Spice and nice...

(No internet last night, so I’m a day behind.)

Our day in Zanzibar started with a drive to a spice plantation about half an hour out of Stonetown.  Many fruits and spices are grown on plantations around the island, and Erin’s rafiki of yesterday, Abdul, had arranged for us to have a tour and lunch at one of them.  (Yes, they actually DO use the word rafiki, which makes me giggle every time I hear it, much to the annoyance of everyone, I am sure.) 

Our tour guide spoke English very well, and he was most informative.  We learned a lot about the various spices, along with how their communal system works.  I was interested to hear that the plantation is owned by someone, but the people who live there and labor on the land share the proceeds of the profits together.  For example, our guide’s “job” is to give the tours, however, he also benefits from the proceeds of the plantation as part of that community.

There was also an assistant along for the tour, who created different items out of coconut leaves, including baskets, rings, bracelets, crowns, a tie, and necklaces that looked like frogs.  He cut the leaves in front of us and within minutes, each little hand crafted item was completed.  In addition, he made a “cup” for us out of banana leaves, allowing us to carry along samples of the various fruits and spices that he cut for us.

The walking portion of the tour was a small area, where they grow samples of each of the spices grown on the main plantation, for the purposes of the tours.  The actual plantation is set out in 10 hectare plots, where they grow the actual spices and fruits to be sold for income for the community.  Because it is not harvest season, we saw very little that was ripe, but it was interesting to learn how the everyday spices I use are grown.  (I was woefully ignorant.)

The assistant would cut a leaf or a piece of bark and crush it, then allow us to sniff and try to guess what it was.  It is much harder than it sounds, but the kids were pretty good at it.  We saw vanilla, ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon (even the leaves smell like cinnamon, but the roots smell like ginger,) nutmeg, lipstick fruit, and a variety of other spices.  We also watched a guy climb a coconut tree in front of us.  Then he cut open a couple of coconuts and offered us the fresh coconut milk to drink, then the meat of the coconut to eat.  Mmmm.  Very different from what you get in the store.  It was more gelatinous.

We also learned about the clove export trade.  The plantation communities are required to sell their cloves to the government, which then strictly controls the entire supply for export.  The guide told us that clove smuggling is very serious, and if they are caught, they will get a long term in prison.

At the end of the walking tour, we were given fresh samples of the various fruits and spices grown in the community.  We tasted pineapple, cucumber (smaller and less bitter than we are used to,) sweet grapefruit, and, of course, bananas, which are found everywhere.  My personal favorite, and I believe Adam’s, was the passion fruit, both sweet and tart at the same time.  Exquisite flavor.  I liked passion fruit before, but this was a totally different taste experience.  Words fail me.  I won’t even try!  I will just say my taste buds will never be the same, and leave it at that!

After the tasting (which was really a full meal in itself) they provided us with a rice and curry lunch.  The rice and curry were, of course, seasoned with the spices from the plantation, including cardamom and cinnamon.  The curry was also well seasoned with their own mixture of fresh spices.  After the fruit appetizer, it was difficult to tuck into a meal with enthusiasm, but this one was worth trying for.  It was delicious.  We are not starving on Zanzibar!

After the spice tour, we returned to Stonetown and met with Rafiki Abdul, who had arranged for a dhow to take us out to Chanduu Island.  In the 1800’s, the government had designated this island as a prison, and built the building, but never used it.  When a cholera epidemic was expected shortly thereafter, they repurposed the buildings to be a quarantine location to protect the islanders from those fleeing the epidemic on the mainland.  When the epidemic never materialized, the buildings fell into disrepair until recently, when the government decided to rehab them once again.  The island now hosts a hotel, restaurant and turtle sanctuary, where endangered large box turtles are kept safe. 

You can go out amongst the turtles and touch them. Their neck skin is extremely soft, even though it looks very leathery.  It was surprising to touch them and feel how smooth their skin was.  They like having the underside of their necks rubbed!  The oldest one is 185 years old.

After riding back to Stonetown on the dhow, we were driven to the resort in Kendwa, which is on the other end of the island.  Because it is the low season, there are few guests, and it is lovely and peaceful.  The white sand beaches we saw flying in are well kept, and the marine blue water is clear to the bottom in a way you only find in the tropics.

Zanzibar, primarily Muslim, is a very traditional culture, especially for women.  After living in Tanzania, Erin is especially sensitive to the traditional expectations, which they were required to observe as part of their program.  We both wore long dresses and made sure knees and shoulders were covered at all times until we got to the resort.  There?  It’s a world apart.  European tourists are their primary target, and women dress and act as if they were at home.  It is not always pretty.  It was fascinating to watch, however, as Erin could see behind the scenes and interpret the commentary of the staff, when she could overhear.

Because Erin speaks Swahili, the doors again opened for us in a way they don’t for those who don’t bother with the traditional language or culture.  It is an interesting picture into a world to which most foreign travelers to Zanzibar, in particular, will never have access.

There are also some hard things about speaking a language unexpectedly, as Erin has made clear.  People constantly talking about you behind your back gets very tiresome, especially when they lack respect for the foreign women coming into their culture.  It has been a difficult thing, in some ways, to overlook comments to which she would never be subjected in the U.S.  She will not miss that part of studying abroad.

We arrived in late afternoon, tired but happy, and just in time for the most beautiful island sunset you can imagine.  It looked exactly like a postcard – you almost feel it’s too beautiful to be real.  I saw some clouds on the horizon, but I was hoping the rainy season would hold off for just one more day, so I could have my day at the beach.  We went to bed early – we were all tired from the busy day, and looking forward to the sun and water in the morning.

Alas, I awoke to clouds.  :(  I am on vacation, so of course, the rainy season which is long delayed in Zanzibar, would now begin.  I am a genius at bringing the downpours wherever I go.  I could probably freshen up the Sahara, if I would only plan a trip there.

Morning was not bad, cloudy and overcast, but on the other hand, the usual sunburn was not a possibility.  I am probably the only person ever to visit Zanzibar and hope to leave more pale than when I arrived!  I found myself a lovely little bunga on the beach, and spent some time laying there and just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful view.  Rain or shine, there is nothing like a beach to make me smile.

The afternoon was raining, but Adam and Erin did not allow that to stop them from enjoying the delights of snorkeling in a coral reef.  They enjoyed seeing the many fish and the lovely shells and other sea life.

The rest of this day was spent relaxing on the beach and looking forward to tomorrow, when we return to Arusha.  Adam will see Erin’s home for the first time, Erin is feeling happy to be going “home” again, and I am wishing I lived on the beach full time!

More tomorrow!  Meantime, some interesting things about Zanzibar:

• When you pick peppercorns and how you process them determines their color and taste.
• Box turtles are cool, and a sanctuary for them is a great idea.
• Tourists in resorts apparently behave stupidly on every continent.
• Sunblock is overpriced in every tropical location I've ever visited.  This one is no different.
• You can still have a lovely time at the beach, even in the rain.
• Fresh passion fruit juice is worth taking a risk for.