Our first stop was the Anglican Church which was built over the site of a former slave market around 1837. Its the oldest Anglican church in the Zanzibar Archipelago. The book said there wasn't much to see, so we dodged the entrance fee and instead just read about it on the sign, and thought somberly about what had occurred in this place before moseying along.
Our next stop was a food market. It was smaller and more confined than the ones we've been seeing recently, but it was fun to wander around the outdoor vendors, looking at and smelling the fresh fruit they were selling. The indoor part was MUCH more exciting (maybe too exciting?)
We first walked in and took a right into the fish market, where vendors were laying out their catches (we THINK they were supposed to be fresh), which included squid, octapus, tuna, and various smaller fishes, which were all being bled into a gutter on the floor in front of where the customers walked. Needless to say, the flies were quite thick around us...
Next we turned around and went into the meat market. The flies were positively swarming now (sanitary? I think not...) as we watched butchers literally hack apart recognizable parts of animals - cow and goat heads with the fur still on, for example - with axes. I think this experience is the closest I've ever come to being a vegetarian in my life (says Alicia). I think it was the flies that put me over the top.
Thankful for some fresh air, we made our way to the coast, and went into the Palace Museum, where we learned a bit about Zanzibar's history and how (and when) it became Muslim (8th century). Next, we walked to the Old Dispensary, where we saw a tiny craft market, and I learned how to play an East African game similar to Mancala called Bao while Karla looked on anf rooted for the guy selling them (who claimed to be the top champion in Zanzibar). It turns out that he was able to lose on purpose in record time. I guess he reallly knows the game (or how to sell them).
Next, we made our way over to the House of Wonders, which is a silly name (or so Alicia claims) for the National Museum, housed in another palace next door to the first museum. It was the first building on Zanzibar to host electricity and an elevator. This was also really interesting as a museum, as it explainied many aspects of Swahili culture, dress, and culinary cuisine that had been puzzling us, and showcasing an exhibit on a traditional house. It also had a great exhibition on boats and marine life as well as the enviromental problems that are occuring over time. It even brushed over ecotourism and its benefits.
Grabbing a snack of local bread that tasted kindof like a soft pretzle, we wandered into the Old Fort. Here, while Karla bargained for batiks (for over an hour-typical), I challenged one of the merchants to a game of Bao. I think he was excited to have something to do on a slow day, and I was really psyched to try out my new skill! We ended in a stalemate when Karla wrapped up her purchase, then I got the hard sell to buy one of the Bao boards, but I stuck to my guns, and we were off again.
After all this bargaining, we needed another little pick-me-up, so we found a cafe and indulged in caffinated beverages and a giant brownie! Perfect.
With renewed energy, we shopped around for crafts and comparison shopped for a spice tour tomorrow. We finally found one, and ended up chatting with Charles, who we thought might be the owner, for quite some time about American and Tanzanian politics and lifestyles. It was interesting to get a local perspective on some of the things we were seeing from someone other than Hellen. He surprised us with his overall positive take on tourism and visitors. Of course its a part of his job to like tourists, but still.
We emerged from the Tourism office just as the sun was begining to set, so we walked to the nearest park overlooking the water on the western shore, and watched a gorgeous sunset. Better even than Santorini! The park was small but packed with locals playing soccer, diving in the water, or just watching the sunset. Although the occasional tourist "braved" the park, most sat up at the restaurant across the street, lining up on the railing and snapping away.
We ate dinner at the restaurant across from Monsoon (last nights restaurant), then went on a mission to find live local taarab music. It took us 3 or 4 tries, but we finally ended up back at Monsoon. At first they didn't want to let us in just for tea, but then they realized that no one else was coming for dinner (plus we told them we ate there last night), so we got to enjoy the music for about 15 min until the band packed up. We ended up just finding a regular band at a local bar, and listening to them play a little while, which was a little disappointing, but at least we found something!
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1 comment:
We're glad that you have internet connection back. I hope you don't lose it again...You've had some very interesting days lately.
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