Blogs from Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa - page 6

Day 14 (Nov 13) Zanzibar l - We woke up for early breakfast. Turns out 3 girls from another group hiking the same route as us were also at the hotel. One girl apparently was having hallucinations up high and another had oxygen levels well below normal even at base camp. So I guess we fared pretty well. We reluctantly caught our 30 minute transfer very early around 8am for our 11:30 flight. And a good thing we did, as our flight got pushed up 1.5hrs w/o us being notified. We made it just in time to check in and board. We showed up early to Zanzibar, but thankfully a worker showed up within 20 minutes to order us a new driver so we didn't have to wait over an hour. Although I find out later ... read more

Dies war mal kein Abenteuer, sondern ein Urlaubstag - Bootsausflug auf eine Sandbank mit Grillen und Schwimmen.... read more

Like many towns and cities in the world, Stonetown is an odd mix - even clash - between two things. London has been uncomfortably juxtaposing rich and poor since Tudor times; New York forces together millions of over-excited tourists with people attempting to go about their daily business; Paris simultaneously presents sophistication and seediness. These are of course huge generalisations, and arguably applicable to any town or city in the world. The overwhelming disparity that I felt in Stonetown, however, was between the fact that despite its historical significance, places of interest, and sheer uniqueness, it is a thoroughly neglected place. I don’t mean that is empty of tourists, or people; in fact it is swarming with locals and foreigners alike. You can barely move down some of the narrow streets for groups of bewildered tourists ... read more

Where do ants come from? I don’t mean in evolutionary terms. I mean when you put down a piece of bread, or a slice of fruit, or even drop a grain of sugar, where do the hundreds of ants appear from in a matter of seconds? One second there is a crumb on the counter; in the blink of eye the crumb has innumerable tiny shiny bodies swarming and wriggling around it. Is there some sort of signal sent off that suddenly calls into existence an extra hundred ants per crumb, or do they all lurk in invisible corners just waiting their whole lives for the sound of cling film being lifted from the plate, or the lid of the sugar separating from the pot? Everyone knows that if you leave food around, ants will appear ... read more

In modern times, about the only known personage from Zanzibar is the late Freddie Mercury of the rock group Queen. He was the talented guy who sang "We Are the Champions" and "Bohemian Rhapsody." When I hear the word Zanzibar I think of spices and pirates and Vasco de Gama and all things exotic. The Sultan of Oman ruled this important trading outpost for centuries. But in looking at the history of this island, it is most infamous for being the center of the slave trade in the Indian Ocean. Tippu Tib was a notorious slave trader and ended up being one of the richest men in Zanzibar. He had large plantations and "owned" 10,000 slaves himself. The British eventually brought about the end of the slave trade in the 19th Century. We went in a ... read more