Zanzibar

[questa]

Have you noticed there seems to be a special relationship between this generation and their former colonial nationals? I would have thought Indonesians would resent Dutch tourists and Vietnamese the French but generally speaking, there seems to be an affection not obvious in other nationals.I was told that the French "understand us more" and the Dutch "have learned about us at school". Places like Sri Lanka had so many different nations colonizing it so maybe they have not formed this bond?

[onlyMark]

So, the House of Wonders, built in 1883 as a palace and official reception hall, was called so because it was the first building to have electricity and an elevator.
It has gone through times as government offices, a school and now a museum.
The museum, though very basic, is worth an hour to least get out of the sun. I took a few photos but they are not too good and actually there was little to photograph anyway.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Wonders

The main area is filled with a reproduction of a traditional boat called a mtepe. It was made with wooden pegs and rope sewn through it. Designed to be flexible it was eventually superceded by European designed rigid alternatives.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mtepe

Inside -










I had one of these in the UK in my late teens. A Ford Zephyr with bench seats up front and no seat belts. Good for whipping round a tight left hand bend and getting the girlfriend to slide up to you for a cuddle –






The upstairs unfortunately, was closed –



This sea front area was the site of the shortest recorded war in history.
It involved the death of one Sultan and the argument over who was to succeed him. The British favoured one person whereas another had already plonked himself down in the palace.
We didn't like that at all. Not one bit. It was apparently in breach of an agreement between the British and the old Sultan. We had the power to authorise the successor. The bloke who stepped up and occupied the palace wasn't him.
So using our Royal Navy we shelled the crap out of the palaces along the waterfront, including the harem.
Between half an hour and 45 minutes later we stopped because the usurper had fled to the German Consulate.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Zanzibar_War


We exited the museum and carried on –

[onlyMark]

Old building material –




Snake skins anyone? –




Still on –






























Nope, don't really know. I am one for street food but this looks like it's been there all day. A few samosas on the top left, battered banana on the right, various breads and some sugar coated dough bottom middle -




Charcoal seller. A small plastic container would be enough for lunch and dinner. Don't know how much that would be, didn't ask, but as regards charcoal, which is the fuel of choice to cook on, where does it come from on a small island? Another thing to remind me of later –




A side alley and probably praying to Mecca – though the camel looks all in –

[onlyMark]

If your Swahili is any good you can catch the headlines. Which apart from bail being a blessing for criminals, escapes me –




Then I came across one of the highlights of the trip. Sod the history and the beaches, the sea food and the climate, give me an old car any time.
A special one though. This model, an Austin A30 or A35 holds good memories for me –




When I was a small child my father had one, a usually coloured black one, from when I was about 3 years old to about 9 years old. His second car in the UK. Cruising speed was 40mph, but only if me and my brother and with the grandparents stuffed in the back weren't there. Heater was an option.

Our intention was to go to this place -




But I hesitated and had a look back. After all, the history of Zanzibar and slavery pales into comparison with one of my favourite cars of all time –



Needless to say I was dragged away, and gladly so really, the Slavery museum is excellent.
Unfortunately, only excellent if you can read English well. There was maybe one or two small displays of items but 99% of it was just information boards.
The history of Zanzibar, its connection with slavery, being ruled by Oman and everything else is long, complicated and convoluted. I would do little justice to it by giving just an overview here. Never mind it being used as a base for numerous expeditions by explorers to the heart of the continent during the "Scramble for Africa" and before.
From when slavery was deemed illegal by the British government in 1833 and its continuation by those such as a colourful character, Tippu Tip and other nations, well, far too complex for a short report like this.
If interested it is better to scan though the pages following –

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Zanzibar
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tippu_Tip


During our wanderings and meanderings, heading generally in one direction, but not always, just on the road cutting across the rear of Stone Town is a market area -

[onlyMark]

