The crush to enter the ferry was a claustrophobic experience I'm not eager to repeat again. Everyone in the place (there were hundreds) all got up and converged on this tiny "gate" area where people went through one at a time. The little child in front of us was nearly squashed in the press of people as they all surged towards the gate. It was a little unnerving, but then we were through the gate, and entered the ferry.
It was a rolling, but lovely ride over to the island of Zanzibar. The island itself was beautiful from the approach, the buildings rising out of the horizon.
Then the fun began. Erin's resident visa expired a few days ago, and she was supposed to have a month's grace period after that before she has to leave the country. Zanzibar immigration disagreed with that rule, and wouldn't let her in to the island. (If you are confused, join the club, since they are part of Tanzania.) After an extended conversation, rather heated at times, in Swahili, Erin concluded things with passport control, and we entered Zanzibar.
The atmosphere here is very different from what I experienced in Arusha. The island is almost entirely Muslim, and the Muslim influence is everywhere. Many women are wearing burquas in public, the Call to Prayers resounds throughout the city, and men in taqiyahs are more common than not.
There are also far more tourists here than in Arusha, and the influence is unmistakable. You can find people from all over the world, speaking dozens of languages, and the marketplace caters to the whims of the tourist trade in many places. Erin's ability to speak Swahili has, without question, opened doors that were slammed shut and locked against us, and I have a deep appreciation for her ability to get us through whatever situations may arise.
We are staying in a hostel down a tiny alley, in a city full of places down tiny alleys. I have never been to the Middle East, but I have to imagine this is much what it looks like. I have tried to envision what it would be like to travel the small alleyways and byways of Istanbul or Jerusalem, but have never really had a handle on it. I feel like now I have a better understanding, and it makes me want to visit there even more.
We walked through the marketplace, and Adam found some candy he really enjoyed, made from bobo seeds. Inevitably, someone attached himself to Erin and walked us around the marketplace. It is a mixed blessing, because they will often shoo away the hucksters shilling their goods, but then they expect a tip for their troubles.
After a little conversation, she decided he was an okay guy, and he helped us find the good shops (all run by his friends, of course!) Ultimately, he worked with us to plan our tours tomorrow to the Spice plantation and to visit an island to see some turtles.
It is tiring to be constantly approached by people, and have them aggressively shoving their wares in our face. Sometimes you just want to sit and enjoy the place without interruption, but it is rare to have that here, it seems.
But Erin's Swahili is getting more fluent by the day, as she is approached by a variety of people and forced to deal with them entirely on her own. It is fun to see her expanding her vocabulary and interacting with people, but it is wearing to constantly have to push people away.
We are ending the night in our hostel, sitting on the roof, enjoying the air and the breeze. Erin is talking (with a lot of Google translator help) with a Russian tourist who is trying to figure out what to do in Zanzibar, because he is here on his own and doesn't speak the language.
Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and I am tired tonight. But our adventure is continuing, and we are having a great time! Hopefully more tomorrow, from our resort on Zanzibar where we will be on the beach!
Some things I have learned in Zanzibar today:
- Immigration here can be bought. (They forced Erin to renew her visa, but it cost her $50 instead of the usual $100. However, they started at $200, so all in all, it was a successful negotiation. She was still pretty mad, though.)
- Zanzibarian children are adorable.
- Erin has a phenomenal memory for the places she has been. She took us down the alleyways like she has lived here all her life, and found the hotel with no trouble, even though she has only been here once.
- The atmosphere in Zanzibar is totally different from Tanzania. They take their semi-autonomous status seriously, and they expect you to do so, too.
- Rules are different for residents and foreigners in Zanzibar, and they don't make any bones about it. They even advertise it on the signs.
- There are some words in Swahili that simply cannot be translated, but they are great fun, and very useful. Kweli is one of them.
- Women dress very conservatively in Zanzibar, and I wore a long dress to cover my knees, and a shawl to cover my shoulders all day, even in the heat. I do not understand how women in black burquas don't just simply die of heat stroke. It is the middle of winter and it's sweltering during the day. The summer must be seriously unbearable.
- I love the beach. I cannot wait until tomorrow when I will be there for a couple days enjoying the sun. Really wish I hadn't forgotten the sun screen though.
- The nicest hotels seem to be in the weirdest places. There is no zoning, and they can be found at the end of the worst roads or furthest back alleyways. It's the oddest thing.
- There don't seem to be as many roosters in evidence in Zanzibar, but feral cats are everywhere. Hopefully they are not as loud.
Until tomorrow....
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