Other images of Zanzibar

Zanzibar

We were supposed to fly to Zanzibar very early last Sunday morning (7.30am take off time). As I was exhausted during most part of my stay in Tanzania, I almost missed my trip to Zanzibar by sleeping through both my alarms … Fortunately, however, I managed to put clothes on and be ready in a few minutes and we arrived at the airport in time to catch our plane.

The flight itself (approximately ½ hour) was incredible, the plane was the tiniest I have ever seen (around 10 seats). We were not even asked to switch off our mobile phones so I left mine on and even exchanged some texts while flying! The view was fantastic – ocean and land, little islands and main land stretching underneath like in a fairy tale.

Our guide was a guy named Jackson who spoke almost perfect English and even told me a few words in Romanian, upon finding out that I am Romanian. He was an independent guide and did strike me as very knowledgeable.

A separate state within Tanzania, Zanzibar consists of two large islands, Unguja (Zanzibar Island) and Pemba, plus several smaller islets. Farming and fishing are the main occupations and most people live in small villages. Cloves are a major export, along with coconut products and other spices. The capital, and by far the largest settlement, is Zanzibar town on the west coast. The population is Muslim in its vast majority; the city having only two churches and over 100 mosques.

In 1840, Sultan Said of Oman relocated his capital in Muscat to Zanzibar. Many Omani Arabs settled on Zanzibar as rulers and landowners, forming an elite group, while Indian settlers formed a merchant class. The island became an Arab state, an important centre of regional politics, and the focus of booming slave trade. Britain had interests in Zanzibar throughout the 19th century; explorers such as Livingstone, Speke and Burton began their expeditions into the African interior from there. In 1890 Zanzibar became a British protectorate.

Zanzibar gained independence from Britain in 1963. In 1964, the sultan was overthrown in a revolution, and nearly all Arabs and Indians were expelled. Later the same year, Zanzibar and Tanganyika combined to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

The first place we were taken to was a small church and a square with a monument where the slaves used to be tied up and flogged in old times, to prove their solid constitution. The monument, made up of several statues in a hole in the ground, was evocative of those times when people were traded as mere commodities.

We were then taken to a local market which was quite an experience for me. I was feeling a bit queasy with exhaustion, sleep deprivation but the market experience almost made me faint. In a very narrow place, lots of people were gathered, traders and customers alike, all kind of fish and other sea food scattered on the ground, and on dirty counters, blood all over the place … I regretted the decision of going inside as soon as I set foot in there but it was already too late … The space was so limited, people dragging huge fish needed to make their way through, so you simply had to keep on moving. I took great pain in avoiding stepping into blood and taking lots of pictures at the same time. Luckily, Jackson spared us the meat section of the market … The rest of the market was interesting as we saw lots and lots of exotic fruits (red bananas was a first for me) and strange vegetables and spices.

We then had a pleasant stroll through Zanzibar’s old quarter, called Stone Town, which is a fascinating maze of narrow streets and alleyways, which lead the visitor past numerous old houses and mosques, ornate palaces, shops and bazaars. Many buildings in the Stone Town date from the 19th century slave boom. Houses reflect their builder’s wealth: Arab houses have plain outer walls and large front doors leading to an inner courtyard; Indian houses have a more open façade and large balconies decorated with railings and balustrades. A striking feature of many houses is the brass-studded doors with their elaborately carved frames. The size of a door and intricacy of its design was an indication of the owner’s wealth and status. The use of studs probably originated in Persia or India, where they helped prevent doors being knocked down by war-elephants. In Zanzibar, studs were purely decorative.

We had lunch in a luxurious restaurant right on the beach. The food was great and the view incredibly beautiful.

In the afternoon, we made a spice tour. This is an organised trip that practically all visitors to Zanzibar undertake. We visited a spice plantation and were shown various spices (incredible smells!!). The ground was extremely muddy and I basically ruined my beautiful Timberland walking shoes but it was well worth it!

