We are going to Zanzibar, the land where Freddie Mercury was born. Zanzibar or Zengibar consists of two autonomously administered islands in Tanzania in the east of Africa.. Stone Town, the capital of the autonomous region consisting of two islands, the main island Zanzibar and the Pemba Island. A tiny island in the Indian Ocean where black people live despite the white sands.. We don’t know what awaits us. We are on the road with excitement and joy.
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Zanzibar in short
- They said that each village in Zanzibar has a separate administration. Our vehicle, which was on the road, was stopped by the police at many points.. There were nail boards on the floor. According to our guide, permissions were set beforehand.. They knew we were going through. Once upon a time, the papers came and went.. I had a hard time understanding what was going on.
- I was photographing left and right at these police stations.. The guide hastily warned me not to take pictures. Do not take photos at police stations. Also, don’t take photos of women without permission.. He has a penalty. They don’t even give you permission when you ask for permission.
- They put weird make-up on tiny kids.. I don’t know if it was because it was a holiday.. When you want to take a picture of her, her mother says $5.. What do I take, what do I give.
- Two days is never enough for Zanzibar. If I had more time I would like to do a spice tour. You can go to Freddie Mercury’s house and visit the slave market full of pain. You can go to see giant tortoises. You can swim with them.
- Zanzibar is a very poor country. Don’t forget to bring something for the kids when you go there.. Many things that you don’t look back turn into big smiles in their eyes.. We are very afraid that we will be lynched while distributing aid.. The friends who distributed it the day before, remained among the people.. We distributed what we took by knocking on the doors early in the morning.. Even then there was a fight between the brothers. I’m officially scared. What to bring; everything that is light in the load… Stationery, clothes, mostly slippers… Children with bare feet. Buckles for girls, water balloon toys for boys…
- They don’t look like African niggers. They have thick eyebrows, they were actually going to be white like us, but it looks like they turned black at the last minute.
- On an idyllic island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, they are very harsh, poor as can be, very unhappy and serious.. We had crossed from Kenya to Zanzibar.. I was there laughing and joking with the soldiers. I was posing with the soldiers’ guns. Nobody here laughs except the children and they are very aggressive. Take care of yourself.
- Currency is Tanzanian Shilling. One of the rare places where our money is valuable…
How did we go to Zanzibar?
All our safaris in Kenya are over and now we are changing countries. First we fly from Nairobi to Mombasa. Our plane is orange with a cartoon of Bags Bunny on it. Our plane’s name is Bob Marley. It’s almost like a flying version of the Bağcılar minibus.. As soon as we get on the plane, we are surprised by the rudeness of the stewardesses.. They literally throw the food in our laps. We get off the plane in Mombasa for disembarkation, boarding and refueling.. Our sullen stewardess asks us to get off the plane for fuel and for our safety.
When our guide asks if we can smoke, that sullen stewardess starts laughing out loud.. Our guide will blow us up. No one else could have asked such a thing.
Zanzibar Airport is a Place of Judgment
The distance between Mombasa and Zanzibar is very short. I got a little cold in the Kenyan steppes, this place is on fire. There’s a lot of landing planes and an apocalyptic crowd waiting at customs. Saying “Salamu alaikum” and being Muslim allows us to get ahead of the Italians who landed before us. It’s very warm inside and it’s crowded.. We need to fill out a form. We need to enter other rows with that form.. It was so confusing that I have trouble remembering. Because we are a group, we can get ahead a bit.. For a visa, you can take your photo and get the visa for 50 dollars at the door.. Visa officers are pretty slow. We’ve been on the road since early in the morning. We’re on fire now, when it’s cold in the morning.
We are split into two cars waiting for us at last when everyone leaves. We’re going to the northernmost part of the island.. It takes a whole hour. We pass through towns and villages.. We are on a tropical island with palm trees. We’ll stay at Amman Bungalows.
