Cruise Port 2 – Zanzibar, Tanzania

by Ed · April 23, 2023

Greetings, again! Jambo! (Hello in Swahili)

It is April 14th, 2023, and we spend most of the morning approaching the island city of Zanzibar. I have the Billy Joel song “Zanzibar” running through my brain all day! (Not the right Zanzibar, but the same name…) A warning – we are at this island for three days – I am condensing all of the photos, so I apologize if something seems out of sync.

We pass a few ships heading in, as well as a boat that appears to be broken (lots of those in Florida after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole). But the small boat is a dhow. We’ll see lots of them plying these waters! A little future information: the ship in the distance will soon kick us out of our berth at the dock, and the boat in the middle is a fueling ship for the ferries. ‘Nuf said.

As we turn to the berth a lot of little boats come in to view at the point of the bay. Most of these are taxis! Then the rain comes!

We are supposed to dock and be able to go ashore by 10 AM, but the call does not come until well past 10:30 AM! However, regardless of the call time, rain continues and we decide to wait to go out. Steve’s wheelchair may not handle the inclement weather well – the crew finds him a surgical glove to cover his wheelchair controller since plastic bags are banned across most of Africa. We use the rainy morning to delve into the gelatos! Amaretto gelato? Yes, please, two scoops! Yum! Coconut gelato? Yes please, one scoop! Yum! Frapuccino coffee with vanilla gelato? Oh, yes, please, three please!

The ship announces representatives from shore are on board at the Destinations desk. We go to speak with them. The gentleman, Fikiritiri, shows us the places to see in Stone Town on a map he presents to us. He points out the city marketplace, He says it is safe to walk around town. Then he tells us we need a tour guide that he can set up for us for $50 US because 1) we will miss the significant historical meaning of the sites, 2) the streets criss-cross a lot and we will lose our way, and 3) with a guide we will be safe and respected. We ask if the guides will keep us safe? He says the presence of the guide will keep us from being attacked. We ask, “That means Stone Town isn’t safe to walk without a guide?” He responds, repeating himself, 1) we will not get the historical importance of the sites, 2) we will miss our turns, and a new item 3) there are stabbings all of the time, every two minutes someone gets stabbed. We ask, “Is Stone Town safe to walk? Will we get stabbed without a guide?” He answers yes, Stone Town is safe. You won’t get stabbed. But you need a guide to make sure you go on the right streets for the wheelchair!

Ugh! Exasperation and confusion! We still don’t have a clear feeling of whether we can safely navigate the town on our own because it feels like Fikiritiri is doing his best to sell us a guide.

At lunch time the rain shows no sign of abating. We dine in the Colonnade – the closest restaurant to a buffet, but you can also order from a menu. It is Spanish Day, so paella is the main specialty. This is cruise ship paella, not Spanish paella, so the nice crusty “socarrat” is not present. Booo!

Joy and I finally decide to head out at 4:45 PM to see a little of Stone Town before the shuttle bus stops running. Steve isn’t joining – the gangway is on deck 5 and it is quite the ordeal to get his wheelchair up and down, especially at high tide! On our way to the shuttle bus, just 100 feet away, we are approached by a half dozen men trying to give us taxi rides or coax us to their tables to see their paintings or trinkets. We politely refuse and reach the shuttle bus. We are the only people on the 5:00 bus heading downtown! The last shuttle returns at 6:30 PM.

Ten minutes later the shuttle bus drops us off at the Serena Hotel at the tip of the bay. We have two plans – the first is to wander around this end of Stone Town and catch the last shuttle back to the ship, and the second plan is wander toward the market, then walk back to the ship. After the short shuttle ride we realize this part of town is relatively small!

We pass this elegant building and find it is the Park Hyatt Hotel. It was a former embassy, and had Indian and Turkish design elements.

We quickly find the clocktower circle marking the original heart of Stone Town.

This interesting building is a Muslim Mosque, designed and built by an Indian Hindu man.

Peeking inside a shop, we see a collection of African masks! We know some people who are looking for one! We have learned from them many masks are Chinese replicas, so be aware! Only get a mask if it really excites and speaks to you – don’t buy one just to have one. We, personally, are not in the market.

We see a curious sign – “SLOW DOWN POLE POLE”. We soon learn “POLE POLE” is pronounced “poh-lay poh-lay” and is Swahili for “slow down”!

The childhood home of Frederick Bulsara comes in to view! If you do not recognize that name, he is better known to us as Freddie Mercury of the rock group “Queen”! This is a small apartment complex that is now a hotel, and has a small museum attached to it!

