This is the (liberal) English translation of an old Norwegian classic. And annoyingly, this ear-worm of a song rings in my ears – on repeat(!!) – as we walk through the intricate streets of Stone Town Zanzibar. (Thanks dad for sending me that link…!).
Arriving from sea, we are treated to the stunning shore line of Stone Town, the old and World Heritage part of Zanzibar city. From a distance it appears grand with a combination of colonial and Arabic style architecture, mixed in with Palm trees and fronted by a myriad of big and small dhows (local fishing boats). I say “appears grand” because on closer inspection many (actually most) of the sea-front buildings are quite dilapidated. Strangely, this just adds to the charm, as instead of looking run-down and shabby, they look old, stoic, majestic and with a ton of character.
After anchoring at Double Cove, we jiggle our dinghy to shore in-between dhows and tourist boats, to the beach in front of Livingstone restaurant. A local guy runs to help pull the dinghy up on the beach and suggests earnestly that he can look out for it for us. We give him TZS5000 (USD 2.00) indicating that we think this a marvellous suggestion, and both parties are happy.
Walking in to Stone Town is like stepping back 2000 years in time. Tiny alleyways zigzag their way in a haphazard fashion through the town and locals in long gowns (ladies black and men white) go about their business. The site is so quaint and prehistoric that I half expect Jesus and at least three of his disciples to come around the corner, healing leprosy and feeding the whole town from only 2 pieces of bread (or was it 5?). Whilst the city remains completely devoid of holy ghosts, Stone Town does have the claim to fame of being the birthplace of Freddy Mercury. And who is more holy than that!
Continuing through the town the alleys remains the same small and quaint, but loses its historical atmosphere as street vendors juggles for the in-your-face-position to present their particular ware, which as it happens is exactly the same as the next guy’s and the 23 guys after that. An interesting thing about vendors in Tanzania is that theirs is not so much a “sales pitch” as one is used to from street vendors, but more a request that you support the locals by buying their craft (often expressed with a gaunt expression and a slight quiver of the lip). Thus tugging on your heart strings as you are not so much shopping, but rather doing charity. Sadly for them, cruisers are the worst types of tourists. We arrive by our personal mode of transport, stay in our own accommodation and consume (mostly) our own food and alcohol. Furthermore, most of us have no income to speak of. So, “Samahani kaka, hapana” (Sorry brother, no).
I talk a big game but we do need provisioning, so some money has to be spent, and off we go to the market. The main market in Zanzibar is buzzing with activities. Vendors shouting over each other promoting their stores, buyers elbowing their way in to get the best looking avocado, fish mongers auctioning out today’s catch. Zanzibar is part of the original spice route, and the main products offered are still nuts and spices. We plan to stock up on both as well as the huge and yummy avocados grown in Tanzania. Even though we never accept the first price offered to us, we know that as mzungus (white man) we will always pay more than the locals. This is, of course, unfair, but as my mother says, it’s a very small revenge for hundreds of years of oppression, colonisation and slavery. So we haggle a bit, then pay our slightly reduced mzungu price.
Dusk is a special time in Stone Town. All the locals, young, old, families and group of friends gather at Forodhani Park by the waterfront. Here they either bring their own picnic, or buy big plates of freshly grilled seafood from the many temporary BBQs that are set up, or $1 shawarmas from the equally many and temporary kebab stalls. And to wash it down; freshly squeezed sugar can juice with ginger and lemon. Absolutely delicious! As entertainment, young guys egg each other on to daringly dive off the jetty wall into 2-3 meters of water. They swan dive elegantly off the wall, and pop up instantly so as to not hit the bottom. It is a very festive and warm atmosphere and a wonderful way end to the day in a magnificent place on earth.
