Sunday, December 13th - Zanzibar City, Tanzania

I didn't get moving very early this morning.  My room was nice and dark and I was enjoying my sleep so didn't get over for breakfast until about 8 a.m.  Randy had already eaten about an hour before.  The sun doesn't seem to rise as early here as in Ethiopia and it sets later so I'm totally in favour of sleeping in a bit each day to match their time.  It is another hot humid day in Zanzibar and I guess I'd better just get used to it as this may be it for the next three weeks.  

We took the bus into old Stone Town and just started walking through the streets.  The city is a mix of various cultures: Indian, Arabian, European and it makes for some interesting contrasts as you walk the narrow winding streets.  Everything from the look of the buildings to the names on the stores to the food along the way seems varied.  Some of the wooden balconies were particularly fascinating  

The first tourist site we came across was the Former Slave Market.  Now the site of the  Anglican Christ Church Cathedral, this was the world's last open slave market.  It was stopped by the Sultan in 1873 after an appeal by Dr. Stanley Livingstone to the people of England.  The current church was built in 1874 and the high altar marks the location of the old whipping post.  Apparently the slaves all had to be whipped at the auction so the buyers could tell who was strong enough to be a good slave.  Those who suffered the whipping silently were considered the strongest and most valued.  Those who cried out when whipped were considered weak and sold cheaply or disposed of.    Outside the church there is a memorial to the slaves with five of them in a pit chained together with neck chains.

The church has just been renovated (2013 with money from EU and US) so it looks very new on the outside.  Only the top of the tower shows the old original building.  On the inside it is a very light coloured church with one centre aisle and side pillars.  There are dark woods at the front of the church and in the pews, and there are upside down pillars at the back of the church.  Apparently the man in charge of the building process was away the day they were installed and they went in upside down and couldn't be changed.   I'm sure not many people would notice.  I certainly would not have if the guide hadn't pointed it out.  

One of the high stained glass windows is in memory of Livingtone and others who helped to abolish slavery, and there is a separate cross in memory of Livingstone.  Apparently, although he is buried in England, his heard is still in Africa which was his wish.  There is also a memorial (perhaps a tombstone) to Edward Steere who bought many slaves and freed them.  He was a Bishop in the Anglican Church during the last years of slavery and the one who decided to build a church on the site when it closed.

The place where the slaves were held for several days prior to the weekly auction was less than six feet high when you were walking in the three foot trench through the middle of the concrete room.  The rest of the area is where the slaves were kept and it was only three to four feet high in places.  The whole room was cement and there were two small slits for windows at each end, the only ventilation in the place.  The trench was the only "toilet" for the slaves and it would fill up with sea water at high tide and then be cleaned out.  If a slave died in the room he was simply dumped in the trench and his body was washed out with the tide.  The men were on one side and the women and children on the other and they were all crammed in tightly - hundreds of them in such a small space.  They received no food or water while in holding.  Those who survived were considered the strongest of the lot and thus would make the best slaves, assuming they passed the test at the whipping post.

We eventually made it down to the shoreline and decided to have a break.  It started out with the thought of a coffee or something to drink and turned into lunch of kingfish which was delicious.  We sat right on the shore about six feet above the beach and watched the dhows (?) and ferries come and go.  The water is a beautiful blue and looks reasonably clean.  The sand is very light and looks nice but we never did go down.  There were a couple of fishermen in the area - one in the water fishing and one fishing from some rocks.  There is a floating restaurant just off shore in front of us and several people got in the boat to ferry them across to the restaurant.  Once there, some people went swimming.  

We didn't rush from there but instead took the time to linger over our meal and enjoy the scenery.  Besides, it was quite comfortable sitting in the shade enjoying the ocean breeze.  Eventually we went off exploring again, still following the shore line.    A bit further down the shore line. This section still had some old parts but it also had some new - mainly big fancy hotels (quite different from where we are staying).  From the shoreline we could now see the port so we knew we were getting close to the end of the walking and to some more sites.  The cannons at the water front were the first indication that we might be near the fort.  But first we went to the big white building with the high clock tower.  It turned out to be the National Museum but it was not open because apparently a part of it collapsed as it is in a really old building.  I think it was originally a palace or something similar and it is a huge building.

