Stonetown

Wednesday, January 01, 2020
Zanzibar, Mjini Magharibi Region, Tanzania
          Happy New Year!  Awoke around 8:30.  Not too hung over so drank some water and headed to breakfast then laid on the beach for an hour.  The sun is HOT here and this close to the equator I didn’t want to spend too much time in the rays (even with SPF70 on).  I decided to pay another roundtrip fare to go back to Stone Town since I’d regret if I missed it.  This diver took a route around the super crappy section of road which was awesome.  Got dropped off by the old fortress and cruised the alleys looking into the random shops and stalls.  I got lost trying to find the old slave market next to the Angelical Cathedral.  I kept ending up in the same alleyways multiple times before I took the correct set of turns and made it to my destination.  The alleys DO NOT line up with Google Maps whatsoever!  The museum had an interesting history of the East African Slave Trade and reminded me of the Genocide Museum in Rwanda – bewildering how these things evolve and actually happen.  Next, I found the house Freddy Mercury lived in as a child (without getting lost!) and carried on to buy some souvenirs and grab some lunch.   Randomly, I ran into Chris and Ursula in a back alley while wandering around.  They were with a guide (might have been a good idea!) and it was cool to run into someone I knew. 
          All in all, I’d have to say I wasn’t that impressed with Stone Town.  It didn’t really have the quaint feeling of European villages or the ancient wonder of say Tangiers or Istanbul.  Maybe it was all the cables and wiring strung every which way but seemed like it lacked a certain picturesque character.  Plus, the communities between town and the resorts feel very poverty stricken, poor cinder block construction with dirt floors and no windows or lighting.  I can’t remember seeing one nice building or place that seemed really photo-worthy other than the beaches and ocean.  I know not every place is picture-perfect but I had higher expectations for Zanzibar. 
          I met my driver, Ramadan, back at the fort and napped during the drive back.  A quick pool drink (another Island Snow with Faustin) and some last sunset pics before dinner and packing up.  5:00am departure for the airport tomorrow.  Boo.  Asanti sana Zanzibar!
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