Monday, 22 October 2012

Moving to Zanzibar

Leaving Dar on the fast ferry to Zan
Leaving Dar Es Salaam, was a happy day for us. It meant that we were finally moving on to our placements. 4 of us opted to skip our Piki Piki or motorcycle training and move quickly to our new homes...This was not to be. upon arrival, we were met by Peter and Jane, two VSO people who have been here for a while. They chaufferd us around and took us to the proposed apts. NONE of which was inhabitable and ONE of which we turned down flat. So here we are a week and a bit later and we are still waiting to move into our own place. For sure, we are OK in that we are temporarily living in a modest hotel, but eating out every meal is getting to all of us.
"House of Wonders"
Stonetown is a unique place....its a rabbitwarren of alleys and very small streets inhabited by all manner of people....A UNESCO world heritage site, it has a long history of slavery, arab trading, invasions, wars, the first steam railway in Africa and electricity before London England....today is a vibrant place with all manner of business's being operated. Everyone has a purpose and a job to do and you are going to know about it.....


our first view of Stonetown
Our first week here, we have been exploring the places to eat, some of the sites and finding out where things are generally. The Med clinic, we need our third and last rabies shots, cheap but good food, how to get around using the Dalla Dalla system and following up on the apts we are supposed to be moving into.....I have no pix, but the buildings were built in the 1950's by Indian concerns and they were at that time very luxurious. However, over 60 years of no maintenance or repairs has reduced them to run down status. Water is a constant issue on the island of Unguja and so our biggest concern is running water and will we have it......Its looking good, but as I have said, this is a long and frustratingly slow process....so we concentrate on keeping each others spirits high....
Last night we ventured out to the Forodahni Market, a waterfront area that is know for its nightly food stalls and activity....the power was out when we went there, so no pix this time...but let me tell you that the food is excellent and there was little garbage about...Lois and I had Barracuda on skewers, alternated with peppers, tomatoes, carrots and then a couple of samosas that were fantastic along with chipsi and ketchup and salad. We finished off the evening, with a stroll over to the local cappucino bar...we have nicknamed Afribucks and had a latte....the whole evening cost us less than 7 dollars....the one thing I did not try...but might when I am feeling adventurous is something called a Zanzibar pizza with the following for toppings......Chocolate, Cane Sugar and Nutella.....?????? am I that brave.....yikes

just another crappy beach
Yesterday being sunday, we went over to Prison island to see the giant land tortoises and to do some snorkelling.....unfortunately, it was very expensive and the snorkelling was dampened by a torrential rain shower.....but still saw some incredible coral...we have a new underwater camera and this was our first try with it....we have some learning and improvement to do....but it works.....so here are a few pix of the tortoises...one of which was over 160 years old and will catch up you in our next blog

who is older ha ha
smile.....pat me on the head

1 comment:

  1. Hi there. Sounds like life is good. Hope you find a place. It is getting cold here and wet.
    And you have beautiful sun and beaches. From here that sounds really worth it. The pictures are great. Keep them coming. It is fun to see them.
    We miss you guys, the street just isn't the same with you gone.
    Barb

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