Zanzibar Part I - Stonetown

A traditional Zanzibar door. Apparently the spikes on it came from the Indians who would adorn doors with them to keep elephants at bay.

Travel and the beach make many things whirlwind out of control; keeping up with blogposts is one of them. Oh, poor beach traveler, I know, I know, but as much as I ridicule bloggers, I find myself strangely attached to maintaining my blog up-to-date, pertinent, and hopefully moderately thoughtful (I mean, I could be filling you in on some of our wild-and-crazy nights of dancing and debauchery, but I'll save those for recounting in person).

From May 1st until the 8th I voyaged with five fellow travellers to Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. Arriving in Stonetown by ferry (instead of taking the short flight from Dar Es Salaam) was a brilliant decision - we were able to get a snapshot of the multitude of types of people making the trip to the renowned island, as well as able to take in the spectacular scenery, building caught between dilapidation and renovated modernity. Colonial influence and architecture inspired by Muslim, Indian, British and Zanzibari influences shaped it into a town unlike any other I've seen. Winding alleyways only several shoulder-spans wide open up onto small squares where men in fez-like hats sip hyper-caffeinated coffee (ask Jamie, he has a good story about that one...) and lounge shoeless, feet greyed by age and wearing open-toed shoes for too many years. Simultaneously, women in headscarves make chapati-like crepes or roast corn at the intersections of these alleyways, sometimes pausing to sit, to chat, or to observe these comparatively scantily-clad tourists. People zoom by on motorbikes (Vietnam-style) and regular bikes and I found myself pressed up against stone walls a number of times if not fearing for my life, then at least fearing for my toes. We got lost in the streets wandering and exploring. We hit up Forodani Gardens both nights, right on the water, alight all bright and fraylach (as Viv would say) and dined on cheap fish and seafood skewers from the ocean which we overlooked. Nutella and Elephant Banana crepes finished off the cornucopia.

Forodani Gardens

We ventured to the market, the freshest and brightest and biggest selection I've seen since SE Asia.

Heaven at the market...

Spices and scents assaulted the senses, as did colors of chitenges (the bright pieces of "African" cloth) and kangas (similar to chitenges) and kikoys (thicker, brightly colored multipurpose cloths). The Portuguese, the Arabs, the Indians and the Brits all found magic and some sort of home or refuge on Zanzibar, and with it's nearly perfect weather year-round, crystal blue waters, and ideal climate for sugarcane, fruit and spice growth, it's not hard to see why. Zanzibar is referred to as a spice island because so many different types of spices. We went on a comical spice tour (comical because our guide was a funky individual who mispronounced every other word) where they showed us how many of the spices grow: turmeric and ginger, peppercorns and cumin, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom...it was fascinating to see how many of my favourite spices come to be in the form with which I am familiar.

Decked in gear made from palm leaves on the spice tour

Fresh nutmeg

After two days in Stonetown we were ready for some beach-ing...Kendwa details are coming...