Zanzibar
Saturday 7/12/2024
After my early run and breakfast an Uber came to take us to the ferry port. On paper it was walkable, even with luggage, but the roadworks would have meant dragging cases through construction sites, so common sense prevailed! At the ferry there was a degree of mayhem – lots of people, queues for everything, and not at all obvious what was required. We were picked up by some semi-official guides who took us to the front of the queues and told us where to go next. Even the check-in time was unclear – the ticket said 2 hours, we asked an official the day before and he said 1 hour, turned up before 8:30 for a 9:30 sailing – and were put on the 8:00 sailing which was just about to leave! We certainly weren’t going to complain about an early departure.
On board we found seats on the sun deck and soon were seeing Dar es Salaam from the water.

We went out past the fish market where we’d enjoyed brunch yesterday.

Once we’d lost sight of Dar es Salaam the trip was fairly uninteresting (we did ass an island with a tower on it) but within a couple of hours we were approaching Zanzibar. Everyone else hurried down to disembark, but there was no rush.

he ferry was a mixture of high and low tech! The luggage containers were lowered down a steep ramp in what looked like a lethal exercise until you noticed the rope controlling its descent.

Welcome to Zanzibar! Zanzibar is semi-autonomous and has its own immigration processes despite being part of Tanzania, which meant more queues!

It soon became apparent that Stonetown, the old part of Zanzibar city which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, had some amazing historic buildings, and some real conservation challenges. This, the Old Customs House, is nicely renovated, but many are is a poor state.

We walked, dragging our bags, along the waterfront then in through the old Fort into the narrow lanes and eventually to the Spice Palace Hotel, right in the middle of the little streets (too narrow for cars, but rather a lot of little motorbikes). The hotel had a small pool in the courtyard, very welcome in the heat.

The neighbouring building had just been restored and looked elegant.

After lunch we took a walk around Stonetown. Joyce was negotiating to buy plums.

This is one of those buildings that look like they need a little TLC. This, I think, is essentially the Town Hall

Ciné Afrique is an unusual art deco style building.

Next the Aga Khan Polyclinic

A seafront hotel

The seafront, cannons and all

Did you know Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar? Well there’s a museum about him, and a bar on the harbourfront named after him.

The Catholic Cathedral, conveniently close to our hotel.

Zanzibar is famous for its doors. The art was almost lost, but now restorations and new builds have created a demand that they find hard to meet.

Sunday 8/12/2024 – Stonetown
An early run took me down past the old fort as it was getting light

Another sad looking building awaiting restoration

I was back in time to shower and change and get to the Cathedral for 7:30 English Mass, which was quiet. I later regretted not going to the 9:00 Swahili Mass which was very lively!

After breakfast I went out exploring again, heading to the Peace Museum designed in the 1920s by British architect John Sinclair (with Indian influences)

A lovely light space inside, and interesting displays

School trip!

Next to the Peace Museum is the Natural History Museum. Not the greatest, but there were some living animals outside

Next door, another building designed by John Sinclair, originally housing the Zanzibar Municipality, now the home of Zanzibar Television

Also in this part of town, the Mnazi Mmoja Gardens (One Coconut Tree Gardens) originally belonging to the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital

There’s quite a bit of restoration work going on around here

One of the gateways to the Old Fort at Forodhani, Stonetown. We were taken through here on the way to our hotel yesterday, which Joyce found a bit disconcerting. We were lucky to get through, as they subsequently closed it for works inside.

Inside the Old Fort – peaceful apart from all the stallholders trying to persuade you to look at their wares.

The Ismaeli Jamatkhana and the Bohora Mosque. Zanzibar is full of mosques !

The “New Mosque”. Well it was once new.

In the afternoon I went for a walk taking me outside Stonetown and into newer parts of Zanzibar City. There were lots of tenement style buildings looking rather sad, but tucked between then was this amazing art deco mosque, the Salammy Mosque

Back in Stonetown I almost got to the only other Christian church in town, the Anglican Cathedral, but my timing was bad and it was closed. I couldn’t even get close enough to get a picture without paying admission to the exhibition (too expensive for the time I had available)

In the evening we went down to Forodhani Gardens on the waterfront – along with most of the population it seems. It’s the place to relax, promenade, and eat.

There was a wide choice of street food available, but we’d just eaten at a café right on the waters edge.

Monday 9/12/2024 – Nungwi and Kendwa
My early morning run took me south today, following the new road towards the airport. Another mosque marked my turning-round point.

On the return leg I managed to get down to the beach

We had booked to go to swim with turtles at Nungwi, right at the north of the island. While we were at breakfast the heavens opened! We had to wade down to Forodhani (the square gateway pictured yesterday) to meet our guide. There was a bit of confusion as it transpired the fee I’d paid didn’t include transport, but we were eventually on our way. It rained almost all the way (about 90 minutes) but stopped as we neared our destination.
And here, I swan with sea turtles!




Or rather, they swam with me
Rather than head straight back to Stonetown our guide, Freddie, suggested we stop at a beach at Kendwa.

It was an amazing beach, though rather touristy and popular with Europeans

I had a swim in the beautiful clear water

And a run along the beach

Boats in the little bay

We then enjoyed refreshments (beer and fresh pineapple juice) before heading back to Stonetown.
We were dropped at an “authentic Swahili restaurant” which turned out to be rather disappointing – very noisy, food not as hot as it should have been – but good to have had the experience.
In the evening we again went to Forodhani to eat, this time treating ourselves to a dessert – Joyce obviously relished her banana split!

After dinner and a hunt for a working ATM, we found a hotel for one last beer on Zanzibar (alcohol is available in the hotels, but not at the cafés on the seafront).
Tuesday 10/12/2024 Zanzibar and Dar-es-Salaam
One last run – long the beach past the State House. The light was amazing, even if it was tricky underfoot



After breakfast, a trip to the Darajani Spice Market, accessed through the little lanes (didn’t take any photos in the market as it was all about SMELL)

I took a last walk around Stonetown – more doors


And another mosque – the Friday Mosque

We had lunch at the restaurant we went to on the first day – proper African food cooked to order.

I’d booked a car to take us to the airport, and the guy arrived on time (though I was anxious having heard nothing beforehand) and he carried our bags out of the lanes to the vehicle. The drive to the airport was easy, and the airport is small, so of course we were ridiculously early for a short domestic flight. Eventually we boarded.

The actual flight was about 15 minutes and we arrived in Dar as the sun was setting

We had to wait quite a while for the car to take us to the hotel (he’d just taken another party) and the road to the hotel was a little unprepossessing, but the hotel in its little walled compound was fine. They cooked us fresh fish, accompanied by local beer, and we got an early night.
Wednesday 11/12/2024
Early night because it was to be an early start for me – to be at the airport for 03:00 (again too early really) The flight eventually left at 6:30 and there was nothing remarkable until we flew up the Red Sea and over the Gulf of Suez and some interesting hills towards Cairo.

Cairo was OK, once I persuaded them to let me into the departures area even though my flight was not for another 6 or 7 hours.
I amused myself with coffee, beer, food, walking around, and a visit to the airport’s museum… complete with mummies and everything





Then another uneventful flight to Heathrow where Meld met me and took me home.
The End!
Nice and well captured