men were. All of the local women wear the full hijab in accordance with Islam and many even wear the veil over their face so the t-shirt and ankle length kanga I had on were even a bit showy.

After some quick shopping we had to go back through immigration and get on the ferry. Since we took the late one in the afternoon we had to deal with some really rough waves and I think at least half of the people on the ferry had thrown up more than once. Thank god for my strong stomach, but even I was feeling queasy by the end! I literally had to step around children just sprawled on the deck of the boat laying in vomit. It wasn't a very pleasant end to the trip, but nonetheless, I would jump on the opportunity to visit Zanzibar again, but this time by plane.

I arrived back in Savei exhausted and had class again in the morning. Today we went to another local market in Dar and I did some more shopping. White people in this market is really rare so we got some good looks. You can't take any bags or wear flashy jewelry or it will get stolen, as was proved to us today. My friend Hannah was walking with just a tiny wallet in her hand and a thief grabbed it right from here. Hannah is pretty sharp and knew the Swahili word for thief (mwizi) so she started running and screaming after him and she got it back! I think first people were just amazed a mzungu knew swahili and was actually running for her wallet but then a bunch of people helped her and they were able to stop the man. It was quite the spectacle!

Anyway, I am still having a great time and I am almost wishing I didn't have to leave Dar to head to Mwanza for July, but I am sure it will have it's own adventures. We are heading to another beach next weekend and I am sure this week will be fun too. Happy Father's Day again Dad! And if Mrs. Rigol or Sarah is reading this, CONGRATULATIONS!

Love and miss you! (and I appologize for grammar mistakes or poor English, I don't have the time to proofread!)