Sunday, April 26, 2015
White Out
This past weekend we invaded the Emirate's Palace. You've seen it on Fast 7 but we party there in real life. Hahahaha. That is what you call "flexing." I have only been to Emirate's Palace this one time. I do want to visit again for high tea so that I can get some tea with gold flakes in it.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Hakuna Matata
Welp, another trip has been completed. What is funny is that I come back from each trip saying that it was the best trip ever. I have never NOT (double negative) enjoyed a trip. Here is a Zanzibar recap:
The airport was not like any airport that I have ever been to. Very humbling as soon as you step off the plane. There is no electronic machine to retrieve baggage. Instead, hardworking people load luggage on carts and bring them to a makeshift window, unload them, and allow you to pick up the ones that are yours. We rode through the town to get through the resort. The first thing I noticed were that the houses looked dilapidated. Some were unfinished yet still occupied. There were a lot of people out, I could feel a real sense of community. Riding through the city, I remembered something one of the girls living here posted about her experience in Kenya the previous week. In a nutshell, she said that she started to feel guilty for the life she lives as she explored Kenya. Through her guilt came sadness. She said that she spoke to an elderly man about it and he told her, "people don't miss what they've never had." He explained to her that she should not feel guilty for the life she lives because the people in Kenya were happy with what they had. We often look at others thinking that they don't have "enough," when in their eyes they are happy. On a tour, later during my vacation, I learned that the houses are often not finished because in Zanzibar, most of the men work as fisherman and farmers. It is hard for them to get land and build houses. So, once they get land, they build the houses slowly but surely. The tour guide said that the attitude is, "It may not be much, but it is mine." They build slowly and in time will have a finished product, but the joy comes knowing that they have something that belongs to them for their families. Interesting.
We were introduced to flies and mosquitos very early on in the trip. Flies ate with us daily as mosquitos met us at night swarming around any piece of flesh they could attack. Ugh, that is one myth about Africa that I wish was not true....flies and mosquitos.
We took a tour of a spice garden. This particular spice garden was owned by locals rather than the government. The tour was advertised as a spice market. I literally thought we were going to a market and going to look at a bunch of spices already packaged for selling. Nope. We literally went through a forest and looked at spices and fruits growing. It was kind of interesting though. In Zanzibar, they use spices literally for everything, even make-up. The hospital seems unnecessary when you have a spice garden available and knowledge of helpful uses for every spice. Sidenote: this may sound like a weird observation but the people of Zanzibar have beautiful teeth. I wish I would've asked what spice they use to brush their teeth.
The old slave market was also interesting. We learned about how a man named David Livingstone found slavery to be inhumane and asked that it be abolished. When asked what they could do to make up for the money they would lose by giving up slavery, his reply was to build a church and pray. Therefore, a church sits in the middle of the where the slave market used to be. Additionally, the church is right next to a mosque. This shows inclusion. Zanzibar has Christians and Muslims living together, so both religions are embraced.
We went into a replica of a slave chamber that I couldn't take. I started to feel like the walls were closing in on me and it made me a little sad as the tour guide explained how people were shackled to the walls. I couldn't breathe with ten of us in a replica so imagine how hundreds felt in the real thing.
Stone Town might be the busiest place I have ever been. It is residential but also full of shops and other such items. People literally follow you around trying to get you to buy stuff. OVERWHELMING. Plus, we went back a second day and the people actually remembered me. "My sister, my sister, America, you came back." SMH. I guess I just have a memorable face. OR maybe they remember talking to me because a few of them just swore I was from South Africa. I swear when I am in America, people think I am Mediterranean or Ethiopian. In Africa, people think I am South African. Not too many people think I am a black American, which as far as I know I am.
Easter Sunday was spent eating Easter dinner in the middle of the Indian ocean, literally. The Rock is a restaurant that sits in the ocean. After driving for what seemed like forever away from the resort, we took a small boat to the restaurant. The food was pretty good but the atmosphere was amazing.