Then we went next door to the fort.  It is a brown stone which over the years has turned quite dark.  There are high walls all around and round watch towers in the corners and looks very much like a fort should look from the outside.  Unfortunately, not much has been preserved on the inside and its basically just small stores and shops.  The fort was built in 1699 by the Arabs from Oman after they expelled the Portuguese.  It was a garrison for years then a prison and then a railway terminal. It now seems to serve many purposes and it has an outdoor amphitheatre for special events.

At that point we decided we needed to sit again so we had a snack and a drink again down by the water, and watched the people come and go.  Young people, probably in secondary school, come up and talk to us because they have to practice their English.  It must be an assignment because some of them even take notes of what you say.  The younger children don't pay much attention to you.  Sometimes they stare at you as a if you're a strange beast but they don't speak to you and seem quite shy if you speak to them.  The boys who are a bit older like to shout out things like hello and how are you but they don't really know what to say if you respond to them  - except to smile or giggle with each other.

We probably sat at our little table in the shade by the edge of the promenade for at least two hours, maybe three.  It was quite relaxing and the people in charge of the cafe certainly didn't seem to mind.  In fact, if anyone came to bother us trying to sell something or just talk, the staff would come and move them on their way.  This was certainly appreciated at times but I think it made a couple of the Islamic High School girls in their burkas feel a bit embarrassed and that was too bad.  They were just practicing their English so I was okay talking to the one and Randy was talking to the other.  I don't know if they would have asked for something more in the end but obviously the staff thought they were bothering us so suddenly they were gone.

We finally decided to get up and do a bit more walking.  We continued down the waterfront and found the Palace Museum.  It closed at 6 and it was now 5 so we only had an hour before it closed but they said that should be enough time and indeed it was.  The palace belonged to the Sultan.  Zanzibar was once part of Oman and thus the Sultan was the head of state.  The Sultan decided Zanzibar was so important for trade that he made it his capital and built a palace here.

The palace had three floors that we were allowed to visit.  We only saw a bit of what was on each floor as much of it was closed.  It wasn't as grand as you might expect a Sultan's palace to be but it was still pretty nice.  The main floor was mainly exhibits, paintings and pictures telling the history of the place.  Emperor Franz Josef and his wife Sisi of the Hapsburgs Empire had presented the Sultan with very large framed pictures off each of them - how thoughtful - and they were on display.  The country at that time had many trade agreements with European countries.  There was even a large official picture of Queen Elizabeth II in one of the rooms - another gift but no picture of Prince Philip to go along with it. The second floor had a lot of large meeting rooms and a huge patio overlooking the water.  He definitely had a great view of the harbour.   The upper floor was mainly the living quarters for the Sultan and his family.  

The living room on the upper level was interesting.  You entered at the middle.  The left side was displayed as if decorated by the Sultan's first wife who preferred traditional decorations.  It was black whicker with red cushions to match the floor and black tables and stands. I quite liked that side.  The right side was decorated by the second wife who preferred more modern styles and had big cushioned couches and chairs in more of a pastel pink shade.  It might have been more comfortable to sit in but it looked pretty blasé compared to the other side.  

The dining room was just for the family so only had a table for eight   The kitchen was hidden away somewhere we couldn't see it.  There were two bedrooms.  One had a really large bed - more than king size so perhaps sultan size? - plus two separate seating areas that looked very comfortable.  The other bedroom was smaller but still had a big bed and lots of space for sitting and for storing .  The receiving room was long and large and had red plush cushions on the chairs and a fancier chair for the sultan

On the first floor was a bedroom of one of the sisters.  She was quite a character and ran off with a German man and seldom came back to see her family who kind of disowned her.   She wrote a book or two and seemed very well know

The centre has a high vaulted ceiling that goes from the ground floor to the third floor and beyond.  The interior was white wth columns and detailed lattice work on the banisters.  The door frames are a beautiful dark wood with graceful arches and fine details.  The whole place looked very nice.

