Apr 14, 12:50 PM
Zaney for Zanzibar
After a full day in Dar es Salaam yesterday—touring the National Museum (small and slightly dillapitaded; a mosaic in honor of the US Embassy bombing in 1998), a walking tour of the state house, the botanical gardens, and a few other sites—we arrived in the Zanzibar, part of the Spice Islands, last night around 5:30pm. It was very exciting as we approached the islands on the ferry that we took from Dar es Salaam. As the boat approaches, you get a sense of this “other worldy” feeling, with dhow boats dotting the shore line, palm trees lining the coast, and buildings that seem to be from another century and continent. Although Zanzibar is technically a part of Tanzania, you must still go through immigration upon arrival. After doing this, Mark and I were surrounded by touts, begging us to let them to be the one to show us to our guest house. Annoying, but we didn’t let it ruin the experience.
The Warere Guest House, where we’re staying, is great. We hadn’t had a hot shower in two weeks, so just having that—in our room, no less—would have won us over. But even if our expectations were not lowered by recent experiences, this place would be great. It’s got a rooftop terrace, balcony, Zanzibari antiques, breakfast included, friendly staff, etc. And we’re getting three nights for less than one would pay for one night at the Motel 6 in Sheboygan. We’re going to go to other parts of Zanzibar as well, and we’ve decided to take the plane to Rwanda so we can spend a full 9 days on Zanzibar.
Last night was fascinating. About a five minute walk from our guest house, there is this place called the Forodhani Gardens, where locals set up their food stands and you can get a meal for roughly less than a dollar—chipsi (the local fries); kabobs; falafel; a thick naan bread that is so yummy; and the famous Zanzibar pizza, which is made in front of you on a huge skillet.
The pizza is dough crammed full of chopped vegetables, an egg, beef, mayonnaise, and if you like, a local version of ketchup. You can also get a dessert pizza with banana and chocolate syrup. We are going to try that one tonight. We washed it down with Coca Colas in glass bottles for less than about $.15 They taste so good in the cool glass bottle and they don’t include corn syrup like the kind in the US, so it’s real sugar and a great treat. Needless to say that while we’re in Stone Town, we’re going to be eating there every night. The tables are lit up by lanterns along the beach and you can choose to sit anywhere you like at the tables that are set out along the path. The only thing that kind of grosses me out is that stray cats come from everywhere, creeping around like scavengers for any pickings you don’t want.
After the Forodhani Gardens, we set back toward the Warere Town House and stopped into Mercury’s, a local bar. Freddie Mercury, of the band Queen, originally named Farrokh Bulsara, was born in Zanzibar. This bar, named after his nom de rock, is really groovy, right along the shoreline, lit by lanterns, with fabric encased in wood for the ceilings. Favorite songs by Queen, of course, fill the air, and it’s a great place to watch the night go by.