I will say it, even if you know it, but the stench was quite overpowering. So much so that two of my party declined to enter and walked past at a great clip to get some fresh air. I, being your intrepid reporter, braved the miasma for no lesser reason that no trip report is complete without shots of a local market. For Pete's sake, don't ask me to identify the fish. I know some of them and fresh, they would all taste fine. One photo though is of some small alien creatures with red noses –
























I came out into the vegetable/fruit market. I didn't realise I could hold my breath that long. And close by was the meat market. The photos are a bit blurry, sorry, but actually I was shouted at a couple of times to stop taking photos –


















I must admit, I like this next shot. Somewhat surreal –




Last part –




And then we have to story of Zanzibar and spices, especially cloves. Jeez, that's a whole 'nother story for a different time maybe –

[onlyMark]

Imagine it's 1964. You've just led a revolution in Zanzibar. The last Sultan has fled along with a large number of Arabic and Indian landowners. It's a year after Britain granted Independence and you are the new leader of a Socialist government.
You believe for your people to be free they have to stop living in what you call "mud huts". So you have a plan. What you don't know is that only a small part of it will be completed and you will be assassinated eight years later whilst playing Bao, a game endemic to East Africa.
You need to have some new buildings for people to live in, so you contact your mates in the DDR (GDR, East Germany) for help. In 1968 they come en-masse, bringing loads of engineers, builders, the design and materials and build you -


















There are a series of these set out at a cross roads and are always full. It seems they are the best places to live on the outskirts of the city as they have (mostly) running water, sewage and electricity and the apartments are highly sought after.
One problem the President had though was he was hearing that the people who moved in initially were so unused to the facilities they were cooking on open fires on the balconies. It is said that sometimes at meal times he would prowl around the estate checking this. The outcome of, I have no idea.

Questa - Eventually, after much disappearing down alleys and following my nose, I arrived at the area of the docks. Most of it, as I expected, I wasn't allowed in to see. But I did skirt around it as best as I could.
The area is covered in dhows shipping mainly charcoal from the mainland of Tanzania (I knew I'd remember to mention charcoal once I saw the photos again). The 'stevadores' were working hard –






























The photos before were taken over a couple of days and we based ourselves at an old spice traders house, now done up to house four guest rooms and a restaurant. House of Spices it was/is called and the photos on their website do better justice than mine. However, this is the attempt. First the "view" from the restaurant terrace –














The door to our room –




Through the door and a bedroom to the left, straight on is the sitting area and through that is the bathroom –




Zanzibari bed. More in a minute –










The bed is of a traditional style and high off the ground. Usually the mattress is about of hip height or a bit higher. The wood is a tree called a mvule or mugavu. Both are similar to mahogany and are passed off as such but are a lot cheaper but with similar qualities.
The beds are similar to those found on most of the islands and coastal cities in East Africa, Lamu being some I've experienced as well. The frame is high to now include a mossie net, but originally was just for decoration or an awning over.
Anecdotes say the base is so high so that a servant/slave can sleep underneath. Why though, I have no idea.

The only problem I found with them was all hell would break loose in my mind if I rolled over in the night and felt I was about to fall off. Also the beds seemed to me to be a bit short even though I am only of average height. That is the only thing about me that is average though. I am well known to excel in most things, especially modesty.

Rather a lot posted today but I wanted to end Stone Town so we could move on to the coast.

[bjd]

This is great, Mark. After your pictures of the docks, I can imagine Questa frantically calling her travel agent to change the hotel.

And your photo of the building material reminds me that I read that Lamu (and I suppose Stone Town) were built of coral.

It's a shame that the spices on a "spice island" are sold wrapped in plastic.

[amboseli]

Yes, the coast! Can't wait.
From your pictures it looks like the scenery in Stone Town is very similar to that in other African cities (Dakar or parts of Nairobi and Mombasa, for instance). I like it.