We took a boat tour in which we snorkeled, explored some beaches, and just had a relaxing day in the sun. It wasn't easy getting us spoiled Americans on this boat. First of all, the boat was a dhow which is not very big and there were about 13 of us. Second, the tide wasn't high enough for the boat to come get us, so we literally had to wade through the water to get to the boat. You should have heard us complaining. We sounded like a bunch of spoiled brats. And the tour guides/captains ignored us all and kept walking. We kept following with complaints, but it turned out to be a great trip. The lunch that was prepared for us on the beach was amazing. I killed the beans and rice as well as some kind of lobster (I don't normally like the taste of lobster).
Overall, the trip was great. However, I have two regrets. I found out a cousin of mine is living in Tanzania. He is on the mainland while I was on the island of Zanzibar. He had to work so he couldn't leave the mainland. It was too hard for me to coordinate the ferry to get to him and make it back to the island in time. I wish I would've known sooner that he was in Tanzania so that I could arrange a visit in a more timely manner. My second regret is not scheduling time to visit an orphanage or a school. I think my new thing is to visit an orphanage or a school when I visit places. Teaching has given me the opportunity to travel to places I never dreamed I would go. Therefore, it's only right that I give back to schools and orphanages when I can. Next trip, this will be on my agenda. Please help me hold myself accountable to this.
Oh yea, I left out one thing. I learned to do a handstand in the water and float on my back during this trip. Swimming lessons coming up soon from my bootcamp trainer so I decided to get a head start. Check out ya girl. LOL
Here are some Swahili words I learned:
Jambo - Hello
Mambo - Hello/How are you?
Asanti - Thank you
Karibou - You're Welcome
Hakuna Matata - No Worries
The airport was not like any airport that I have ever been to. Very humbling as soon as you step off the plane. There is no electronic machine to retrieve baggage. Instead, hardworking people load luggage on carts and bring them to a makeshift window, unload them, and allow you to pick up the ones that are yours. We rode through the town to get through the resort. The first thing I noticed were that the houses looked dilapidated. Some were unfinished yet still occupied. There were a lot of people out, I could feel a real sense of community. Riding through the city, I remembered something one of the girls living here posted about her experience in Kenya the previous week. In a nutshell, she said that she started to feel guilty for the life she lives as she explored Kenya. Through her guilt came sadness. She said that she spoke to an elderly man about it and he told her, "people don't miss what they've never had." He explained to her that she should not feel guilty for the life she lives because the people in Kenya were happy with what they had. We often look at others thinking that they don't have "enough," when in their eyes they are happy. On a tour, later during my vacation, I learned that the houses are often not finished because in Zanzibar, most of the men work as fisherman and farmers. It is hard for them to get land and build houses. So, once they get land, they build the houses slowly but surely. The tour guide said that the attitude is, "It may not be much, but it is mine." They build slowly and in time will have a finished product, but the joy comes knowing that they have something that belongs to them for their families. Interesting.
We were introduced to flies and mosquitos very early on in the trip. Flies ate with us daily as mosquitos met us at night swarming around any piece of flesh they could attack. Ugh, that is one myth about Africa that I wish was not true....flies and mosquitos.
We took a tour of a spice garden. This particular spice garden was owned by locals rather than the government. The tour was advertised as a spice market. I literally thought we were going to a market and going to look at a bunch of spices already packaged for selling. Nope. We literally went through a forest and looked at spices and fruits growing. It was kind of interesting though. In Zanzibar, they use spices literally for everything, even make-up. The hospital seems unnecessary when you have a spice garden available and knowledge of helpful uses for every spice. Sidenote: this may sound like a weird observation but the people of Zanzibar have beautiful teeth. I wish I would've asked what spice they use to brush their teeth.
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| I wish I could upload the video of hi singing as he climbed the coconut tree. His voice was beautiful. Maybe I will put it on face book. |
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| Spice boy made us a bracelet and a hat. |
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| The spice boy rubbed the fruit on his lips and forehead to show how women use the fruit for make-up. |
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| Jack Fruit. First time ever seeing or hearing of this fruit. |
The old slave market was also interesting. We learned about how a man named David Livingstone found slavery to be inhumane and asked that it be abolished. When asked what they could do to make up for the money they would lose by giving up slavery, his reply was to build a church and pray. Therefore, a church sits in the middle of the where the slave market used to be. Additionally, the church is right next to a mosque. This shows inclusion. Zanzibar has Christians and Muslims living together, so both religions are embraced.
