After leaving Kande Beach we stayed two more nights at another camp along Lake Malawi. It was lovely - we swam a lot, and just enjoyed our time on the beach, or bartering with local wood carvers for treasures we can't find back home. After that we crossed over into Tanzania, where the scenery changed dramatically yet again.
While Malawi was very green, Tanzania is incredibly lush - there are palms and banana trees EVERYWHERE. Also, we spent a few days driving around some incredible mountains - there's nothing like narrow, winding roads without guardrails to wake you up in the morning.
Our first night in Tanzania was spent at a camp in the mountains. We arrived just after sunset, but luckily we did not have to prepare our meal - they had a lovely restaurant on site where they made us dinner. (It was kind of like eating in a giant termite mound - the walls were clay, and the lighting was all via miner's lamp. Very rustic and unique.
The next day we got up at 4:30 a.m. - which was really 3:30 a.m. because we were still on Malawi time - and headed towards Dar es Salaam. Talk about a frantic city - the traffic was ridiculous. We had to take a short ferry to our camp which was on the beach, and we had to take the same ferry back out again the next day so we could catch another much bigger ferry bound for Zanzibar!
Zanzibar is 96% Muslim, and we arrived just past the halfway point of Ramadan. (Which for us just means no drinking or eating in the streets during daylight hours.) Because it is a conservative culture, I have to have my shoulders covered all the time when we're in the city - it's not a big deal, really, but I do feel for the women who are covered from head to toe given the heat (and this isn't even the hot season!). We spent our first day and a half in Stonetown, the capital and birthplace of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. What an interesting place! It's right on the water, but the inner city is filled with maze-like streets and alleys, all teaming with merchants, children, and things to see. We spent the first afternoon wandering in and out of the shops, admiring Masai paintings and jewellery and bartering for fabric and leather shoes (my leather flipfllops broke on our way over). It was fantastic! We had a lovely lunch on the beach and really enjoyed the sights and sounds.
In the evening we watched the sun set from the balcony of a posh hotel - not where we were staying - and then moved on to the spectacular outdoor fish markets for dinner. Every kind of fresh seafood you can imagine, all grilled right in front of you for a bargain price. We had lobster kabobs, red snapper, veggie samosas, salad, chips, drinks, etc., all for about 40,000 shillings ($24 USD). Not bad!
The next day we did two tours with a fantastic local guide before heading to the beach (where we are currently). The first was a tour about the history of the slave trade in East Africa. The slaves who were sold in Zanzibar were sent to the Middle East, where their experience differed somewhat from West African slaves taken to Europe/North America. For one thing, the men and women were kept completely separate - save for work - to ensure that no babies were born. This was to prevent the possibility of the slaves outnumbering the Arabs and taking over. At first the slaves were taken by boat in more humane conditions than those going to the west, but that soon ended, with as many as 609 people being packed into the hull of a ship which once took around 200. Additionally, before they were taken to auction (in what is now the main fish market building), East African slaves were kept in one of 15 dungeons for two days without food or water to test their fitness. All but 2 of those dungeons were destroyed by the Anglican Church after slavery was abolished, but we did have the opportunity to visit them while we were there. It's hard to put into words what that experience was like, really. The ceilings were so low that we were completely stooped over. There was a raised stone platform-like area where the slaves would have been chained - with irons around their necks - with no room to sit up or lie down. On the far side there were three very small slats cut into the stone to allow for air, but even with just 14 of us down there, it was very difficult to breathe after a few moments. In that particular dungeon there could be as many as 150 people chained at any one time. 150. (I'm actually getting very emotional while writing this.) One hundred and fifty human beings, who had done absolutely nothing wrong, taken from their families, beaten, starved, locked in a dungeon, and then sold to the highest bidder. What kind of humanity is that? How could anyone look at another human being and even conceive of the idea? It knocks the wind out of you if you really stop to think about what that might have been like.
We visited the place where the auctions took place afterwards. Today, as I mentioned, it is a thriving fish market, though there are also other types of meats and plenty of vegetables and spices being sold there. After leaving the wretched smell of the market behind, we embarked on a spice tour outside of the city. During the tour we got to walk around and pick different plants - lemongrass, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, lipstick flowers, etc., and have each one explained to us. Cinnamon is a fascinating plant - its roots smell exactly like Vick's Vaporub!
lychee, oranges, custard apples, jackfruit, and that really smelly fruit that's banned from public transport throughout Asia - it starts with a D but I can't recall the name...Anyway, it kind of tastes like creamed onions. Odd. We then watched one of the spice boys scale a 30 metre (or higher) coconut tree using only a small band around his feet for assistance. It was incredible! He cut down some fresh coconut for us to sample as well.
We wrapped up that portion of our day with a meal at a local family's home. They prepared rice & potatoes, a lovely coconut curry, a fantastic spinach dish, and fried fish, all using locally grown spices and produce. Our dessert was an incredible spread of fresh fruits - passionfruit, mango, pineapple and watermelon. They did a beautiful job. We sat on the floor in their empty living room and stuffed ourselves whilst they were fasting nearby. How terrible is that?!? But, we were told that since tourism has become such an important part of their economy, the people of Zanzibar have been learning more and more about the customs and beliefs of other cultures, so most people now understand why most visitors do not observe the fast. (Still, I felt bad - how torturous!)
After lunch we had a pleasant drive up the coast to our current accommodations, which are right on the beach. Lovely. We have a small cottage to ourselves which is a great luxury. It was a gorgeous morning, but now it's starting to RAIN!! Eek! (Thus why I'm on the net and not in the sun.) Hopefully it clears up so we can get some swimming in this aft!
Hope all is well. xox
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