Thurs 19th. Had been fairly scathing about Zanzibar over the years, but my ambition was to get to Pemba Island and it seemed I had to go via Zanzibar , so it was a good excuse to visit the Island with is a huge tourist destination. I walked to the port. I had paid my 85,000tsh ( 35usd) for the hour and a half crossing. Very quick. Had to have my passport stamped and fill in a landing card.. .surprised me a little but Zanzibar has some separate laws to the mainland.
I walked to avoid Stone Town to get a feel for the place. It wasn’t what I was expecting and my first impressions were fairly negative….busy, lots of traffic. I walked into a Market area and when it started pouring with rain I took shelter with a nice ginger tea. I then looked for accomm and found a place for 35,000 which was a dingy, dark dive with a shared outside toilet. Went walkabout and settled on the Rumaisa Htl for 70,000 which had a/c and comfort but didn’t include b’fast. Stayed there 15th & 16th.
I went for a walkabout around Stone Town to get my bearings…I seemed to do a lot of that over the next few days. I ended up at the Patamu pub and that’s where I went every day that I was in Zanzibar. I liked the clientele…the group of Maasai who came every day to play pool. The waitresses were fun as well. When I joked about a bottle of brandy that was virtually empty and said to not throw it away, I got a free shot.
I never ate in restaurants but from stalls on the streets and side streets. On day 2 I went into the old Market area again and had a soup lunch consisting of potatoes, bits of mishikaki meat, a kachori, cabbage, chilli and tangy lemon….all for 1,000…about 40pence. Also had a tea and mandazi bfast there. Rest of my stay in Zanzibar I had snacks of kachori, bajias, samosas…really managed to keep the cost down.
I think day 2 it really poured down and water gushed down the narrow streets. Lots of shops to shelter in. I had a hot and spicy ginger tea…really burned my mouth…but certainly authentic. On my walks around I passed the Freddie Mercury museum, the Catholic cathedral, Old Fort walls, the slave trade exhibition…but none of which I visited. It was all very touristy and I wasn’t prepared to spend that sort of money. There were lots of tour groups and they looked pretty bored being bombarded with so much information. One thing I was sort of interested in was going to Prison Island to see tortoises and a bit of beach. But the cost was stupid money, although I did manage to get the cost right down to 20,000 by talking to Paul over a couple days. But when I saw the boats of tourists streaming back every afternoon, I started to get negative vibes. And there was a bit of beach in Zanzibar city anyway. Nicole, who I met, said the excursion was overrated, so I’m glad I didn’t go.
On day 3 I moved to Aumeria hotel which was actually in Stone Town. It overlooked a little square and I had a balcony and much more fun. Same price of 70,000 but with a nice big breakfast so I didn’t need much food during the day. I spent maybe around 2,000, so less than 1 pound. I still got lost in those streets every day which was a bit frustrating. But it meant I came across something different every time. The number of touristy shops…wow…so many souvenirs on offer.
Sunday 18th I watched the World Cup final at the Spice Palace htl and its roof garden…very pleasant. Really enjoyed my Zanzibar stay. It was extended by a day because there were no sailings to Pemba on a Monday. Bought my ticket for Tues 20th. Forodhani on the waterfront was very lively in the evenings…food, activities like people jumping off a high wall into the ocean. So I would recommend Zanzibar to anyone. The hotel accommodation is expensive but you can money on where and how you eat. The place is lively and fun; I enjoyed my time there. Like I said, there is some beach to relax on and even go for a swim. So Tues 20th I was heading to Pemba Island.