A local boy kept manufacturing grass jewellery for us (bracelets, rings, necklaces) and even a kind of exotic bag in the form of a coconut!!

We gave hundreds of tips to everybody but it was all well deserved and I simply fell like giving as much as possible to help the people.

I returned in the evening to the hotel, tired, muddy and full of sweat but so happy and rich inside.

Mikumi National Park

I returned to Brussels on Friday after a long but uneventful flight. I spent a few hours in Heathrow, between flights which gave me some time to peruse the shops and then retreat to the business lounge for almost two hours. And now, finally, I am back home again.

I thought I would be glad to return – I am, indeed, glad but also a bit sad. I felt incredibly good in Tanzania and was sorry to leave.

I spent an incredible weekend there. Last Saturday we made a trip to Mikumi National Park and on Sunday we went to Zanzibar.

Mikumi is located about 200 miles West of Dar-Es-Salaam and about 70 miles from Morogoro on the Dar-Es-Salaam to Zambia highway. We had an early start – we left the hotel at 6am. Despite my continuous fatigue, I managed to stay awake for almost the entire journey to Mikumi. The scenery was breathtaking, the little villages on the side of the road so picturesque, the mountains astonishingly beautiful.

Once we paid the park fees we went in and found ourselves in paradise. We were extremely lucky; we managed to see lots of animals – elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, baboons, impalas, buffalos, elands, vultures, other beautiful birds. I felt so blessed and so lucky! I was especially impressed by a heard of elephants that crossed our way, with little baby elephants struggling to keep up with their parents :-) I also loved the tall giraffes, who made their way through the bush like pre-historic animals and very curious they were too ... Incredible images. Needless to say I took hundreds of pictures which I can hardly wait to download.

I should also mention the forest's smell and noises ... The smell of fresh vegetation and noises of millions little insects making their presence known to visitors ... Magnificent! I felt the need to get out of the car, stretch flat on the ground and lie there for hours on end, just listening ...

I think that nature and landscape have played the most important role in building my desire to go back to Tanzania for a holiday. It also partly explains my love for the country …

And I will go back soon, I know I will … Because nothing can ever compare to that. I am hooked!!!

In love with Tanzania

Today it's been a week since I landed in Dar-es-Salaam and it has become obvious to me that I have fallen in love with the country and the people here.

Tanzania is one of the East African countries which are not widely visited by tourists, even though its attractions are numerous and most enviable: within its borders lie Africa’s highest and fifth-highest mountains, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, Africa’s most famous national park and the world’s largest game reserve as well as portions of the three largest lakes on the continent (names like Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Dar-es-Salaam, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, etc. are famous). Tanzania is the Africa you have always dreamed about, especially in terms of wildlife.

We have been staying in Dar-es-Salaam which is the country’s largest city and most important Indian Ocean port, the commercial and social capital of Tanzania in all but name, with a population of around three million.

We arrived last Sunday, in the morning. We were picked up from the airport by a taxi driver hired by our hotel reception. We stay at the Holiday Inn and I am really impressed with the quality of their services as we have had all sorts of strange requests which were beautifully accommodated (we traded off breakfast for a take away lunch which has to be ready for us cruelly early in the morning when we leave for the office, we appeared at dinner one night with our laptops and insisted on chatting with friends online while eating, and other such strange arrangements). I have free wireless internet access in the room which, alone, would make me overlook some major downsides if, indeed, these existed.

Last Sunday, after resting in our rooms for a couple of hours, we were picked up by our host here and taken for a ride and a meal down town. The first contact with the city was made in a 4*4, off road car, which proved a great idea, especially given the unpaved and bumpy streets. Many streets in Dar are not actually paved and driving can prove really painful sometimes (literally speaking). The city is paralysed by often and bad electricity breakdowns and most people also have no running water. This is very bad and they are reduced to carrying water long distances.

Our main fear and concern here has been to stay away from mosquitoes at all times, but especially during early morning and evening hours, when the malarial ones attack. Or, rather, to keep them away from us :-) And I have quite succeeded – the hotel is safe and I always use a lot of repellent while in the office or outdoors.

