Zanzibar

The Doors of Stone Town

We woke up at a painful 4:30 am to prepare for our drive to Dar es Salaam, aiming to beat its notorious traffic. Most of us slept for the first few hours on the road. When we awoke, the Usambara Mountains had given way to flatter and hotter land. Like, really hot. It made for a sweaty last day on the beast.

As we neared the coast, the towns along the road were distinctly Muslim, with mosques dotting the landscape and attire shifting to include hijabs and the like. Eventually our pace slowed down as we entered greater Dar es Salaam, but we made it to our beachside campground in record time, according to Victor, at around 3pm.

Dinner that evening was bittersweet for those of us ending our Intrepid trip in Zanzibar. It meant we had to say goodbye to Boniface and Emmanuel. Big hugs and big tips all around.

The next morning, we caught an early ferry for the two-hour ride to Zanzibar. The tide was easy that day (apparently the return trip is notoriously choppy) and were were greeted by a giant “KARIBOU ZANZIBAR” sign as we approached the harbor. Moving through the small Immigration line for the “Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar,” you begin to sense the island’s colorful history.

But there’s no better illustration of this than the unique doors of Stone Town.

A keen eye may discern the influence of Arab, Swahili and Indian cultures throughout Zanzibar’s capital city, although you really don’t need one to appreciate the unique flavor of this town. Studded doors, carved doors, blue doors, big doors, and almost exclusively wooden doors, are all set against white (or formally-white) plaster and usher you into the various stores, restaurants, and hotels. It’s a wonder Dr. Seuss never wrote a childrens’ book about these doors; just tooling around the winding streets of Stone Town to view them would offer a great experience — this, even despite the worst humidity I have ever experienced in my whole life.

One fun discovery was Mercury House, just a few meters from our rooms at the Shangani Hotel, a reminder that beloved Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was born in Stone Town in what was then the Sultanate of Zanzibar. The flat where he and his parents lived during his first several years of life rests in a fairly humble several-story building, which you can view for free. It’s not that much to see, really, but it’s a clear point of pride for the island and was appreciated by myself and the Aussies (I guess they have some redeeming qualities).

A few new members of the Intrepid tour that would continue on to Victoria Falls and Cape Town joined us in Stone Town, including an American named Minaxi, from Texas! I wish her all the luck and fortitude in the world as she takes my place as the lone American among the Aussies.

A group of us also went to dinner at an Indian restaurant, which was really good, where we helped Carol celebrate her birthday! Steve, of course, was bummed that it didn’t have pizza available 😉

Tangawizi Spice Farm

The next day, we took a tour of Tangawizi Spice Farm, off of Bububu road which sounds just as it looks, and is so named for the fact that an old railway used to run along it, whose trains used to make the sound “boo…boo…boo…”

Despite the unbelievable humidity and a brief monsoon, I really enjoyed our time there. It was great to see spices familiar and exotic in their full form — the fern-like leaves of the tamarind tree, the shoots that provide cardamom, or the vines that wrap around trees to produce pepper. They certainly make it a bit touristy — staff make intricate jewelry, crowns and ties out of the different flora, and one staff climbs up a palm tree singing a beautiful song. A little gimmicky, but a treat for ag nerds like myself.

The next day, we drove up to Kendwa on the northern coast of Zanzibar. This would be the very last leg of our trip as a group. The coast was breathtakingly gorgeous. In addition to beach time in the warm Indian Ocean waters, a group of us took advantage of the opportunity to go snorkeling and view some of the coral systems off neighboring islands. This was my first time snorkeling, but for veterans in our group, they assured me that this was some of the best coral viewing they’d ever enjoyed. So, I’ll consider myself lucky, despite my sunburnt backside. My skin has only recently stopped peeling.

So long, Africa!

Eventually, our time in Kendwa was up and we said our goodbyes to each other. I got to enjoy a few more days on Zanzibar, meeting up with some old college buddies: Keith and Rachel Hoffman. They live on an unbelievably gorgeous strip of the coast just barely north of Stone Town, which boasted some of the most gorgeous sunsets I’ve ever seen in my life.

Before completely becoming a bum that weekend, I took a quick day trip to Changuu, also known as Prison Island. Changuu’s main infrastructure — a prison — was established by the British but ended up only being used as a quarantine station for a brief period of time. Today, the main attraction is a growing group of giant tortoises that were gifted from the Seychelles, and a group of peacocks that live among them. I enjoyed a few minutes at the sanctuary before mobs of tourists flooded the island.

The real joy of the day was the 20-minute boat ride to and from the island. While most boats were named something funny or exotic (the Hakuna Matata, the Lovely Lady), mine was simply named Barbara. Thank you Barbara, for a lovely, leisurely ride.

The remainder of the weekend was spent being lazy with Keith and Rachel. I mean…I was really lazy. It felt like all the excitement and activity of the preceding month had finally caught up with me. I managed to make it outside for a meal and a swim in the mangrove waters that sat outside Keith & Rachel’s home. Keith, for what it’s worth, can cut up a mean pineapple! Tufts people: go visit them!

It was a bittersweet departure from Africa. The first month of my sabbatical delivered exciting, life-affirming connections, views and experiences. It was the type of travel that left me hungry for more, with every intention of returning to explore the continent more. As my plane meandered from Zanzibar, up along the East African coast and across the Gulf of Aden — views I never thought I’d see in my life — I felt fully intoxicated with the freedom of the road, and looking forward to the next month in southeast Asia.

Don’t Stop Me Now

It feels imperative to have a song in honor of Zanzibar’s late, great native son, Freddie Mercury:

And Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills & Nash, which was buzzing in my head while I was floating on Barbara. And because my boat guide and I basically communicated like this:

“If you smile at me, I will understand
‘Cause that is something
Everybody everywhere does in the same language…

And it’s a fair wind blowin’ warm
Out of the south over my shoulder
Guess I’ll set a course and go…”

~ Wooden Ships, CSN