We make a wrong turn trying to find Jaws Corner and end up at the entrance to the Old Slave Market. A gentleman at the entrance tells us the fee is $5 US per person. Since we are heading back to the ship we tell him we plan to come back tomorrow! He points us toward the Darajani Market and we head around the corner to see where that is before we head “home”.

The Darajani Market on the north side of the street is the market for the tourists. It is the new town, Darajani, on the outskirts of Stone Town.

We will be looking at the market on the south side, still part of Stone Town, when we come to shop tomorrow. This is what that side looks like! All the locals shop here!

On day 2 we find a tour guide through a friend’s recommendation on TripAdvisor and start out on a guided walking tour. Kassim Juma, seen on TripAdvisor as Kassim Kindness, meets us outside of the port gate!

We head south toward the heart of Stone Town. Kassim spends time telling us a little bit about the history of Zanzibar, Tanganyika, and the resulting union of Tanzania. “Tan” comes from Tanganyika. “Zan” comes from Zanibar. Together they are Tanzania.

We pass by the beautiful Old Customs House!

Entering the north end of Forodhani Park I catch this glimpse of the Sojourn over the cannons.

After a brief history lesson in the shade of Forodhani Park about the Sultan of Oman making Zanzibar his home we walk across the street to the Old Fort. To the left of the Fort in this image is “The House of Wonders” that was the Sultan’s home. It is covered on this side and under renovation so I will show a photo from the other side later.

The main yard of the fort has been converted into an amphitheater, and for many years the Zanzibar International Film Festival has been hosted here!

Since only the upper crust were invited into the amphitheater, the rest of the island could congregate on the other half of the Fort in the open yard.

In 1928 Zanzibar established their Girl Guide chapter. This is similar to the US’s Girl Scouts, but Girl Guides is an international organization envisioned in 1910, and first formed in Hungary, also in 1928. The “trefoil” design of the logo gave me an “a-ha” moment for the Girl Scout cookies of the same name!

Calico cats are everywhere on this island!

For those who do not know, only female calico cats have the characteristic three colors of white, black, and gold. Male cats only have two colors!

Zanzibar has an interesting building. The coastal road goes through it, and it now hosts restaurants!

Joy finds a pair of sandals she likes from a Masai trader! He checks the fit before she agrees to buy them.

We finally reach Jaws Corner! We were told the area around here has a good collection of the architectural doors Zanzibar is known for. Jaws Corner now considers itself to be the heart of Stone Town!

Jaws Corner is a gathering place for locals, and named for all of the talk-talk-talk that happens here!

And apparently people were at one time allowed to make free international phone calls from here! But the phone is a little lacking now.

I give you two examples of the doors (like the painted doors of Funchal last year, there are supposedly 277 Zanzibar doors to find). The carving is exquisite, and the borders tell a story of whether the owner is Indian or Islam. Indian doors are organic, and Islamic doors are abstract with chains represented. Indian doors have sharp brass spikes to ward off elephants that were used to ram doors. Islamic doors may have brass knobs, but not sharp ones.

This is a lost art they are trying to revive.

We pass by the Hamamni Baths on our way to the Slave Market. It is not open to tour.

Then we’re finally at the Old Slave Market (again). But this time we go in! The Anglican church is beautiful! (We do see the man we spoke to yesterday – he recognizes us and exclaims “I remember you! You came back!”) The door on the right leads to the basement.

Beautiful it may be, but the basement tells a different story. This is a holding cell for the male slaves awaiting the auction block. About 50 men would be stuffed in here, and there are many more cells like this! We are told there are 15 more rooms!

Nearby is a holding cell for the women and children slaves. About 75 would be held in here before being called up for auction! Again, there are more cells.

The interior of the church is simple. The elegance belies the dark history of being where slaves were held below and were sold while tied to a post that was once near the altar.

One amusing detail in the church is in the entry alcove. During construction the architect was called away for a year, and when he returned the construction was complete. But the columns in the foyer were installed upside down. The square block is supposed to be on the bottom! This is where we hear “hakuna matata!” It’s all good! No worries!

Dr. David Livingstone, of the famed Stanley and Livingstone travelers, made his mark traveling across Africa and sharing his love of Africa with the world, and fighting to abolish slavery. Livingstone asked that when he died a part of him would be buried in Africa and the rest returned home. His heart and internal organs were removed and sent to Zambia where they were buried under a tree in town he called home. The body was embalmed, and some say he laid in wait for two weeks in Zanzibar, before being returned home to the United Kingdom for burial in Westminster Abbey.

