Zanzibar

I've now been in Zanzibar for five days already, how time flies! I took the ferry from Dar to Stonetown (the capital of Zanzibar) where, surprisingly, I had to fill-in another immigration form and get a separate stamp (no extra visa though) to enter the country! This is because Zanzibar - although officially unified with Tanzania - has its own government and functions as an almost autonomous country. The unification happened after the revolution of 1962 when the Zanzibaris got rid of the sultan of Zanzibar, and in 1964 the unification with Tanzania took place; however, Zanzibar still has its own president and government. The majority of people living in Zanzibar are Muslim, with the second largest religion being Roman Catholic Christians.

Stone Town is a historic city, with many Arab influences that can be seen in the buildings - the wood carvings on the doors and the opulent architecture can still be seen in many buildings. The city itself is comprised of many small streets and alleyways that are full of life and little stores (touristic and non-touristic). There are many little workshops (carpenters, artist studios etc.) that one can enter and view, being able to discover the type of work done and how this is done here. What is also fun about Stone Town, is that from the more "commercial" areas - if you can call them that - all of a sudden you end up in the middle of the food market! This market is quite large, selling all types of fruit and vegetables - many of which I've never heard of before - the colours are amazing and the smells even more so!

During my time here I have also had the opportunity to attend a funeral; Zanzibar being a Muslim country, this was inevitably a Muslim funeral - so I had to wear a head scarf (the first time I actually had to do this ever in my life). We went to the family's house, where the death had occurred and found many, many women sitting outside and inside the house all together reciting verses and prayers from the Koran. What struck me most was that everybody was wearing different colours and that it was just a sea of colours, very unlike a western funeral, where everyone is dressed in black! This praying session went on until the men came to collect the body, after which it is tradition that the women stay and chat for a while (there is no set time) as a way in which to console the family. This experience was definitely something new and, although a sad occasion, I was very glad to be able to participate and to have this experience (sadly I don't have a camera at the moment - otherwise pictures would have been added - I am trying to find a disposable camera for the time being, but this is proving harder to do than expected...).

On a different note, I got a Zanzibari driving permit and am driving a car on the wrong side of the road in an African country - so I'm feeling quite proud of myself. Seriously, avoiding potholes, bicycles, humans and other vehicles and obstacles, as well as driving on the wrong side of the road (on narrow streets also) is definitely a challenge - at least I won't be afraid to drive in the UK from now on!

Oh, and I've also hand washed some of my clothes for the first time... you'll find it amusing to know that I got blisters on my fingers in the process - clearly my hands are just too delicate and not made for manual labour!