People here are very kind and helpful. They always wear big smiles, would typically try to make some conversation with you if they master some English. The ones who do not speak English are shy and afraid of being asked questions and try to avoid us (in the office, for example) but, in doing so, they resemble big children and are so funny. They are also very polite, which we try to mirror by continuously repeating "sante sana" ("thank you very much", in Swahili) which sometimes becomes a bit ridiculous. I have learnt a few other words in Swahili, it's nice to practice with locals - it shows interest in their culture and makes them warm up to you.

Needless to say, most people are very poor, with no access to basic amenities. This makes me shudder with guilt, thinking about how lucky and spoilt I am. And suddenly things are put in perspective and I become ashamed of my “problems”. Is this good or bad?

Flying to Tanzania

Hurrah, I am going to Tanzania!! At last I will fulfil a life dream to see Africa! I will not even try to hide my excitement and eagerness at the thought that I am flying this afternoon!!! I’m flying British Airways through London and will arrive in Dar-es-Salaam on Sunday (very) early morning. It will be a long flight (one hour from Brussels to London and almost ten hours from London to Dar) but we are flying business so at least will have space to stretch our legs and even sleep, if we are lucky :-)

The preparations have been long and intricate, some of them quite unpleasant. I had to be vaccinated against several nasty diseases – diphtheria, polio, tetanus, yellow fever, hepatitis A. I am dead afraid of needles and I really had to pluck my courage to go to the travel institute and have these done. I will write shortly and in length about the trip to the institute and how we ended up consenting to be vaccinated – it is hilarious.

And, of course, malaria pills … I am taking Malarone – you start one day before the trip and continue one week after you return to your home country. Of course, taking the pills does not guarantee you won’t catch the disease :-) . I am actually a bit concerned about that as it’s the rainy season now in Tanzania and the risk of malaria is very high, especially on the coast, where we will be based.

I am writing this literally in the last minute – my suitcase is (nearly) packed and I am trying to concentrate (hard) and determine if I have taken everything. Including my camera, of course, and the three memory cards that I bought yesterday and the rechargeable batteries (my camera is a Canon Power Shot and I was advised to use rechargeable batteries instead of alkaline ones).

Yes, everything seems to be in order … I am in a hurry to finish this and post it … Taxi will be here in exactly half an hour.

I promise to give a detailed account of everything! And lots of pictures!

Have a fabulous weekend!

A Girl's Treat

Speaking with one of my male acquaintances the other day, I realised once again that men and women are different in many respects. He said he goes shopping when his fridge is empty! I go shopping just about all the time and mostly for very different things, food being definitely one of the lowest priorities on my list.

I have an irresistible attraction to shoes and clothes (of the expensive sort, of course). I shop whenever there is a real need for new things (these instances, however, have become more and more rare lately) but, especially, whenever I feel under the weather. And this certainly happens more often than once in a blue moon.

Yesterday I went out with the main objective of buying a present for somebody’s birthday and ended up with half a dozen books and a new bag for myself. Additionally, I received some belated presents for my birthday (which I love and am very thankful for) – a pair of nice Victoria Secret slippers and a pair of beautiful earrings … Mmmm … Thank you!!

I had a very enjoyable lunch with one of my friends in a French restaurant and, later, both of us met other two friends for drinks and a chat. Needless to say, we had a lovely time :-). Afterwards, back in my flat, I enjoyed a night of absolutely nothing, lying comfortably on my couch and watching some movies.

Midway through what appeared to be an agreeable weekend, I got to thinking about relationships and differences between men and women. Are we vainer than men? Are we shallower? Are these clichés all true? Do men have equivalents of our shoes and perfumes and expensive jewellery?

Shopping might be the cure of a blue weekend afternoon but I am well aware of the fact that I could nicely do without it, in case this was really needed. I also know that it takes more than an expensive pair of shoes and a matching bag to solve the real problems.

Some day I will go back ...