The tree his organs were buried under eventually died, and the wood from that tree was used to make crosses like this one for the African churches.

For those who remember the World Cruise photos know I always seek the Stations of the Cross, and in particular Station 7. Here is The Zanzibar Anglican Church Station 7 marker. This one is beautifully made!

Outside of the church is a memorial to the slaves. This display shows slaves representing people from four different countries in chains, and a fifth person as a black man overseeing them to show black people sold their own race into slavery.

From the Old Slave Market we head to the City Market. We begin in the Fish Market!

The fish are many! Some are huge like the tuna, and some are tiny like sardines. The displays of some of the smaller fishes are beautifully arranged!

We exit into the Vegetable Market. They don’t get a large hall like the Fish Market.

We turn the corner and pass the Meat Market. Here the meat hangs until cut.

Leaving the building we enter the tarp-covered stands and find the Spice Market!

On the other side we see a stall that resells used shoes. I am enthralled with the little girl sitting in the middle of the pile!

As we wander down the street I am amused by watching this man hop to avoid the puddles!

We enter a courtyard and hear men singing. We then see they are being recorded on video! They move in front of the mosque’s doors and the camera resets before they continue singing. This is the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Bohora Mosque. They host primary and secondary schools nearby.

On our way back to the ship we pass the People’s Palace Museum. This was the Sultan’s residence until 1964.

And we approach The House of Wonders from the east side, allowing us to see the three floors of columns. this was the first building in Zanzibar to have electricity and an elevator, hence the name “The House of Wonders”! It was the ceremonial palace of the Sultan.

After we return from the tour (Thanks, Kassim!) the ship leaves the dock and anchors a half-mile away. A cargo ship needs our berth. Sojourn begins tender operations!

Now we’re at Day 3. We prepare for a ship excursion to Prison Island!

The ship is actually very close to Prison Island, but to get to Prison Island we have to tender back to shore, then catch a tour boat back past our ship to Prison Island. Too bad we couldn’t just tender to the island…

Here’s the cargo ship that has our berth. They made great progress loading through the night!

At the ferry dock we hop on a small bus that takes us to the beach near the old British Embassy and Livingstone Restaurant. There are a lot of interesting boats here! I’m surprised at the rough wood used to make canopies and masts!

We weren’t prepared for a water access to the tour boat – we forgot to review the tour details and discovered this is also a snorkeling tour! We didn’t wear swimsuits or water socks, so we remove our shoes and socks and wade out to the boat.

After a lengthy ride, passing the Sojourn, Prison Island comes in to view.

The compound has been significantly upgraded – this facility operated as a hotel and restaurant for a while but has been closed since COVID-19 came to town. The main prison building was altered to put in large windows. Originally only the small air slits were present.

We heard two different stories about the prison. The first is it was used as a prison for a while – mostly Arabs imprisoning bad slaves. The second is it was never used as a prison. Disease like yellow fever quickly spread as more foreigners came to Zanzibar, so the prison was turned into a hospital and quarantine facility. Either way, it stopped being used and was bought to be a private hotel and restaurant. Now it is a tourist site!

The interior courtyard supposedly had a cover, but the details are not clear. Each of the cells have three air slits on the inside and outside walls. Other than that, there is no light and no other source of air flow.

The side of the prison we entered was not used by the prison. The other side of the building opened to a dock-like platform on this side.

The water is so clear it appears shallow, but there is enough depth for the boats that delivered prisoners and supplies. The sea urchins are readily visible here!

Leaving the prison we spot this little guy and friends. This is the Duikers antelope, called dik-dik antelope by the locals. It is about 15 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches long. Tiny!

We head to find the tortoises and pass this interesting milepost!

The we enter the turtle compound. These are Aldabra giant tortoises brough from the Seychelles! Originally four tortoises were brought as a gift to the Sultan, and they have flourished on this island!

Joy dubs these to be the Four Musketeers!

I’m ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille!

Peacocks are also plentiful on the island. While they cry frequently these are not nearly as loud as the peacocks I knew in north Texas!

I finally catch a glimpse of the oldest tortoise – she is 198 years old! She is recognizable for the cracked shell, damaged when a tree fell on her – the injury has long since healed.

We say goodbye to Prison Island and head back to shore. Our mini bus has to take a different entry into the port and I finally see the sign I’ve been looking for. This is the UNESCO World Heritage declaration for Stone Town!