Joanne in Mombasa, Kenya: Zanzibar Days 1 & 2

Zanzibar day 1

We got up this morning, packed and almost ready to go. Just a shower and breakfast before the taxi arrived at 8:30. Except it wasn’t a taxi, it was Raz the sexy driver in his van. He got us to the airport in plenty of time for our 10:50 departure time. We had over an hour to wait but, I assume because it is Sunday, none of the gift shops were open. So we just sat there and stared at the religious show on the tv.

Flight was uneventful but oddly full of Air Italia crew. I always enjoy looking down from the airplane as I fly onto a tropical island. The water is always so beautiful. Then, once we landed, things started to go awry for me. We made it through immigration fine. Paid our $50 US each for our Tanzanian visas. Showed our Yellow Fever vaccination cards. All fine. But I needed some money. I was directed to a Barclay’s ATM. So far so good. But, strange as this may seem, I don’t know my PIN as numbers, only as letters. And there were no letters on the PIN pad on the bank machine. So, long story short, the ATM ate my bank card.

I had to get Alina to look up the letters/numbers conversion and then use my VISA to take out a cash advance. That is going to cost. Now I have to call my bank and hope they can get me a card before I leave for Uganda. One problem, no one has an address in Mombasa. Anke is trying to contact a friend who has a street address who can likely receive it but she isn’t answering her phone so I wait.

The nice front desk man said I can use his phone if I give him some minutes. So I bought a card, but I don’t want to call until I have an address for them. Sigh.

But, no problem. I have my Visa money in hand. We took a cab from the airport to our hotel. We checked in and our room is small but clean and nice.

Juma the Desk Clerk

Our room - G02

We basically threw down our bags and headed out to explore the city. We didn’t really have a plan. Except even our non-plan was almost derailed. When we came out to the lobby, it started to rain. We were asking the desk clerk some questions and for a map when the downpour started. Buckets of rain.

This was our view as we waited
for the rain to stop

After about 10 minutes, it started to abate so we decided to risk it. We stepped out into the street and got pretty much soaked. We made it about 50 meters when we found a coffee shop. So we ducked in there. It was lovely. Only two tables, and nice décor. We both ordered a Zanzibar coffee which is basically chai coffee (cinnamon, pepper, cardamom) and we shared a piece of apple pie. The coffee was excellent. And the rain stopped as we were sitting enjoying our street level view. So, off we started again.

Our window seat

Our Zanzibar coffee and apple pie

Our hotel is near the water. There is a market on the outside edge of the touristy area, probably less than a kilometer from our room. I’m not quite sure how to describe Stone Town, Zanzibar. I guess beehive might be accurate. It is just a jumble of tight, narrow alleys, twisting every which way. We kept getting turned around. Thank goodness Alina has more sense of direction than I do (I know, normally that isn’t saying much but in this case, Alina is a natural).

Typical view as you
round a corner

It took us four hours to get to the market. But we weren’t trying really hard. We stopped in lots of shops and I bought a couple of things for Amy’s kids, some postcards and stamps.

Alina shopping

We came upon this curio shop that was a crazy amazing jumble of crap and treasures. We could have spent all day there. There were dozens of signs saying ‘no photos’. I ignored them all and took as many as I could get away with. I’m sure when I post them, they won’t do the store justice. I bought a sea glass and coral necklace, mostly to make Missy jealous (don’t worry, it isn’t your style).

I also found my painting for this trip. I love entering a touristy art shop with the same pictures as every other touristy art shop. But finding the one different one, the one that stands out. I found this little painting of the back of a Muslim woman in water colours. It has the coolest old mat that is all speckled and handmade-looking. And I got it for $5! I love it. The man who sold it to me told me when I got home I should put a proper ‘clean’ mat on it. No way, the mat is half the awesomeness.

Eventually, at 4pm, we realized we had better eat. One of the guys, Affa, at Al-Minar had recommended a restaurant somewhere closhish to the market. Amazingly, after we had given up on finding it, we stumbled across it. So we went in. We were the only women, let alone the only tourists. The food was local to say the least. I got ‘the chicken’ and Alina got ‘the mixed meat’. With rice and a chapatti each. For about $3. It was pretty tasty. The chapatti was spectacular.

One of these is 'mixed meat'

I should mention here that Zanzibar is crawling with cats. There are cats everywhere is various states of health. As we were eating our lunch, we had a few cats drop by for a word about ‘mixed meat’. I gave them my chicken bones which disappeared faster than you can say ‘meow mix’.

After lunch, we finally found the market (Darajani Market). Like lunch, this was not a tourist area. Stone town is so packed that we would find ourselves in what seemed to be the sketchiest part and then turn a corner to find souvenir shops. There weren’t too many tourists (well, white tourists) around. We usually had each shop to ourselves. But the market was a whole other matter. Maybe it was because it is Sunday, but it was huge and full of local goods, kitchen wear, underwear, ladies wear, footwear. We kind of got trapped in another warren of stalls. Eventually we made it out without incident or purchase. Across the street we found the spice market. There were a few whiteys there but not many. We are going on a spice tour tomorrow so I didn’t buy anything (and the coffee was way too expensive).

The market

We headed back to the hotel and managed to find it due to Alina’s keen sense of direction. I was zero help. A bit of a rest and then we headed out to the Forodhani Gardens which is where dozens of food stalls set up each night. It was full of locals with many tourists. But not as many as I had assumed. I wonder if Tanzania is hurting for tourists like Kenya.

