After climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, I decided that
the best thing to do with my exhausted, battered body was to head south east to
the mystical island of Zanzibar for a couple of days of RNR. To get to
Zanzibar, one must catch a ferry from Tanzania's largest city, Dar es Salaam.
Dar es Salaam is, contrary to popular belief, NOT the capital of Tanzania. That
honor goes to the more centrally located Dodoma. There's not really a whole lot
to do in Dar es Salaam and while Nairobi has earned the nickname "Nairobbery",
Dar es has been dubbed "Da Slums". With that said, Salaam is nowhere near as
chaotic and claustrophobic as Nairobi, and many of its downtown parts have kept
their unique colonial charm.
Having spent so much of my childhood in
Oman, I've always been intrigued by Zanzibar. Until the 1960's, Zanzibar was
ruled by the Omani sultans for several centuries. Even though this rule
collapsed as Zanzibar formed the unified nation of Tanzania with mainland
Tanganyika, the Omanis left their traces on every corner. I must admit I got an
eerie sense of nostalgia roaming the streets of Stone Town, Zanzibar's main
tourist hub. There's Omani architecture everywhere; doors painted Omani style,
even the orange and white Omani taxis can be found. The most notable connection
however can be found with the people as men walk around wearing traditional
Omani hats and dishdashes all over Stone Town.
Stone Town is a charming
mellow place that comes alive at night. There's always stuff going on and
Zanzibar is a great place to have a night out - or a couple! I only spent a
couple of days there before moving on north to Kenya's Mombassa but it was
enough time to get a taste of the islands allure. Here are some of the photos I
got: |
Coming into Stone Town on the 2 hour ferry from Dar
es Salaam
Below: Forodhani square is the best place to eat out in
Zanzibar. There's an array of seafood barbeque stalls selling kebab skewers of
shark, crab, calamari, etc,, etc... usually for less than a dollar /
skewer. |
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