Grand Africa Cruise Trip Day 42/96 - Our second day in Zanzibar - Jambo Jambo, Pole Pole, and Hakuna Matata
We never thought we would make a trip like this in our lifetime. One where we would see the wonders of Africa while simultaneously seeing the Detroit Lions win their division for the first time in our lives. It is a magical time indeed.
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| We saw this blue lion artwork and thought it was appropriate today, given the Detroit Lions' division win last night and #1 seed for the playoffs |
Today's tour was walking in the Stone Town area of Zanzibar City. Stone Town is so named because of the coral stone used in most buildings, giving the architecture its unique look. We took bus #7 to the Anglican Church where we began our tour. Today's themes were Jambo Jambo, Pole Pole (pronounced POL-lay POL-lay), and Hakuna Matata. All are Swahili phrases that mean, Hello, Slowly, and No Problems, respectively. Of course, thanks to The Lion King, you probably knew that last one.
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| The first things that stand out in Stone Town are the doors - they are amazingly intricate |
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| The slave trade was huge here in Zanzibar |
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| East Africa credits the spread of Christianity with helping to bring about the end of slavery |
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| To recognize Christianity's influence in ending slavery, this church was built on the site of a former slave market |
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| Christ Church Cathedral, an Anglican Church |
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| What do you notice behind the trees to the left of the steeple? |
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| A monument in memory of the slaves and their mistreatment is outside of the church |
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| Here's a better look - it is a mosque's minaret - the church and mosque are essentially right next to each other symbolizing Zanzibar's religious tolerance and respect |
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| The church is part of the Anglican Church of Tanzania |
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| Not sure what this is, but it looked cool |
We entered the church where our guide gave us an overview of the slave trade and the Church's role in ending it.
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| Bishop Edward Steere who had the church built |
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| Is it me, or does he look a little like Will Ferrell? |
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| While we were there, they turned all the Christmas lights on, a nice touch |
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| Reliefs of the Stations of the Cross were mounted on the walls |
Our tour continued into the underground slave chambers.
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| 50 or more slaves were crammed into these rooms |
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| There were no sanitary areas or comforts of any kind |
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| We could not sit upright without hitting our heads on the ceiling |
We walked through a display that explained the history of the slave trade and its ultimate end.
Our tour continued as we walked pole pole to a local market where the locals came to buy supplies and fresh food like meat and fish.
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| We walked past multiple street vendors with every conceivable make and model of cell phone available |
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| Getting fish ready for sale |
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| New arrivals to the market |
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| There is a little bit of everything here |
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| Fresh meat on one side |
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| Fresh fish on the other side |
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| A separate area had fruits, veggies, and of course, spices |
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| Typical architecture - the place was vibrant with locals and tourists everywhere |
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| Seriously - people were everywhere |
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| More interesting doors - the chain motive around the edge represents slavery, the flowers represent agriculture, the family name is in Arabic on the top center, and the spikes represent Indian influence as elephants used to head-butt doors and the spikes deterred them |
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| This was the former site of Persian baths |
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| The doors all had similar features |
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| But they all were unique |
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| Karibu - welcome; Njema - beautiful; pole pole - slowly; asante - thank you |
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| The Old Fort |
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| It was built around 1700 by the Omani Arabs after they replaced the Portuguese as rulers of the island |
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| There was a small garden area between the fort and the Indian Ocean |
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| We walked past the Freddie Mercury House |
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| Freddie Mercury, the late lead singer of the band, Queen, was born in Zanzibar |
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| In case we forgot, there were reminders to pole pole |
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| We stopped at this hotel for refreshments - these are the rules - oh well, there goes the transparent clothing - dang it |
This brought our tour to an end. We opted to stay for a while, wandering around (still pole pole, hakuna matata) and browsing the shops.
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| Just some interesting sewer maintenance covers |
On our way back to find the ship's shuttle, we saw someone having a much worse day than we were.
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| That's going to leave a mark... |
We caught the shuttle and returned to the ship. We wanted to be back by 3:30 as they were scheduled to raise the gangway and move the ship out to anchor for the remainder of our stay. When we got back on the ship, we received an update via Seabourn's Source app on our phones. Once again, plans had changed, but this time for the better. We would no longer have to move the ship and will remain docked until our departure tomorrow afternoon. Not having to take a tender back and forth is a great thing and will make tomorrow's tour much easier.
A little more about where we are.
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| Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania and an archipelago that consists of two main islands and multiple smaller islets |
Zanzibar became a standalone country as part of the British Commonwealth in December 1963 but internal unrest overthrew the government and it became independent in early 1964. Shortly after that, Zanzibar merged with Tanganyika (who had gained independence from Great Britain in 1961) and formed Tanzania. Zanzibar remains semi-autonomous with its own government and flag but it is part of Tanzania and residents are Tanzanian. Confused? It's definitely a little different, but it works for them.
After the usual pre-dinner libations at the Observation Bar, we joined a table in The Restaraunt hosted by Amber, the band singer. This is our third (or fourth) dinner with Amber and it was fun, as usual. Of course, the food and the service by Kristof added to the evening.
The schedule today mentioned a "Blanc Bash" tonight poolside - essentially a white-out party where everyone wears white. It would have been great if Seabourn let us know before the cruise to plan for this, but they didn't. We could have winged it, but instead, we opted to return to the suite and watch a movie, calling it an early evening. We have an early day tomorrow so getting to bed made more sense.
When we returned to our room, we had some paperwork waiting for us. The first was a detailed itinerary for our overland safari starting on January 22 from Durban, South Africa. The second was an expected itinerary change. We were supposed to stop in Mamoudzou, Mayotte on January 18. Due to the category 4 cyclone, Chido, that hit the area, we cannot go there, although our tourist dollars would likely be a nice cash infusion to an area that desperately needs it.
Instead, our visit to Nosy-Be, Madagascar has moved from January 17 to January 18 and we added a new stop in Antsiranana, Madagascar on January 17. As usual, we'll roll with the changes and make the best of any other itinerary updates.
Tomorrow, monkeys!
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