[mossie]

What a dump, remind me never to consider going there, you deserve a medal for taking all the risks.
The old A30 reminded me that I was taught to drive in one. But I would like to see more of the Zephyr, and to hear about not just what happened on the front seat, the back seat tales would be much more interesting.

[onlyMark]

I was taught in a Singer Gazelle.
It didn't live up to its name.

Let's see if the next set of photos are more appealing to you.

[questa]

Oh, Mark! your docks photos are fantastic. From the T-shirt shop, the bus and burka lady to the tangle of boats and masts in the last picture you have captured the essence of why I am travelling well over 50 hours to get there. All that colour and life...I just love it.

[onlyMark]

The second photo in the port section, the one after the T shirts and the the one with bus "121" and the man in the yellow T shirt standing at the back of it - to the left is the port with the warehouses/market and to the right, set back a bit, is your hotel.

[bixaorellana]

The only two things I ever knew about Zanzibar were "slave port" and "spices". So interesting that Zanzibar does nothing to pretend its slaving history didn't exist and obviously still carries on selling spices. It still produces quite a lot of the worlds' spices, doesn't it?

Although early on you said something about it being hard to avoid catching tourist in your photos, it doesn't really seem to be overrun by tourists. And it certainly is not touristically "developed" for the 21st century. Many of your pictures looks as though they could have been taken decades ago.

Are those men on the beach in the last set of pictures starting to make a boat?

[questa]

It is perfect. I like being able to mix it with the locals. I can't cope with resorts and flunkies.


Ni vigumu kusubiri mpaka Septemba

[onlyMark]

Bixa, it's entirely possible it was the start but I feel it'd be more likely to be trimming something for a repair or a new bit. The wood looks as though it had been cut too thin to be the keel of something.
Zanzibar and the nearby Pemba island were once the world's biggest producer of cloves (instigated by an Omani Sultan to plant them). They now produce only %7 due to a number of reasons, not least being the Socialist government's mismanagement of the trade in the 60's and 70's.
It still now produces a lot of different spices but in terms of how much compared to other countries, it is relatively minimal.

As regards the tourists, I/we, do try to walk places where there are few or none, there is a picture of a Maasai sitting in front of a souvenir shop and the one with the Japanese restaurant sign - this is on the main shopping street where there are many shops and tourists, but we slipped through there a couple of times without stopping so as to get to the quieter areas. plus, if it was heavily populated, I tended to try and wait for a clear spot.

[onlyMark]

Questa, it's all Greek to me.

[questa]

It is Google translation into Swahili of "I can't wait until September" (I think I actually said 'it is hard to wait...')

[kerouac2]

I particularly like the series of market pictures, which definitely show why so much of the food (particularly the meat) is stewed for a long long time to make it safe.

Meanwhile some of those alleys in Stone Town are quite claustrophobic. It is hard to imagine times when people decided "this is wide enough for us to get through and I can't think of any reason that it should ever be any wider." Of course in Europe, there are some places like that, too...

[questa]

In Morocco I noticed that in the 'Old Towns'with their narrow lanes there was shade on the buildings nearly all day. The walls were mostly painted white to reflect light into the houses.

From a defensive point of view, any enemy would have to enter the maze in small groups and try to take the city on a lane by lane basis like we have seen in Aleppo and Palmyra in recent months.In a time before modern artillery the cities protected by a tight rabbit warren around them and good walls could hold off invaders better. The Dutch tried to take Yogyakarta in Indonesia after WW2 and failed when the tight narrow lanes and huge walls and doors defeated them.
Maybe this is the origin of the heavy doors in Zanzibar as well.

[kerouac2]

Oh, I understand the ideas about shade and defence, but I think this a more a case of retro-justification. I really don't think that it was a real factor of consideration when these cities were built. If it helped them to survive, so much the better.