We went into a replica of a slave chamber that I couldn't take. I started to feel like the walls were closing in on me and it made me a little sad as the tour guide explained how people were shackled to the walls. I couldn't breathe with ten of us in a replica so imagine how hundreds felt in the real thing.
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| Church and Mosque side by side |
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| Inside the Church |
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| Old Slave Market. The statues looked so real, their faces so sad and hopeless. I didn't listen to what he was saying or face the statues as he talked. This picture came from someone else. |
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| Inside the replica of the slave chamber |
Stone Town might be the busiest place I have ever been. It is residential but also full of shops and other such items. People literally follow you around trying to get you to buy stuff. OVERWHELMING. Plus, we went back a second day and the people actually remembered me. "My sister, my sister, America, you came back." SMH. I guess I just have a memorable face. OR maybe they remember talking to me because a few of them just swore I was from South Africa. I swear when I am in America, people think I am Mediterranean or Ethiopian. In Africa, people think I am South African. Not too many people think I am a black American, which as far as I know I am.
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| I am obsessed with African Prints. Unfortunately I only bought a few pieces of fabric. |
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| Stone Town is a very busy area. |
Easter Sunday was spent eating Easter dinner in the middle of the Indian ocean, literally. The Rock is a restaurant that sits in the ocean. After driving for what seemed like forever away from the resort, we took a small boat to the restaurant. The food was pretty good but the atmosphere was amazing.
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| The Rock! |
We took a boat tour in which we snorkeled, explored some beaches, and just had a relaxing day in the sun. It wasn't easy getting us spoiled Americans on this boat. First of all, the boat was a dhow which is not very big and there were about 13 of us. Second, the tide wasn't high enough for the boat to come get us, so we literally had to wade through the water to get to the boat. You should have heard us complaining. We sounded like a bunch of spoiled brats. And the tour guides/captains ignored us all and kept walking. We kept following with complaints, but it turned out to be a great trip. The lunch that was prepared for us on the beach was amazing. I killed the beans and rice as well as some kind of lobster (I don't normally like the taste of lobster).
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| Wading through water to get to the boat |
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| He used a machete to cut up fruit for us to eat while we rode. I was a little scared. But those pineapples though! |
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| Look how my captain steers this dhow with no worries. |
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| This fruit comes from the tree that is featured on Lion King at the beginning. I cannot remember the fruit or tree name. SMH |
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| The dhow! |
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| Add caption |
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| Snorkeling 101 with a floaty. LOL |
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| This must have been after snorkeling. I look rough. |
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| This may not look like much to you but it was good. |
I spent the last day of the trip horseback riding. My horse's name was Charlie Brown. I am not fond of too many animals, but I absolutely love horses.
Overall, the trip was great. However, I have two regrets. I found out a cousin of mine is living in Tanzania. He is on the mainland while I was on the island of Zanzibar. He had to work so he couldn't leave the mainland. It was too hard for me to coordinate the ferry to get to him and make it back to the island in time. I wish I would've known sooner that he was in Tanzania so that I could arrange a visit in a more timely manner. My second regret is not scheduling time to visit an orphanage or a school. I think my new thing is to visit an orphanage or a school when I visit places. Teaching has given me the opportunity to travel to places I never dreamed I would go. Therefore, it's only right that I give back to schools and orphanages when I can. Next trip, this will be on my agenda. Please help me hold myself accountable to this.
Oh yea, I left out one thing. I learned to do a handstand in the water and float on my back during this trip. Swimming lessons coming up soon from my bootcamp trainer so I decided to get a head start. Check out ya girl. LOL
And one more thing, upon leaving the resort I met some nice people from South Africa that gave me their contact and told me when I plan a trip to South Africa, they will set up my hotels, tours, and everything. All I have to do is show up and pay I guess. But anyway, I don't even know how we started talking but they were so sweet. One lady just retired from teaching after 40 years. Bless her heart!
Here are some Swahili words I learned:
Jambo - Hello
Mambo - Hello/How are you?
Asanti - Thank you
Karibou - You're Welcome
Hakuna Matata - No Worries
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