April 21 Entry - Part II

Zanzibar – Paradise?

The Ramers-Herfindahl traveling group spent just three days in Moshi before returning to a life of travel and adventure. This time, we were headed to the island of Zanzibar, just off the coast of Tanzania. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, and other than some similarities in language and custom, it is a very different place than the rest of the mainland. The first most noticeable difference is its dominance of the Muslim culture. When we arrived to the small airport in Stonetown, after a one hour flight from Kilimanjaro airport, we immediately knew we were in a different land. All of the ladies wore bui buis, covering their whole bodies from hands to feet and head coverings. Many women only showed their eyes. In the sweltering heat of the island, it was unbelievable to me that this is how the women live their every day – covered up and hidden from the outside world, often in very dark colored wraps and many times all in black. Some men wore western clothes with the traditional Muslim cap, while others wore long white gowns. Throughout the day you could hear the traditional call to prayer, and the most prevalent building in Stonetown is the mosque. They are also the nicest looking buildings all over the island. It is very common to see large groups of men bowing and kneeling throughout the day. Stonetown is filled with rubbish, and most of the town outside of the tourist area is very run down and poor – similar to the local communities in Tanzania.

After spending an afternoon at the beautiful Tembo Hotel, swimming in the cool pool, and exploring the intricate catacomb-like streets of Stonetown (which is quite dangerous since they are all very narrow and cars drive very fast down them, honking to get walkers out of the way), we found the restaurant where we had reservations for dinner. It is a local home, where dinner is served at just two tables, thus the name – Sambusa Two Tables. In this home, a meal is cooked for up to 16 people. Since it is low season in Zanzibar (due to rain), there was just one other couple that joined us for this feast of local fare, including fish in coconut sauce and many other delicious treats. It was such a treat to not only see a local home and meet a family from Zanzibar, but to enjoy our first taste of the island’s fabulous seafood. Diego met their two year old daughter, who was quite hyper and had a high-pitched scream, and soon their laughter and jumping around turned into her falling and crying. She was a bit aggressive, even for Diego (and for those of you that know Diego well, aggressive women are what he’s used to!). She was promptly removed from our room, and Diego’s playtime was over.

The next day we headed east towards the beach. First, we took a Spice Tour (somewhat touristy, but very interesting nonetheless). We visited a local spice farm and learned about all of the local spices and how they are grown. We smelled and tasted right from the ground lemongrass, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, cardamom, and other exotic spices. After buying a few spices to take home and cook with, we continued on our tour to some ruins. We learned all about the history of Zanzibar, and most especially about the sultan who had 90 concubines and built a palace for them, which burned down. We saw the ruins of it where donkeys now live. We also saw a dhow (local boat) repair location, and learned all about how dhows are made and preserved. When a boat was ready to be sealed, they killed sacrificial cattle inside and let the blood and internal organs of the animals rot inside the boat to seal the wood.

An hour or so later, we arrived to Evergreen Bungalows in Bwejuu, where we found a rustic environment set right on the beach with hammocks and sisal lounge chairs. Our bungalow had an upstairs and downstairs, with a single shower (cold water only) and a functioning flush toilet. The rooms were simple, with no fan and of course no A-C, but the beds did have mosquito nets. Most of our time was spent outdoors on the beach or in the restaurant where we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was only one other “hotel” next door, and nothing else for miles. I thought the bungalow was expensive for what we got, given that mom and dad had to sleep in an oven upstairs in the thatch roof of the bungalow. The food was quite good, and we enjoyed fresh fish dishes and plenty of Tanzanian beer! It was hot and sunny most of the days here, with just one day of downpour rain, which was a nice reprieve from the sweltering heat. At night, the staff brought us lanterns, and the evening ambiance was just perfect!

We left the Evergreen bungalows on Monday afternoon, dropped Christian off at the airport (as he was flying back to Moshi to begin his Kili climb the next day) and the four of us traveled farther north to Uroa, where we stayed at the Tamarind Hotel for the rest of the week. At the Tamarind, we found the accommodations to be upgraded a bit, with a triple bedroom, strong ceiling fan, separate bathroom (tiled!), and an overall nicer feel. Our porch was close to the beach as well, and when the tide was in the water came right up to the edge. The grounds were not well cared for with overgrown grass and deteriorating walkways and sea walls. Plus, there was a terrible trash problem with all sorts of trash floating to the surface when the tide came in – mostly shoes, bottles, plastic sacks, and other random items. Each morning we collected two bags of trash at least so that the beach in front of our bungalow was cleared of trash. We certainly weren’t able to clean up all of the trash, but we did our part. We learned later from the manager of the hotel that the trash problem was much, much worse before the two hotels in this area brought in tourists. Let me assure you, though, that the trash problem is not solved – I was shocked by how much trash came in via the sea, and it made me so sad each morning to see how our oceans have been destroyed by this junk!