[onlyMark]

This is Mohammed. Not the real one I'm sure you realise.
The transfer cost from the airport to our Stone Town place cost for the three of us in the one car, $10. That included several hours of waiting by the "meet and greet" service, i.e. Mohammed.
He then drove us across the island the day we left. The journey to our first stop of Kiwengwa (yes, I know you can't remember where it is but just scroll back up to the top to see the map again. Why do you think I put it there? For my own amusement? No, it was as a tool for you).
It took us about an hour and a quarter in an air con new(ish) minibus and cost $40 for the lot of us.




Now comes the relaxing bit. Doors will be a scant, but beaches, phew, more length than you can shake a stick at. On arrival we dropped off our bags and shot off to see what the beach was like.
Blindingly bright is all I can say. Sunglasses are a must. Look right, look left, look straight on and then back towards where the hotel beach front is, where we'll be spending an appropriate amount of time between meals and gentle walks back and forth. Plus swimming in the pool and sometimes in the sea –

[onlyMark]

Just as a note, the sea around the island is warm. Usually I'd estimate around 30C, or a degree or two less early morning. Where we stayed the sea sweeps out and in a long way. It can be difficult to get to it at low tide, hence when staying on the east coast you really need to have a hotel with a decent pool.

As we went along the beach you'll catch glimpses of kite surfers. The wind, at this time of year quite constant, was a thing for them and I admit it did help cool things down a bit.
You'll also see photos of the Maasai. Juxtaposed with women in bikinis and other things. They, like the wind, were a constant companion.
They are used mainly for security purposes along and around the beaches. What use they would actually be and how effective they are, I have no idea. All I can say is we saw no inkling of any problems at all wherever we were.

The Maasai are traditionally from southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are distinctive, graceful, proud warriors and are well known for their ceremonial "high jumps" and having a diet of raw meat, raw milk and raw cows blood. As their traditional nomadic lifestyle and lands have been eroded they have had to turn their hands to different things -






You will also note the supermarket and high class shopping areas adjacent to the beach –










Well, bugger me, I've had to journey for an hour, have king fish for lunch and a half hour walk up the beach. Time for a rest and siesta on the sun beds you saw earlier –



Just in front of me were a French family getting their daughter's hair braided (who you can't see) -

[onlyMark]

Also a game of impromptu football started up. You can see in the distance the reef cum sand bank with the slight breakers. At different times of the day, this is more or less where the sea went out to –




After duly resting, it was time for another walk. Up to the more busy areas half an hour or so away and then further on. We managed to get quite a way, stopping off here and there for a cold fresh fruit juice, but never quite got to the pier and hut at the end that you'll see.
The pool photo is not ours, but just a place we stopped off at. It appeared the area was a big Italian area. Our place had an Italian owner/chef who made some of the best food we had on the island.

Note – as expected really, vegetables are few and far between. Meat, fish, (good) pasta, rice and home made chips, never frozen, are the norm. Salads are sometimes available but not to be relied on as being so.
Drinks are cold but the ice, again as expected doesn't come from bottled water. Nevertheless, we always asked for it to usually raised eyebrows and a repetition that we really meant "ice" and not something else.

[bixaorellana]

After the pictures of the yucky waterfront earlier on, I was braced for you all to have a disappointing beach experience. Very happy to be so very wrong! That is a paradise beach and definitely not overrun with people. The Masai do look so out of place, out of time, but boy did they make for great photos.

[bjd]

There is a book called The White Masai by Corinne Hofmann, a Swiss woman who went on holiday to Kenya with her boyfriend and fell for a good-looking Masai working at a beach. She left her life in Switzerland and moved to his village. Things did not work out well, either there nor when they went to Switzerland -- cultural differences were just too great.

[onlyMark]

I apologise for some duplications in there as I walked up and back down the beach and things got mixed up. I thought I might have weeded them out but apparently not.

bjd, not read that book but I am aware of it and the story behind it. It would have taken quite some dedication for them not to have had problems.

[kerouac2]

I am not sure I would trust some of those homemade boats, even on a flat sea.

