ZANZIBAR: From Hell to Heaven and Back

"You've been traveling for a while haven't you?" one of the girls I took the ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar with asked me.

"Oh, I'm used to it... I've had plenty of training in SE Asia, especially Indonesia" I told her after a little incident that went something like this:

We get out of the taxi at the dock.

"No thank you. Please don't touch my bag. I am not paying you to carry it. I will carry it myself," I said while pushing away 8 agressive men trying to attack my backpack.

"There is only 1 boat today," one of them shouted.

"No there isn't."

"Yes there is."

"Your 'boat' right? ha! Ok. Come to the official window with me and you can find out."

He obviously didn't come.

Once at the ticket window where everyone was pushing and shoving, I made my way to the front.

"I work for the office. You should buy a round trip open ticket. It's better."

"No thanks. I'm taking the night ferry back."

"Oooh. More expensive. Better this way."

"No. It's $20US instead of $35."

He laughed and turned to his friend probably saying 'she knows'.

"Right?!" I asked slightly pissed off.

"Yes."

"So you lied."

No response.

"I don't talk to liars. Excuse me" and proceeded to tell the girls how annoying countries like this are and how people like him give it a bad reputation and ruin it for the good people.

That incident was followed by an enjoyable boat ride that peaked with the sighting of Stone Town. It's too bad stepping foot on it led me back to hell, where everyone lies to you, takes advantage of you and tries to trick or confuse you.

"You want taxi? Miss? Where you go?"

"No thank you. I'm going to the daladalas ($1US instead of $50)," but that didn't stop them from coming after me. Fortunately, most got the hint and decided to wait for better bait. One man, however, signaled to the others that I was his so he followed me.

"Sorry sir, I'm not interested in a taxi. I don't have the money and am taking a daladala."

"Daladala?! Watch your stuff. If you have valuables, they will steal it from you. I give you good price."

"Wow. You sure have a positive view of your fellow countrymen on public transport."

No response.

"Again, no thank you. Byeeee" I said walking away. He followed.

"They drop you off 9km from your hotel and you have to walk. They take 6 hours."

"Ha! That's not what I heard, but thanks. If they do, I am happy to walk 9km with my stuff," I said just to irritate him. He finally got it and off to the daladala I went.

"5000 (when it's only supposed to be 1,500). You pay now" a random guy told me who ended up not even being the conductor. "The government brought up the price today."

"Really. Why?"

"I don't know . They just do."

"Ok. Well, when I see everyone else paying you $5000, or paying, I will too."

And that I did. I paid $1500 just like the rest.

The daladala is a little bus that could fit about 30 people but crams in about 100 and stops all the time to add things on top, things like refrigerators. Just before my leg almost snapped off because of the position it was in and the little kid sitting on it, I got to Jambiani - Heaven.

Set in a local Swahili village, Jambiani is not a resorty spot on the island. It's more authentic which is what I wanted. It was also the best price I could find: $15US for a dorm with cold water and tons of mosquitos (don't worry, there's nets and I'm taking malaria pills.) Everywhere else it's from $30US to many hundreds per night.

Kimte Inn ended up being very nice though. Rasta run and all about "hakuna matata" (real Swahili word meaning 'no worries'. Not made up by Disney in the Lion King). The place had a good vibe, until I had to pay of course... but that seems to be a struggle everywhere here, even when you agree on a price.

Regardless, Zanzibar is stunning. I really hope to be back one day to swim in the topaz waters and watch the daily dramatic and fast change from hight to low tide and back.... Oh, and get dressed up by a Masai who decided to have fun with me on the beach of course ha!

I met some British volunteer Med students on their weekend get away at Kimte and when we went back to Stone Town, they took me to the seafood night market and showed me around the typical Muslim small alleyway town.

We all talked about how difficult of a time we have getting into the culture here because the constant pestering is annoying and irritating. People don't treat non-Mazungu's (foreigner/white) like this. I mean, it's great that there are no beggars because everyone wants to do something for you, but the way they go about it causes migraines, as did my bus from Dar es Salaam the next morning where some guy tried to charge me $5US for putting my luggage at the bottom of the bus. He said it may get lost otherwise, a new aspect I didn't experience in SE Asia: a treat. After yelling at him I went to the conductor and told him the guy was trying to charge me money and he said "Be careful lady. You are in Africa now. Everyone wants your money. Don't give it to them. No one pays to put their luggage on the bus."

Ugh! This month is not gonna be easy, I just know it, and Tanzania is so far on my list of places I never want to come back to. There are places just as beautiful that don't stress you out, scare you, threaten you, or charge you as much as they do: $20US for a cockaroach filled single room in Dar for example. That is just about the most I've had to pay anywhere for a night and the worst quality I've gotten, but what can I say... Tanzania sure figured out a way to rape tourists of every last dollar and unfortunately, a lot fall for it leaving people like me to remind them that I do not have and will not give $10US for a soda even if some other traveler thought that really was the price.

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