The island life really
is the life for me!
So making the decision to venture to Zanzibar for a long
weekend vacation for Laura’s birthday was pretty easy. All I did was say “Heck
Yes!” I forgot how much I loved island vacations and exploring, and was super
happy to be back in the humid, salt-smelling, relaxing environment I’ve missed
and love.
(Such unique art and style!)
We arrived in Stone Town on Thursday in the evening, and
didn’t have a whole lot of down time before we were rushing off to make our
dinner reservation at the Emerson on Hurumzi Tea Room. Having just arrived, we
were unfamiliar with the layout of the city and were quickly lost in the
winding, twisting corridors that serve as streets. Eventually we found our way
and were seated on cushions to enjoy our three-course, traditional Swahili
dinner. Boy was it good! We started out with pita and tahini and beetroot
hummus, followed by goat massaman curry, and finished with fruit samosa and
coffee flavored meringue. Paired with a hibiscus cocktail, this was a meal for
the books! It was so delicious, the atmosphere was phenomenal, and the service
was super! It was a great birthday dinner for Laura!
On Friday, we spent the morning getting lost in Stone Town. We
did have a guide leading us through the maze of streets and pointing out the
highlights. This city has a super interesting history. It was a major port area
for the slave trade in to and out of Africa and was governed by the Portuguese,
Indians, and Arabs throughout history. Hundreds of thousands of African people
were enslaved and sold in Zanzibar, shipped to other nations near and far, and
died due to horrible living conditions. We visited some slave chambers in which
50-70 people were crammed into a low ceilinged room that wasn’t much larger
than my bedroom (a tiny square) and where men wore shackles around their necks
and were forced to remain squished together in lines. Because of a lack of
ventilation in these underground chambers, and the tight quarters, many people
died and disease ran rampant. The same goes for the ships the slaves were
placed on. A huge Anglican church was constructed on top of the remains of the
slave chambers and now serves as a stopping point for many to learn about the
history of Zanzibar.
In addition to learning all about he history, we also
learned about the architecture. For examples, there are over 200 carved wooden
doors in Stone Town and they are all very unique. But there are two distinct
styles- an Indian styled with curved tops and have spikes on the doors (for
keeping the elephants from breaking down the doors in India, but of course just
serves as decoration on an island), and an Arab door, which is square shaped
and has an prayer written in Arabic along the top of the frame. These doors
sometimes also have chains decorating the sides to show who were slave owners
or traders. The doors were beautifully crafted and when Laura and I were
walking around, it was neat to note the differences in the doors. Also, fun
fact about Stone Town- it is so named because the buildings are all made out of
coral and then covered with plaster. And
if a house needs to be rebuilt, it has to be constructed in the same exact way,
as it previously was so as not to ruin the “look” of the area. Only natural
materials can be used and the same colors have to be used for painting.
Besides learning about all of the aesthetics of Stone Town,
we ventured into shops, selling all sorts of curios and souvenirs, markets full
of fruits, fish, and spices, and toured the many hidden gems of Stone town.
Having a guide was really nice because it made getting around much easier and
helped Laura and I to figure out our way around the city. After the tour we ate
at The House of Spices and sampled some of the local foods. After that, we
caught a taxi to our beach hotel for the next three nights!
We stayed at the Zanzibar Retreat Hotel on Matamwe Beach,
and at the end of our stay we didn’t want to leave! One of the owners, Karen
greeted us and warmly welcomed us. She showed us around, chatted with us, made
sure we had everything we needed, and was just all around there for us! She was
so kind and helpful and we felt more like family than customers. Also the staff
was there for our every need and made a point to get to know us. Two full days
of lounging around a pool and beach did us good! It was nice to have no responsibilities
and to just not worry about anything.
(Such a cozy environment!)
(Beach > Everything else)