[onlyMark]

Luckily they don't seem to go out far. Just around the surf line to go fishing. I saw them tending to stick with a few hundred metres of the shore.

[onlyMark]

Don't know how it happened but a whole section was duplicated. I've deleted that now so sorry again.


Me and a mate had a "session" and built this from the empties. Impressive huh!?




Returning back –










One of the days we slipped on a boat for a snorkelling trip –









The daughter objected to having her photo taken –

[onlyMark]

I realise I didn't take any photos of our accommodation but we moved on a few days later to a place at Bwejuu (yes, look at the map if you want to. I won't hold it against you).
The new place was again a $40 ride away and just over an hour.

Here is where the problems started as regards accommodation and I made sure we ended them very quickly.
I had come prepared with emails and booking details as I expected something to happen. Bear with me.
The story is we booked a room for the two of us, me and Mrs M, but the room had a double bed and separately a single bed in another area. When we knew for sure the daughter was coming I told them we needed to use the extra bed for her and would pay the extra.
I was told we had been "upgraded" to a different room with a better view, but only had the double bed. But they could put a mattress on the floor for her.

Nope, said, I. I want the original room with the proper bed. We don't have it they said. Yes, you do, I said, it is the one I've booked.
It went on for a while like this with emails going back and forwards. They relented and said ok, you can have your original room back but the cost for the third person is the same as the original cost for the two of you. In effect the room price was doubled.
Their website said an extra bed was $50. I told them this and they said that is for the mattress in a double room. Nope, said I, that isn't what your website says at all. Neither on it or in the terms and conditions.
They relented and accepted what they called our "offer" for the room cost in total.

There was actually more to it than that but that was the meat of it.
So, we get to the hotel, to be met by "Joe", the customer services supervisor (or that's what he called himself). He is South African of Indian descent.
We go to check in and not only do we not have our proper booked room, we have the smaller double with a mattress and at a cost the same as the larger room we booked, and more than our "offer". They said they didn't have our room any more, they were fully booked.

I showed them all the emails I'd printed off with the back and forth – and funnily enough they had the same ones, I saw, attached to our booking behind the counter.
They said that the person I communicated with, a woman called Lindy, wasn't part of their hotel and had no authority to deal with us and in fact didn't work for them anymore.
They argued our booking and the price.

I was ready for dragging "Joe" over the counter and beating him to a pulp.
Then drowning him in the pool and throwing him to the lions.
After I'd taken him outside to be shot.
As usual though, Mrs M stepped in with her 'good cop' routine and smoothed the waters. I'm afraid to admit we use this from time to time whilst Mrs M says to someone to excuse me because I'm hot or cold, hungry, thirsty, tired, ill and especially because I need a toilet. I am short with people, brusque, demanding, uncompromising and she is all sweetness and light.

We ended up with what we booked, at the price previously agreed on.

The hotel was fine enough, the food was average though it did have a buffet breakfast which we didn't like so much but everything was freshly made and reasonably tasty. We ended up just having one lunch and a dinner there and ate at other places.
The pools were big for when the sea went out and it was well enough maintained and the rest of the staff friendly and good. Next time, if there is one, we'd book a smaller place for sure but over the New Year time options were somewhat restricted.

However, on the second day a group of sixteen to twenty turned up, aged about 25 to 45. One couple, we overheard being checked in, I think were those that had booked our room after the aborted move to a smaller one. We heard the apologies of Joe who then gave them a full board option to have all their meals as compensation. Maybe there was a different problem but we're not sure.
We did understand when this couple spoke together, or at least Mrs M did as their language was similar to one she spoke and they were quite happy about the full board thing and a different room.
However, put it this way, the group as a whole were out for a good raucous time, which is their right to do so as it was over New Year, but it became a little intrusive – especially as they had brought their own music which they played all day at the pool bar very loudly after taking over the hotel's sound system
Balkan rap and pop is not something I'm a fan of is probably the best thing I can say.