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!
2025-02-08