Return home starts Sunday

Today, Saturday, I leave Abuso Inn in Stone Town to walk to Mama Rahma's home for one more night and it has rained buckets all morning!  It is just after noon and it has slowed way down and I can see some blue sky.  Yeah!

I would like to enjoy my 1.5 more warm and sunny days here of walking around and sitting by the Indian ocean.  I have to be at the Zanzibar airport tomorrow by 2:30 pm and then about 32 hours of getting to Denver will start.

There is a 9 hour time difference between here and Denver also. I will be all mixed up for a while when I get home!

After Tuesday I will have my cell phone and may be awake during normal Denver hours!?!   I hope to hear from all my friends, to catch up and to help you if you had flood damage and could use help.

I hope to take photos today at Mama Rahma's and post again but may not because I don't know where I will get to the internet again.  Goodbyes are too hard and I have had many of them and they don't get easier. 

I will miss the many food places with ocean views where I go in the afternoon to drink a coca cola and study Swahili (photo). And many people,  of course. 

But I look forward to the hello part of returning home!

Around the island

The pictures:

Ruins of the Old Fort in downtown Zanzibar town. Includes the site of a former slave market. 

Kwenda beach in north part of island - every vista looked like paradise.  Absolute ly beautiful!  But, it was so hot that I stayed in the shade all day except to take a couple walks on the beach. 

Red colobus monkeys in the Jozani Rainforest in the east part of the island.  the red colobus are pretty but not as big or as showy as the black colobus.  That rainforest is protected now. Most of the rest of the island's rainforest has been cut down for a long time. I also went to a turtle sanctuary and a mangrove nearby.  Good stuff!

A view of the Zanzibar harbor. 

Mama Rahma's kitchen

Making fish sticks for a catering order. Or "Fishy sticks" as they call them.   the main kitchen is outside on a concrete slab. It has a cloth cover over it. All preparations and cooking are done here. 

You see the coal fire with the pan of oil on it for frying in the third picture. To the right is a bag of charcoal with a cat sleeping on it. Lots of cats arond and so many flies. When a tray of sticks is made and ready to fry, it is covered with net or newspaper.

 

Pic 1 & 2: Mama Rahma forms the fish mixture on the stick and then dips in egg then coats in crust mix for frying.  

Pic 4: sometime 3 or 4 women are working on the food order.  Everyone sits on the mat on the cement floor, chats, and gets it done efficiently.  

She had a big order every day that I was there.  Sometimes fishy sticks, cakes, samosas, etc. She is a ball of fire! 

Zanzibar wedding

The evening was very interesting.  I did not know this evening event was only for women or that we would all sit on the floor the entire time. Unfortunately, my skirt was mostly calf length so I used the scarf to cover my legs while sitting rather than cover my head.

As we walked into the hall, we removed shoes, received a splash of something on our hands and a bag of food, including baked goods, a bottle of water, and a can of pop.

The women were dressed to the nines! Lots of sequins and jewels on dresses and head scarfs. Lots of makeup, bright eye shadows,  liner, etc. I have never in my life been as glamorous as any one of them. They really know how to get beautiful.  Sitting on the floor for 2 hours is hard for me- was wishing my skirt was long!

There was almost 2 hours of music - 8 men dancing, 4 men singing Arabic type songs, and many of the ladies swayed to the music, standing near the men. All guests knew the words to the songs.  Music was upbeat and good.

Then the "bridesmaids" walked thru us to pass out grilled chicken on a stick (1 each) and then a plastic cup of ice cream. Finally the music stopped and all eyes went to the entryway.  The attendants came first, then the bride. Wow! Amazing dress, hair, and makeup.  She went to the stage to pose for pictures and about half the guests left immediately- strange to me.

About 10 minutes later, the groom entered and joined her. More posing for pics. Then it was over and we left.  I never quite knew what would happen next, when it would end, etc. I wondered which person was the bride until the end when she walked in and the guests left.  It was a nice surprise to see the groom enter!

Spice tour, snorkeling and Prison Island

On Saturday my house dad, Hafid, took me to see Abdul, who took me to a spice farm for a tour. I was the only tourist there so it was relaxed. I saw many plants,  including cinnamon,  vanilla,  pepper,  cloves,  nutmeg,  oranges,  bananas,  pineapple,  coconut, grapefruit, and more.

The farm is small, 6 people work there. They all carry sharp knives and they know every plant well. How to harvest,  what parts to use, and medicinal properties of every one. They are totally in tune with nature. 

A young boy kept weaving things for me from leaves, including a ring, a bracelet,  a crown, a necklace,  and a basket.

At the end, we sampled teas and ate fruit.

I had another tour today on a boat. We sailed for about 30 minutes to Prison Island.  The water is blue-green and perfectly clear. We walked thru the old prison that is now a hotel and it was interesting. 

The highlight was the snorkeling on the reef just off the island.  My two guides stayed on the boat so I snorkeled alone. It was so amazing,  and this was one time I wished for a friend to share the experience with.  I hope I can get on the water again. 

Pictures: our boat- sailed there, motored back.
Prison island- never used as a prison
Giant land turtles in sanctuary on island

More pics

Kids playing in the dirt at the entry to a house next to my meal house where the 2 guys stay. There are kids and lots of people on the paths and dirt streets at all hours.

The  Kiswandui house where Rahma cooks and I eat meals. Close to walk to town and beach from here. I stay at the Kukoni house which is new and beautiful but is a 8 minute drive from town.  Lots of dirt, rocks, chickens,  kids,  and activity all the time.

From the roof of Kukoni house where I did laundry- looking down on a woman cooking bananas (in front of her) and boiling fish (to her right) this morning.  The area must be the kitchen.  The rest of the house had a metal roof.

Another pic from the roof. Girls and kids sit on the back if motorcycles and bicycles sideways and they share the road with cars, trucks,  carts, walkers, etc. The street traffic just can't be put into words. So crazy!

Scenes from Zanzibar stone town.

The old part of Zanzibar town is very old and has Arab influence in all buildings.  It is known for the many intricately carved wood doors dating back to the times of the slave trade here.

Pictures:

A tower from the old wall of the original city.

One street on my walk to town.

Scenes from the market on my way to school. It goes on forever and includes fruit, veggies, fish, dates, spices, household products, shoes, everything. It is huge and a maze. There's another across the street and I wandered it with Juliett who is an American here studying Swahili.  Girls went shopping in the scarf and clothing district!