First Meeting with the Indian Ocean
I can’t stand it and throw myself on the beach while our reception business is being handled.. The scenery I saw was amazing. The Indian Ocean is in front of me with its white sands and turquoise color.. Wooden stairs are so beautiful that their feet are in the ocean.. On the one hand, it’s hot. Everything tempts me to go astray and I can’t stand it and jump into the sea with my clothes on.. It’s like a medicine for the road, insomnia and heat.. I did the same in Batumi in the middle of the night.. My teammates, who thought I was crazy at first, then thanked me when I jumped into the water.. The most relaxing thing is the water and the sea.
Setction to the rooms and then we immediately throw ourselves to the beach.. It’s late now, the sun has lost its effect. Masai locals chatting around us while we try to chat on the beach and enjoy the sunset. They surrounded us like a circle. Hotel security is waiting for us. Unbelievable. We are deafening.
We are watching the people of Zanzibar walking on the beach in the evening.. Zanzibar is a Muslim country affiliated to Tanzania. We end the day in a magnificent sunset, on the white sands, sometimes rolling, sometimes swimming. When we go down to dinner, we see that the sea is gone. The equinox events of geography books are happening before our eyes.
African animation team performs while we dine at our hotel.. They dance to the drums. A boa constrictor is coming in the final. Of course, we take the snake on our shoulders.. I have difficulty in carrying it from its very heavy and slippery skin. They tied the snake’s mouth with tape.. His tongue goes in and out of his mouth. It’s true that it’s scary, but how many times can a person do this in his life?
We are having a big fish for dinner, but not in the flavors we are used to.. It has a sour taste. I don’t remember what fish it was. He has one eye as big as a pearl.. Seafood soup is going to be my favorite for the next days. I taste the same from everything I eat for a few days. Turns out that’s what happened before the immune system collapsed.. When I got back, I slept with the serums.
A Walnut Shell in the Indian Ocean
There is a boat tour on our second day. We board our boats from Stonetown. The waters receded from the equinox. All the items are in your hand and you have to move through the waters.. The water at the depth where the boats can dock is almost the height of the water that comes to our waist. The items you take with you may get wet.. You should take your precautions accordingly.. Mine are getting a little wet.. The boats are like Simbat’s boats. A walnut shell. Don’t expect anything like a toilet.. They have fitted a motor from the stern, a sail made of cloth, a boat for you.. Just a few sizes larger than our fishing boats. We’re going out on a sand island. Anything like a movie frame. They made awnings with colorful fabrics on top of sticks stuck in the sand.. I’m wondering under the water. Underwater is truly extraordinary.
Have you ever swam in Boiling Sea Water?
When diving and diving into a reef, the water suddenly becomes so hot that it is unbelievable. I ask my friend, no answer.. Is it just me or is it at sea thermal water temperature? really hot. When I look at the island for a while, I see all the boats moving and we are in the middle of the sea.. Luckily they pick us up from the sea. The islet of sand from the equinox only stays out for 1 hour.. Then it was sinking. The heat of the sand boils the water of the sea.. So there’s nothing to be afraid of. While those walnut shell boats are turning, they are sailing in such a way that you are teleported to the fairy tale world in a moment.. The walnut boats in the Indian Ocean and their white sails are like a scene from Simbat. A gust of wind and dozens of boats with white sails on the Indian Ocean… Even now, I can go to that moment.. something fabulous. We’re going to another island for lunch. There are many stalls opened. Shawls, dresses, t-shirts, magnets unique to Zanzibar…. While shopping on one hand, we enjoy the island on the other.. Our lunch will be here. Boiled rice comes first. Topped with a tomato and pepper sauce.. really delicious. Then come the giant prawns and the deadliest blow, the lobsters.. When the country is tropical, the cheapest food is lobster, shrimp. Whatever the chicken or mackerel fish that comes out to be cheap on our boat tours, this is their cheap food here.. Like a joke.
Being a White Woman in Africa
Being white in Africa means you will get a lot of attention, especially if you are a woman. At a beach party we attended in the evening, a mingling Masai man hugs and kisses. you must take care of yourself. The ring worn on the thumb means a wedding ring.. I come across this question a lot because I use it a lot.. As I wrote before, the security of the hotel was waiting for us.. We were surrounded by the Masai that we did not understand what they were saying.. we are in a muslim country. He’s also quite a devout Muslim.. It is forbidden to even take pictures of women.. They are walking around in full hijab in that heat.. White woman must mean free sex to them. If you are white and a tourist, they think that everything is free… Those with blonde hair are even more under the label.. I’m grateful for my black hair. In such a situation, if you declare that you are a Muslim, you can get away with it, even for a bit.
