Full Moon Over Zanzibar

Howdy ya'll. I'm feeling lazy so I'm taking the week off and letting someone else do the work. So here's a little bit my mom wrote about her visit here. And if I can get it together I'll try to rope my 3rd grader into writing up his story too.

Cheers!

*****

And here face down beneath the sun
And here upon earth's noonward height
To feel the always coming on
The always rising of the night…

Archibald MacLeish

Part 1: Spice Tour

It looked like we’d never make our 7:30 am flight from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar. The driver was supposed to pick us up at 6:00 and it was already 6:30 with no sign of him. Early morning traffic in Dar, especially on a Friday, can be daunting, and the airport was not close. Luckily for us (and the driver), the traffic was lighter than usual. After a stop at the wrong terminal and a mix-up over boarding passes, we slid into our seats just before they closed the door.

Barely time to heave a sigh of relief before we were up and down. Total flight time: 20 minutes. Zanzibar is an island (actually, a handful of islands—an archipelago) in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania. These islands have a long and not always savory history, stretching back perhaps as much as 2,000 years. But more of that in Part 2.

We were met at the airport by our highly reliable driver, Mr. Mandazi. A very quick ride and we were at the American Embassy Guest House. Situated just outside of Stonetown, the guest house has three spacious bedrooms, each with large windows and view over the tropical gardens and the ocean. Downstairs there is a living room, a dining room, and a game room, as well as the kitchen. The very reasonable fee includes not only housekeeping staff but a cook as well. I could get used to this!

Breakfast was ready for us in just a few minutes. Passion fruit juice, French toast, scrambled eggs, tea, and coffee (instant, just to prove you can’t have it all, I guess). We ate our meals on the wrap-around, screened porch with the same ocean views as the bedrooms. The kids loved playing on the large hammocks and chasing the guinea fowl that roamed the property. Beach access was through a locked gate, so there were no worries about unauthorized swimming.

That afternoon Mr. M had arranged for us to take a spice tour at a kind of demonstration spice farm. The kids each got a big banana leaf rolled into a cone to hold samples of all the various spices. Our guide took us around to the plants and, after giving us a chance to guess what each was, explained about how they were grown and what they were used for, both as food and medicine. Zanzibar is known for its spices, especially cloves. The smells were wonderful, and of course there was an opportunity to buy packets of individual spices or combinations of spices such as Masala tea.

The tour ended with a fruit tasting. In addition to the expected oranges and tangerines, we sampled passion fruit, mango, custard apple, jack fruit, papaya, and others whose Swahili names are lost to memory. The pineapple was especially sweet and delicious.

We left looking like extras for a production of South Pacific, decorated with hats and necklaces and rings cleverly fashioned from leaves and stems. On the drive back to the guest house, in the growing darkness, we saw through the trees the full moon over Zanzibar.

Part 2: Stone Town

The next day the Tiptons decided to head across the island to the east coast where the best beaches were said to be found. I opted for a tour of Stonetown and some shopping. The resourceful Mr. M drove me into town and arranged for a tour guide-- a history student who spoke quite good English.

For two and a half hours we explored the streets and buildings of Stonetown. It was hot by my standards, although it was “winter.” But I was quickly caught up in the history and drama of the islands and eager to learn more. Through the centuries the island has been visited by traders and explorers from Greece, Persia, India, and a host of other countries. The Portuguese were here in the late 15^th century and later the Arabs and the British.

Zanzibar served as a staging area for famous expeditions like those of Livingstone, Speke, and Stanley. An excellent book about Stanley’s search for Livingstone is Into Africa by Martin Dugard. Fortunately, I had read this book just before coming, so I was a least a little familiar with the places and events surrounding those expeditions.

During those same years, the slave market flourished in Zanzibar. Slave traders, mostly Arabs, brought captured slaves to the island where they were sold and shipped to destinations like Arabia and Persia (Iran), or kept to be used to work the plantations on Zanzibar itself. The Anglican Cathedral, built in 1877 when the slave trade was abolished, now stands on the site of the slave market. On the grounds of the cathedral is a group of stone statues of male and female slaves, a grim reminder of the past. We also went down into the underground holding cells where large numbers of captives were crowded in damp, airless conditions before being sold. That was a somber moment.

The narrow, winding streets of Stonetown provided a happier aspect. My guide took me through the local fish, meat, and vegetable markets and then on to important local landmarks like the House of Wonders, the Old Fort, and the Palace Museum, formerly the residence of the last Sultan of Zanzibar. Here I first stumbled upon mention of Princess Salme, daughter of Sultan Seyyid Said and a slave woman.

Her story is a fascinating one. As a young woman in 1865 she met Rudolph Heinrich Reute, a German businessman. They became lovers. When she was found to be pregnant, she fled the country, fearing for her life. Eventually, she married Reute and lived in Germany, even after his death. She tells the story of her life in Memoirs of an Arabian Princess, which she wrote in German. An English translation is available and I look forward to receiving it from Amazon.com when I return home. There are many photographs of her, both as a young girl and as an elderly matron. Her compelling gaze gives evidence of strong personality.

After a lunch of falafel and chips (French fries) at the Stonetown Café, I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. It’s a good thing I have plenty of room in my duffel bag for the baskets and cloth and other trinkets I couldn’t resist.

When it was time to leave, I simply called Mr. M. from my daughter’s cell phone (everyone here seems to have a cell phone, and they “text message” all the time) and he appeared within a couple of minutes. We arrived back just as the Tiptons drove in from their day at the beach. But I’ll leave it to them to tell you all about that. Another night now and another full moon over Zanzibar.