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Zanzibar, Tanzania
Writer : Louise Oliver
Jambo,
Late last night we arrived in Zanzibar and Michael rejoined STARSHIP after immigration was cleared. Over the past week he has been organising an integral part of STARSHIP’s smooth sailing, as we like to call it. For many of the destinations we visit much behind the scenes organization takes place. Visiting South Africa he has arranged meetings and visits to our next few ports; Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and a few stops in between. Without much of this planning the daily running of the ship becomes haphazard.
Zanzibar by night is something special. The lights along the shore and the ambience created by music wafting through the air tantalises our senses. Africa, Africa, Africa, ringing in our ears. The entrancing stone city is much more beautiful than I imagined from the water. Arches of every size and dimension framed the vacant white beach like a window does a flower.
The morning has been a busy one. After a few days at sea STARSHIP was well in need of some tender love and care. So out came the soapy suds, brushes, buckets, hoses, the works. Starting from the top down Lisa and Diana washed STARSHIP till she sparkled. Lisa even showed us her acrobatic skills as she harnessed herself to the mast and sparkled the dome. In the late afternoon they battled with the suction handles that just didn’t want to stick to get to the side of the hull. Now she has a shimmer as good as new.
A sailing dhow on the coast of Zanzibar.
Meanwhile James is, as usual on the computer working on the database for the bar-coding system, he has set up for the video archives. The web site for the SIF is starting to look quite impressive - you must take a look when it goes online ... will keep you posted. Michael has been busy this morning making arrangements for our stay in Zanzibar, some diving and exploring possibly on the agenda.
Michael, DJ, Charles and Lasse headed ashore to take a look around stone town and investigate a few possible itinerary plans. They met with Mohd Sharif Omar (0747 411246) who is acting as our agent during our stay here in Zanzibar. Lasse headed off to take a look at the local supplies at the supermarket, re-stocking on a few things. Charles found a store selling industrial wire so that he could repair some faulty links in the tenders wiring.
Stone Town on the western coast of Zanzibar Island, eastern Tanzania, lies in a natural harbour. In the path of winds from the Arabian Cape, the town has been an important trading post since the 8th century. A thriving, cosmopolitan community with intricate ways that make stepping into the city like stepping into another world. A broken cobble stone wall lines the shore, the incoming tide brings crashing waves by the coming and going of the ferry. Splashes of white water leap into the air. Throughout the day boys leapt into the air, screams of enjoyment as they crash, tumble and fall into the lapping water.
Colourful fabric in the market.
Zanzibar’s diverse history is reflected in its eclectic architecture. Stone Town shows the influence of Arabian, Indian, British, and Portuguese building. Of particular note is the palace Beit-el-Ajaib, built by Sultan Barghash in 1883, and the hundreds of finely crafted studded doorways that line Stone Town’s obscure streets. Many of the doors and stone work are facing the harsh hand of mother nature and deterioration is occurring. A promising thought are the efforts being made by the local authorities to conserve some of the majestic and unique aspects of this incredible city. There are two museums and over 50 mosques. The city also contains the former residence of David Livingstone, from where he launched his expedition to discover the source of the Nile in 1866.
Walking through the streets you will find the narrow alleys leading you to beautiful doors, Africans sitting in groups Saying ‘jambo’ as you pass, 'welcome' in Swahili. One tall man offered to show us around. Everyone is keen for a little bit of the action, 'No thank you' often suffices and they will walk away saying ‘Hakunah Mutata’ (no worries). The stalls are filled to the brim with brightly coloured wraps and carvings of animals. The beadwork is incredible and the people most extraordinary. Each has such a beautiful face and innocence in their benevolent gesture. From an open window some three stories up a young girl calls to us on the street "hello, welcome, goodbye". Incredible kindness springs from each individual. A lady wrapped in fire red sits on the steps of a shop, an old carved door to lean against and a group walks past. Is she invisible to some and noticed by others? We certainly noticed her. Zanzibar has so far offered a delightful taste of something new and exotic. We look forward to tomorrow with anticipation.
Night,
Lou