We went to have happy hour and dinner at a floating restaurant.  It was going to be expensive by our usual standards of eating but it was right out over the water, gave us a good view of the shoreline in both directions and the boats in the harbour, and was a good vantage point for the sunset.  Well, it clouded over and we didn't even see the sun set, except to notice that it got a bit darker, and happy hour turned out only to be for cocktails so the wine and cider didn't count.  However, the meal was good.  We had calamari tempura for an appetizer and the catch of the day - marlin - for the main course.  It ended up costing us about $15 US each, which still wasn't too bad.

The entertainment at dinner time was also interesting.  All along the shoreline there is a cement breakwater and walkway.  During the late afternoon we suddenly saw young boys jumping into the water from the walkway.  They were always in groups and seemed to be having a really good time.  I, on the other hand, was always waiting for one of them to slip on the cement or trip on the low railing as they ran to the edge and up on to the railing and over the side.  When the first ones went over the edge we were both very surprised because we didn't think the water was deep enough but obviously it was.  Well, by 6 p.m. when we were going into the restaurant, the shoreline was packed with people and there were hundreds of them jumping into the water.  Now I had to worry about one of them jumping on to another one.  Sometimes they went in single file and sometimes whole groups of them seemed to jump at once.  Or once in a while people just got pushed in.  At other times there was someone directing traffic to ensure the people below were out of the way before the next runner took off and jumped.  To get out of the water there were a few sets of steps but most of them were just climbing up the breakwater wall.  How they managed to keep from hitting each other is beyond me but they seemed to be doing just fine.  It was actually fun to watch. A few of them would actually do front or back flips or twists in the air but many of them were more like belly flops.  I don't think we'll see any of them at the olympics any time soon.

After we left the restaurant and had to find our way back to the bus stop on the main road and that involved making our way through the narrow winding roads of Stone Town.  I have no idea whether Randy actually followed the path he had in mind or if he just kept going regardless of where he was but we did make it, the trip didn't take too long and we didn't have to do any backtracking.  Some of the streets or alleys were not very well lit but the pathway was pretty even so it was reasonably easy walking.  We passed a lot of people sitting outside small stores or the entrance to their homes and I'm sure they figured we were just two lost tourists as I don't think we were following the usual tourist route.  However, I did feel safe most of the time so that was good.  Only once did I wonder about the person following me but he went by quite quickly on the first opportunity he had to do so.  

Once back on the main road we walked back down to the market area we had been in last night, which was also the bus stop area, and we caught the 505 bus back to the hotel.  We had the name of the stop with us tonight and it was right outside our hotel.  It was easy for us and the bus driver but it certainly wasn't as much fun as the ride last night with everyone trying to help find our stop.  The bus driver might not have appreciated that trip but the rest of us were having fun.

We arrived back at the hotel, spent a few minutes talking to the security guard, got our keys and some cold water and went to our rooms to shower.  I cannot believe how wet I am all day long.  Even tonight on the bus ride home I was wet from head to toe.  Anyway, the shower is not great because there is very little pressure.  I have a tap about three feet high as well and it's easier to do most of the shower using that tap.  The shower head I have to hold as the holder for it is broken and the trickle of water that comes out is pretty pathetic.  I was going to wash my hair and it really needs it but decided I just couldn't do it under those circumstances.  I may have to find a salon somewhere to do it for me.

Anyway, by the time I got into the shower I was thinking the fan in my room might be acting up because it was making weird noises.  Then I figured out it wasn't the fan at all but rather a wind and rain storm outside.  It absolutely poured rain so we only beat it by about 15 minutes.  We would have been drenched immediately if we had been out in it.  It's supposed to rain almost every day so no doubt we will get caught at some point.  And maybe being wet from the rain would actually be better than being weat from sweating.  It would have to be cooler and more refreshing, that's for sure.

I did a bit of blogging as we still don't have any internet.  It says it's there but nothing works - very frustrating!  Hopefully it comes back soon because I really do have to book some flights and accommodation for January 2-9, and I have to book my flights to South Africa  sometime soon as well.  But for now all I can do is blog until I fall to sleep.  Probably reading some of these blogs puts others to sleep too!