The night food market

We wandered around for a while and decided on a Zanzibar pizza. I had Nutella and banana, Alina had the same with ginger added. Again, I am at a loss for a decent description. It is a thin disk of dough, smeared with Nutella and banana, then topped with a smaller disk of dough, then the first disk is folded over the smaller disk and then the whole thing is put on a hot plate until it is crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. I’m sure you can imagine how good it was. Lots more cats prowling around but we didn’t have any meat for them this time.

Our pizza under construction

Pizzas frying to delicious
crispy gooeiness

A quick night time look at the House of Wonders and the Old Fort. I think they are both closed but I am sure I will get daytime pictures eventually. Now we are tucked in bed. We have mosquito nets but I have a mosquito in here with me so that should go badly by morning.

Some photos of doors. Zanzibar is famous for their carved wooden doors.

Bonus kittens

Zanzibar Day 2

Well, this day started innocently enough and may have ended with me and Alina on a double date with a 50 and 70 year old Indian men.

Alina and I had booked the Spice Tour for the morning so we had a 9am pick up. We had our free breakfast on the nice rooftop restaurant. Then we went downstairs to wait for our van. Which promptly arrived at 9:20. So we had some time to talk to an Indian family staying in our hotel (I’m not sure if Indian is accurate. They were born in Uganda, kicked out by Adi Amin, settled in Britain and Sweden but still maintain homes in Bombay – so you decide). The conversation was pleasant and benign about how to get to the market.

The Spice Tour itself was pretty basic. I have taken a similar tour before in Goa. But the interesting part of this one was the guide’s assistant. He kept arriving out of the trees to give us flower accessories. First it was leaf cups with flower decorations so we could carry our ‘samples’. Then it was flower glasses, fortunately, these didn’t stay on so we didn’t have to keep wearing them. Followed by flower necklaces, bracelets, rings, purses and finally crowns. It was like a tropical Claire’s store had thrown up on us.

Our 'tour assistant' making our crowns

Made even more gorgeous, if possible, by her
resplendent crown!

We had fun AND coconuts!

Then we got samples of various fruits they grow on the farm. Including red bananas, which I remember were so delicious in Africa last time. These weren’t as noteworthy but still good. The pineapple was amazing though. Then we were hussled into the spice store (hut). The prices were high but the pressure was strong so we bought a few things. Back to the hotel, draped in our decorations which we gave to the staff. The house keeper seemed especially pleased, more so than the desk guy.

As we were disflowering, the Indian family (I should also mention we have never exchanged names with these people) arrived and they had also been on the spice tour. More pleasantries. By this time, I finally had all of the info I needed to call the bank and get a new ATM card. That took forever, including one dead phone and a dash to the store for more ‘minutes’. But, in the end, the bank is sending me a new card to Anke’s friend’s house. (I had to change my official address with them so this poor woman is going to be receiving Bank mail for me for the rest of her life).

Then Alina and I went on our way to late lunch at the Silk Route, an Indian Restaurant. It was fine. Nice ambiance and view. Ok food, good pakoras.

Back to the hotel where at some point we had acquired Affan, the hotel ‘customer relations expert’ who was in fact a kid who will go and get you stuff. Alina had seen a scarf in a very expensive shop called Memories of Zanzibar. Affan assured us he knew where to find the same scarf at a cheaper shop. So he took us through the maze that is Stone Town to a shop that did not have even remotely similar scarves. So then we made him take us back to the original store. Then we got him to carry our bag back to the hotel while we went to the ‘gardens’ (food stall area) to watch the sunset and have a snack.

Alina in her huge scarf, ready for Canadian winter

We also went into the Old Fort. There are shops and a restaurant in there and we wanted a beer. There is also an ampitheatre with a stage. On the stage was a group of young men who were 'exercising'. Actually, what there were doing was dancing and acrobatics. We asked if they were some sort of troop or act and if they were practicing. But they said no, just exercising.

Whatcha doin'? Oh nothing, just balancing a
human on my head

We were less impressed with this
once we saw the head balancing trick,
but these guys were strong!

Bonus kitten on the ampitheatre stairs

Back to the hotel. We didn’t have any idea what to do in the evening in Zanzibar. Affan was no help. When the Indian family appeared and said they were going to get some cassava, do we want to come. So we went. They ordered roasted cassava from a food stall and then passed pieces around. I ended up with hugest piece, which, I then discovered, tastes and worse, feels, just like potato. I could not get rid of that giant piece of cassava. I ate some, I tried to give it to Alina, she took it to my relief and then handed it back. Eventually when no one was looking, I threw that last bit in the ocean.

Then the Indian ladies left to walk around and never came back. It was just me, Alina and the two men, aged 50 and 70. We headed out of the food area and somehow ended up at a tourist bar. I was pretty ready to abandon the men right then and there but instead I went to the bathroom. By the time I returned, a table had been found and beer had been ordered. So, there we were on maybe the awkwardest double date ever or just having a pleasant evening with two fellow travellers. Either way, eventually we got back to the hotel, innocence intact. For some reason, likely because it was already weird enough, I didn't take any pictures of this.

Two notes:
Alina is an excellent traveling companion.

My computer and Blogspot are both causing me grief so there may be fewer pictures in future blogs (or at least less formatted).

Despite that, here are some Zanzibar pictures.