Children of Zanzibar Woman of Zanzibar Masai Native, Zanzibar
Time to Dive in the Indian Ocean
I am ready for diving, which is a passion for me on my last day. Diving abroad is not as cheap as in our country.. I pay $150 for 2 dives half days. The man who takes care of us talks long and hard. I don’t listen much. My head is in my diving mask that I forgot in my room. I ask my friend if he understands what he is saying. He says “I understand”. They give us a drybag. For some reason 3 people try to fit in the same bag. My friends object to my request for another bag and the instructors are in the front, we are in the back, we are moving towards the diving boat standing in the middle of the sea, which could not dock due to the equinox.. They carry our tube, our bag ourselves…
As we move to the boat, we see a very different starfish.. Before hand in hand. I manage to stick a sea urchin on my right foot when I want to take a photo, and on my left foot when I try to get it together.. While walking to the boat, do not follow the instructors.. Sea urchins everywhere. I think that man told them at length, but we did not understand. For the sake of a starfish, I sink a sea urchin with eyes on both my feet and get on the boat in the lap of the teacher.. I can say that I’m hurting so much. they’re not quite there. He shows his foot.
I see the spines of sea urchin on his feet in forty different places. If you manage to stick a sea urchin on your feet, like me, what you have to do is not step on it as much as possible.. Don’t let the thorn go further in. If the tips of the thorns are out, try to pull them out without breaking them.. If it is broken while inside, walk without too much weight on it and pour olive oil as soon as possible.. Oil makes the thorn come out after a while. It hurts so much for me to say… (It works in any oil if it’s not olive oil.)
Red Sea? Zanzibar?
As someone who has also dived in the Red Sea, I can say that Zanzibar is extraordinary.. Normally, I dive with 6 kg, I dive with 2 kg.. This is how to experience the feeling of being in outer space. Even if you don’t dive in the Indian Ocean, you can see a lot with a mask snorkel. While the corals are competing with each other, colorful fish come to see what you are.. Instead of getting scared and running away, they’re all huddled up and swimming over you. When I can’t understand what they are, I am the one running away from the tiny fish with my big size.. Even if we didn’t dive in the area we went to, we would see everything we see in snorkeling.. We took such a shallow dive. The tip of my pallet was out. It’s so shallow… My friend saw a turtle. I saw a spotted stingray. Everywhere is a coral paradise anyway. All kinds of sizes… We wanted to see giant sea horses for our second dive.. This requires a deeper dive.. You can’t see them with a mask snorkel. Even though we dived, we couldn’t see. Nothing can be guaranteed in diving.
Stone Town
Stone Town is the center of Zanzibar. When the island carried the traces of African, Arabian, Indian and European architecture, a very different architecture emerged.. It means stone city anyway… Souvenir shops in narrow streets take me away from me.. Everything is so mystical and fascinating. It’s like another world. It is not wise to go to Zanzibar on national holidays. the country is very muslim. People go on vacation. The streets are turning into a flood of people. It’s crazy traffic. You watch people stuck in minibuses or buses. Especially when it was evening, everything turned into a complete mess.. However, how beautiful were those narrow streets, children running after us, colorful shops… Negotiation is a must. They usually say the price of everything is too high. What’s interesting about that?. I don’t think it’s interesting either, but I should write it.. Hard bargains await you. The products are almost the same in every shop.. If someone isn’t giving a discount, go to the next store.. There are so many beautiful things. man losing himself. At one point, someone came up to us and said there were cheaper shops elsewhere.. We chased after them as a group. As they pulled us into the back streets. Finally one of the group (one man) said we should go back. There wasn’t much of a person in those streets and those people. Don’t follow anyone. Get three cents more or don’t take it. Just in case.
