What comes to mind first when one reads or hears the name Zanzibar?

The fact is that its known as the Spice Island, Zanzibar is famous for the slave trade in an era gone by, and for its swaying coconut palm trees and turquoise and azure waters, and spice plantations.

Well that’s exactly what came to mind when I made plans to come here.

But there is much more to see than that.

Zanzibar is a 95% Muslim majority island. This is especially noticeable in the way the women dress in what they call ‘buibui’… Our version of abaya, but quite radiant and beautiful.
They also wear kangas, traditional wraps which can be worn in a number of different ways. They usually have inscriptions on their edges.

Kangas also let people know certain things about the women that wear them, like those women who do not travel very far out of their village, for example.

Even their Masaajid are different, most are built to look like a house, but inside it is one big room, although painted in bright colours like purple and green. Plain and simple… And so very different from the Masaajid of most other places.

Did u know that there are only 2 churches here? The Christian community is rather small.

Also there is a Hindu community and I’ve only seen one temple this far although it was inside a building which we walked by.

Stone Town is a must see, although we were dropped just outside the market on the street, which was rather odorous, but hey, its part of the experience right?

So off we went, the guide and I, into the biggest market, made up of stalls with vendors selling the same goods and yet, there is no competition in price with each other. The vendors are separated by the goods they sell.

There are the fish mongers and butchers to one side, each having their own section. And the fruit and vegetable vendors on another side, as well as spice vendors.

Spices come in a variety here, and though I am Indian and cook with spices on a very regular basis, it was nice to see some in their ‘whole’ or ‘natural’ state. Ginger and garlic is quite common back home, as is cinnamon, although we get them in sticks rather than whole. Also you will see tumeric, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, vanilla pods, black pepper and many other spices which are used in the kitchens of Zanzibar.

I came across two fruits I hadn’t seen before, one is ‘plaintain’ which is like a banana but bigger and with a very subtle flavour. They cook it traditionally with coconut and sugar.
The other is a bigger version of what we know as ‘jack fruit’ but it is called ‘Durian’. What the guide told me is that this particular fruit ‘stinks’ when cut open, but if you were to eat it, you would find it to be very sweet.
However, due to the ‘stinky’ nature, be sure to have a breath mint or two handy. Please.

The streets of Zanzibar are a combination of tar, and cobbles, so be sure to wear flats ladies.

Also due to the Muslim nature of the island, please respect the culture by wearing long dresses or skirts, and covering your shoulders and chest. Men must be covered from shoulders to knees.

After the market, we went to a place where the slaves of an era gone by, were sold.
The slave market and auction platform with whipping post has now been converted into a church.
What broke my heart was the fact that slaves were taken in Africa in 3 ways, by kidnapping, ambushing or buying them.
These people and children were then brought to Zanzibar and put into tiny cells which had no ventilation nor any means to facilitate going to the loo. On one side, 50 men would be chained. And 75 women and children would be chained in the cell opposite the men.

The whipping post served as a means of testing a slave’s strength. When whipped, if he or she cried out, it would mean he/she was weak. If he/she did not cry out, they would be considered strong and would fetch a much higher price. Children would be given as a gift to some purchasing ‘strong’ slaves.

The Church has placed a marble slab over the whipping post, and according to the tour guide, it is said that the marble turned red due the blood shed during the whipping.

I didn’t photograph the post/marble slab as it was inside the Church.

One thing to remember is that no person is born a slave, a slave is made.
From there it was on to the House of Wonders. This is now a museum.

Did you know Freddy Mercury was born in Zanzibar? I was a bit surprised to find that out.

Next we went to a store called Memories of Zanzibar. I’m not sure why all the guides take tourists to that particular shop only, but I suppose they may be getting a commission from sales made. I bought a few things because they charged in US Dollars.

I was disappointed though, an acquaintance had told me that Zanzibar had some really nice attar (non alcoholic, oil based perfume) for men. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any in town but managed to find two bottles at the shop at the airport.
Next we went to a restaurant which I must say had an awesome menu, but when they brought the food out, I was so disappointed because the lobster was cooked on the outside yet raw on the inside. Now imagine my fear of getting food poisoning in a foreign land… But, shukr alhamdulillah, I was fine.

Some of the other things one could do while in Zanzibar is snorkelling, swimming with the dolphins, going in a dhau boat to Pemba Island and having a picnic/beach BBQ there, and going hiking in the Jozani forest and having a look at the Colobus Monkeys which are so rare, there’s only about 2000 of them left.

What’s really lovely about staying at resorts is that they have traditional Swahili and Masai meals and entertainment during your stay, and this really exposes you to a little bit of what the culture of the Swahili and Masai are all about.

If you are considering travelling to Zanzibar soon, please take note of the following:
When you get to the airport, you will have to pay US$50.00 per person for the visa for entry into Zanzibar.
Most places charge in/accept US Dollars. If you require TZS or Tanzanian Shillings, the exchange rate is approximately US$ 1 = TZS 1400. (This may change in future).

Make sure you have your yellow fever vaccination card with you when travelling. Malaria tablets can be taken as a precaution.
A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen is an absolute necessity!

Take sandals with for walking on the beach or you may just find yourself stepping on unexpected crustaceans of some sort.
Other than that, I wish you a wonderful, relaxing trip.
As they love saying in Zanzibar: Hakuna Matata!!