The white sand beach here stretched a few miles long between one fancy resort (with a pool) on one end, and a small fishing village at the other end. The beach was endless and beautiful, cluttered with beautiful large seashells and some seaweed. When the tide was out, we watched local fishermen and women walk out hundreds of meters to collect fish of all sorts. Small dhows took people out fishing, as well, and clearly this industry sustains the small village of Uroa. We feasted each night on local fish and seafood – prawns, whole fried fish, octopus – the most delicious seafood I’ve ever had. Our chef at the Tamarind Bungalows was really quite amazing. And since we were the ONLY family staying there the entire week, we were treated to the very finest service and meals! Most of the time we read, walked the beach and played near the water. Unfortunately, the first 3 days in Tamarind were rainy and overcast, but it came as a nice break from the hot sun in Bwejuu. The storms had attracted all of the jellyfish to a more sheltered bay, so our beaches were also full of jellyfish, and I was too nervous to go out swimming in the waters. One day, we visited the fancy resort next door and used their pool, but around noon got caught in a rainstorm, so we had lunch under shelter, and returned to our hotel in the later afternoon. Another day was nice and sunny in the morning, so I decided to take in some sun. Due to the strong Muslim presence in Zanzibar, it is not acceptable except on the tourist beaches to wear swimwear. In other places, women should wear shirts covering their shoulders and long pants or skirts below the knee. Men should wear pants and short sleeve shirts. I felt comfortable wearing my bathing suit in front of our hotel, though, and laid out a towel to do some tanning. Several local people did walk by, and at one point I was harassed by two Muslim women. I heard them coming towards me and glanced over, but continued to lay out in the sun and mind my own business. They proceeded to divide up and one walked below my feet and the other over my head. They made loud grunts and kiss noises as they passed me, then snickered as I glanced up at them after they had passed. This was the only act of real harassment that I have experienced here so far, which in two months is not too bad, but I did feel angry by their treatment, given that we were allowed to wear swimwear at the resorts and that they must have been used to sight; during high season our hotel and the one down the way is always full of visitors, mostly from Europe.

After four days of mostly rain, we decided to head back to Stonetown for a day of shopping. Of course that morning was beautiful with sun, but we knew that going back to Stonetown would be a good transition for us before returning to Moshi. We swam some more at the Tembo hotel, did some shopping, ate at an OK restaurant that had terrific ambiance right on the bay overlooking dhows, and the next morning flew home with little hassle through Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania’s capital) to Moshi. Upon our return, we enjoyed a quiet evening at home with spaghetti and the final episodes of the first season of 24. We expect Christian home any time now, exhausted from his 6 day adventure on the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,000 feet tall!).

Mom and dad leave on Tuesday, and we have just 3 ½ weeks left here in Moshi before leaving for one week’s stay in Nairobi, Kenya. Can I start counting down?

Oh, and one thing I have neglected to mention here is that the closing of escrow on our house was delayed by a tree falling on the roof! On Monday, as the movers were loading our boxes and furniture, high winds took over the city and many, many trees fell. Our neighbor’s tree fell on our roof, damaging just a bit over the bonus room. There was no structural damage, thank goodness, but it took several days for the tree to be removed by a crane and then for a roofing company to fix a few shingles. Leslie and Kim, our realtor, handled the emergency like pros! Unfortunately, due to some strange insurance policies, WE are responsible for paying for this accident, even though the tree was on our neighbor’s property. All in all, it cost us a $500 deductible and a few extra days to close escrow. The cost was mostly emotional for my sister and Kim, who spent many hours on the phone and at the house trying to get it fixed as quickly as possible so that we did not lose our buyer. I am hopeful that we will close escrow this week and put all of this behind us! Just our luck – four days before closing and a tree lands on our roof.

Unfortunately, we won’t have many more exciting adventures, except maybe the travel to Kenya. Christian will finish up the next 3 weeks here doing pediatric rounds, and I will spend most of the time trying to enjoy life here and preparing to leave. I have to say, though, that I am anxious to return home, and already I am looking forward to a big Starbuck’s Latte!

The other exciting thing that happened in the last week was that I received an email from an AVID District Director in Bellevue, WA. She heard that I was moving to Seattle, and that I may be interested in part-time work. I spoke with her on a satellite phone, and it sounds like this will be a beautiful relationship. They are looking for someone who can be flexible in their work schedule and provide professional development to AVID schools. Between the work I do for AVID Center traveling, this will be a perfect opportunity in an ideal setting, to work locally and reduce travel. I am more than excited! And Dion Jahoudy, the District Director in Bellevue, sounds lovely!