Zanzibar, Tanzania
November 12, 2022
Today we arrived in Zanzibar, an island off of the coast of Dar es Salaam. We only traveled about 40 miles overnight but we were still moving when I awoke. I saw the pilot boat come in and shortly after I heard the ship’s anchor being lowered. Zanzibar appears to have a port deep enough as I can see large container ships docked but the area is not that large and we will have to remain anchored.
This is the first port on this trip where we will have to take tenders ashore. The tenders on the ship double as lifeboats. They are lowered when needed and a gangway is used to board them.
We went to the dining room, grabbed a tender ticket and waited for our tender to be called. 5 tenders were being used to shuttle passengers back and forth. 75 in each tender and the wait was not long.
Yesterday we were able to speak with someone from the Sea Cliff Resort on Zanzibar and we made a tee time for golf at 10:30.
Our tender pulled in to port about 9:30. It was going to be tight to get there at 10:30. I sent a note to the resort and the response was no problem. Hakuna Matata.
Getting off of the tender I heard lot’s of “Jambo”. Isn’t it Mambo? I had to look up the Swahili word and it is definitely Jambo. I guess Dar es Salaam has its own pronunciation as it is Mambo or Hello over there. A lot of Hakuna Matata also.
Zanzibar seems to have a larger Arabic influence than Dar es Salaam in the way people dress and the way some buildings look. Dar es Salaam has experienced some tremendous growth and it is the financial hub of Tanzania. Looks like Zanzibar has been left behind.
The port area was very crowded. People always seem to be in your way when you are in a hurry. There are many seasoned travelers on the ship but few are in shape enough to get around as we do. We snaked our way through the crowd and made our way to the shuttle. The shuttle would take us to the Serena Hotel near Kelele Square. Better chance of finding a taxi there.
Once off the shuttle we heard lots of Jambo. We found a taxi and negotiated a price. I always start with offering half of what the asking price is. I may have to change to a quarter as there was no discussion. I asked Mohammed (it’s so easy to remember names here) if he took credit. Yes, Yes was the response. I did have some USD just in case.
The resort was about 7 to 10 miles out from the town. About 30 minutes with the traffic. Speed bumps are used to control speed. Lots of horns, weaving, near death experiences along the way. Both sides of the street were lined with businesses selling all kinds of merchandise. Most had corrugated metal roofs. Some rusted, some galvanized. Some looked like they might keep water out. Most didn’t. Living is different when it doesn’t rain much and the temperature doesn’t change. The ride out reminded me of Indonesia. Maybe Bali minus the Hindu influence. Obviously very poor. In some ways it reminded me of San Francisco and the many homeless encampments with a major difference. The people here were working to improve their lives. They were not sleeping on the sidewalk waiting for a government handout. People here were very friendly and happy that you were visiting. Come back to Zanzibar. We heard this over and over.
We arrived at the resort about 30 minutes late. Hakuna Matata. We were already checked in and our cart and clubs were waiting. I needed balls since I already lost the ones I brought from home. (I donated them to the course in Jordan). News balls? $30 for a package of 3. I don’t play well enough to justify that. 5 used balls for $10 is what I purchased.
We did meet some young boys along hole number 1 sticking their hands full of balls through the fence. Another purchase here.
Golf was fun. On hole 16 I called Mohammed to come get us. We would be waiting on hole 19.
We had a HAL tour this evening and the meeting time was 4:15 back at the port. Mohammad’s got us there at about 4:05. Perfect timing. This tour was a bus ride with a guide through stone town and then dinner at the Serena Hotel under the stars with live music.
Dinner was great but the music never happened. There are so many disclaimers on this tour that I’m sure that HAL has relieved themselves of any financial responsibility but we have been pleasantly surprised time and time again.
Our guide spoke English with a heavy Swahili accent. Usually it is that the wrong syllables are being emphasized in a word and when spoken rapidly it is difficult to understand. The stone town tour was rather meaningless but we are doing a private tour of the area tomorrow.
Tender back to the ship and preparations for tomorrow. Tour at 9am.…