Zanzibar Throwback Post

So, this is out of order (from August) , but I never told you about the cool old wooden doors in Stonetown.  These are on the fronts of most businesses and hotels.  They're only decorative now, but the story is that they were to discourage elephants from ramming in the doors.

Also, here's one of the saddest things I've seen all year.  I think you know how I feel about snickers bars.  They have been a major part of my survival this year when almost all the other foods I like are hard to find.  This is a photo of a *dedicated snicker's refrigerator* in the Dar Airport waiting area cafe.  Imagine my excitement upon seeing it (from a distance) and then my disappointment when up close I learn it contains 2 bounty bars and nothing else. Letdown central.  

You can see me taking the photo in the reflection of the empty fridge. That's my look of total disgust.

They are not kidding about Zanzibar: Part 2

(Sorry for the delay.  This is from early August.  We have not had much power, therefore internet in the village for the past few weeks...)

I cannot tell you how gorgeous the beaches of Eastern Zanzibar are and these photos really do not do it any justice.  I wanted to stay forever.  I asked about buying a house.  

View from my breakfast table

View from my front porch.  Amazing.

You know I am always into the fauna.  These little guys were all over the place I was staying.  They are adorable.

The beach on the east coast was so beautiful. The water was warm and clear.  I went for a lot of great swims.  Running on the beach was fun too. The seafood was delicious and I ate spicy octopus soup every meal I could. 

The weirdest thing, for me, having mostly gone to the beach in North Carolina was the tides.  High tide and low tide on Zanzibar were about half a mile away.  So at high tide, the ocean came almost to the steps of the place I was staying.  At low tide, standing on those steps you cannot even see the ocean.  You can go walking out on these sandy mud flats with some small tide pools for ages, walking toward the sea.  There were lots of sand dollars, star fish and sea anemones in along the way.  This leads to some funny images, because bars and restaurants that are beach front at high tide, are in the middle of a muddy wasteland at low tide.

Boats resting waiting for the tide to come back to them.

selfie on  a windy beach

my view from my seat on the tiny plane i flew in back to dar

They are not kidding about Zanzibar

Part 1: Stonetown

Sorry.  This is cliche.  I was ready for Zanz to be touristy and not all that it's cracked up to be and it so exceeded my expectations.  Really beautiful.  Really nice.  Stonetown is cute and quaint and has tiny twisty roads and fun shops.  Immeasurable stray cats and weird tall rangy chickens. 

View from the Ferry on the way in from Dar

The view from my hotel rooftop in Stonetown.

The view from my hotel rooftop + me

There are 'ruins' like this everywhere in Stonetown

And lots and lots and lots of stray cats

I think I would really get a kick out of the Zanzibar Weightlifting Association

S.U.Z. - I am looking up if they have any master's programs that interest me.

weird tall chicken

I love this location.  Final slave market site in Africa, Restaurant, Youth Hostile, Beauty Salon and Art Gallery.  Oh and Anglican Cathedral. Just that.  That's all.

More stray cats. Everywhere.

Stonetown was a fun, walkable little town with lots of cafes, restaurants and shops.  Bill Clinton happened to be in town with the CGI while I was there and I ended up having a sundowner drink on a fancy hotel rooftop right next to Chelsea.  You can get there on a 2 hour ferry (air conditioned) from Dar that has pretty views, or you can take a tiny, tiny plane (more on that in the next post).

Most of the 'roads' in Stonetown are too narrow for a car to pass and wind around in a labyrinthine fashion.  I enjoyed playing hide-and-seek with myself, getting lost and then getting back to my hotel again.  As you plan your visit, you don't really need more than 2 days in Stonetown because you need to get to the beautiful beach! (See next post)