Zanzibar, Tanzania perhaps not the most exotic place we have visited but, definitely, it has the most exotic sounding name! Zanzibar is actually an archipelago off the coast of mainland Tanzania. Tomorrow, we'll be in Dar Es Salaam on the mainland.
Arriving in Zanzibar, about to dock, we can see the main park along the shore, a tourist looking hotel, some nice beach and a LOT of small fishing boats.
Getting off the ship we are welcomed by traditional Tanzanian dancers. Note that these musicians, unlike dancer musicians we've seen in earlier ports, include a horn.
Our tour for the day: Stone Town Tour. Stone Town was formally the capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate before Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined to become Tanzania. Because of its prominence in historical and artistic importance in east Africa, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.
Our first stop was at the City Market. Also known as the Sultan's Market, it is indeed a site to be seen. We went in through this entrance.
Just inside the entrance was the fish market portion of the market… hold your nose time!! Took lots of pictures but wanted to spare the viewers, besides, some of the not so good aromas might come in through the pictures! Here's one picture of octopus and squid ready for drawing and selling.
Next came the spice section. Groups of spices were packaged in different shaped baskets. Usually included spices were garlic powder, red curry, sesame, coriander, cinnamon, hot chile and a pinch of saffron. I suspected the saffron to actually be turmeric, purely because of the cost of the whole package, anywhere from $1 to $15 depending on one's bargaining skills!
A couple of the shops were selling exotic shells which had been carefully cleaned and polished.
Then came the fruit and vegetable stalls. This market is certainly a market for the locals!
More fruits and vegetables.
Anyone for peppers? Some of the hottest peppers in the world???
Most of the market didn't surprise me, however, seeing unwrapped loves of fresh bread sitting in the open for anyone to touch as they passed by certainly did. Other countries just don't have the same standards as we.
Next, we were off to the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral on the grounds where the former slave market stood. Zanzibar's Stone Town was host to one of the world's last open slave markets. It was run by Arab traders until the British shut it down in 1873. The people (slaves) were captured on the mainland and packed like sardines into dhows (a type of boat popular in the Arab world) and shipped to the island of Zanzibar.
At once touching and heart-wrenching, is the monument to the slaves. The statues are life-size, the chains are original going back to the mid-1800s.
Back on the bus, we headed to the Palace Museum. It was built in 1883 by the second Sultan of Zanzibar, it reflects the Omani influence in Zanzibar.
Looking through the main entrance, past the heavy doors to the little cannon to the stairs leading to the upper floors.
Some children, perhaps on a school outing, coming down from the upper floors.
The carved stonework is still in place, the once elegant mirror glass is certainly showing the effects of the seaside air. As you might guess, there is no air-conditioning!
Outside on the front porch, even the planters reflect the disrepair state the building is in.
Looking out through the gate, one used to be able to see the sea, however, now it is hidden behind a construction wall. It wasn't clear what is/was going on behind the wall!
Leaving the Palace Museum, we head out for a walking tour to Old Fort and the heart of Stone Town. We passed the House of Wonders (Belt-al-Ajab in Arabic) so called because when it was built in 1883, it had electricity, the first building in Zanzibar to do so and, it was the first building in East Africa to have an elevator. The building is currently closed because part of it collapsed and took some of the wrought iron pillars with it.
Arriving at Old Fort, also known as Arab Fort. It was built in the late 1600s by the Omanis to defend the island from the Portuguese.
As we go into the structure, we see a sign with a little more info that I'd not understood from the guide. The bottom half of the sign is in English!!
As mentioned on the sign, the amphitheater was added in the 1990s. The builders made sure it looked like it could have been there from the days when it was an active fort.
And, of course the obligatory shops!
"Hakuna Matata" is a Swahili phrase translated as "no worries". Yes, it is also the song from The Lion King! "Jamba" translates as "Hello".
The temperature was in the mid 90s, it felt like it was in the 100s so we decided to go back to the bus. We'd seen a quick exit to the Forodhani seafront park and knew the bus was parked near there. We let our guide know and headed to the shady park route back to the bus! Even though we're Floridians, we just don't handle the oppressive heat very well… probably 30-40 years ago, we'd have been fine!
The shade and the bay looked soon inviting!
In the park, we passed under the most magnificent golden raintree we'd ever seen. We have them in Florida but I'd never seen one this prolific.
Back on the bus, the guide informed us we still had some more time before we needed to be back to the ship. I guess he felt like he wouldn't be doing his job if he took us back a little early even though that's where most of us wanted to go. Did I mention how hot it was!?!!!
He took us to the shoreline where the fishing boats, mostly dhows come in to sell their catches. We knew we were close to our "home" when we saw it parked close by!
Buckets of sardines and crabs.
Fishermen cleaning their catches and price bargaining with the locals.
Ahhhh! Back in the nice cool air of the ship, I went up to the top deck and took photos of the fish market below, where we were just a few minutes earlier!
And a little closer look shows folks actually wading out to meet the boats. Even from the ship we could hear people shouting out prices back and forth!
That's it for the most exotic sounding name of any city we've ever visited. Being that civilization was established much later than in the areas around the Mediterranean, we saw no ancient ruins like we had seen in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Jordan. What a fascinating world we live in!
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