Tanzania Market Africa
We’ve left Stonetown and we’re moving down the road. This is a smaller town in Tanzania. The markets are very important in those towns. This was a pretty significant market. That’s why I grabbed the picture. Note that these people have no mall. They have no other significant commercial activity. This is the best commercial thing that they have going in their life. Happy shopping…
More Evidence Africa
Yes, it’s embarrassing, but what can I say? This is a picture of evidence I found next to my bed. It wasn’t mine. I think it belonged to the Swiss national that was sleeping next to me in the room in the hostel in Stonetown. If I’m not mistaken there is a full bottle of Captain Morgan’s and a pint of whiskey. Whys is this much alcohol located next to my bed? It’s probably because they had it left over from the alcohol they consumed that night. It is my opinion that they consumed way too much alcohol on this trip, but who am I to question the drinking habits of other adults?
Stonetown Zanzibar Dinner Africa
While it may have been a disappointing sunset, the dinner was anything but. There were a whole lot of food booths in the park that was on the Indian Ocean. This is a representative sample of some of the kabobs that were available for purchase at the park. There must have been 20-30 food vendors at the park. They said they had shark and barracuda and tuna and lots of other fish, but we really couldn’t be sure that what they were representing were actually those fish. It was easy to order scallops and octopus. No question about what I was getting. They also had the local version of pizza and a schwarma stand. The fact that everything was served by the light of kerosene lanterns also added a distinctive touch. They had lots of food there, what can I say?
Stonetown Zanzibar Sunset Africa
This is a group of my fellow travelers on the truck and we’re waiting for sunset. We are on the patio of Africa House, a hotel in Stonetown where a lot of the tourists gather to see the sun set. It is, apparently, a place that is noted for its’ sunsets. It drew a big crowd. I was there as part of the group. We were all to meet there and watch the sunset and then head over to a local evening market for dinner. However, on this night the sunset did not cooperate. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t as good as I’m sure it could have been. That didn’t stop the tourists. The patio was full of them hoping to catch one of those spectacular sunsets.
Stonetown Zanzabar Buddies Africa
This is Hamson, my guide in Zanzibar. He was actually quite good. His English was very good and he knew all the top tourist destinations in Stonetown. He was also quite funny. I always like to hire locals whenever I can. This local was especially good. I have his email and his local cell # if you are going to Zanzibar and need a guide for a day or two.
Stonetown Zanzibar Market Africa
This is a picture of the market in Stonetown. How I arrived at the market is an interesting story in itself. I was walking around looking for a bakery. I needed to find a couple of somosas. a local pastry that is quite tasty and costs 3 for $1. Needless to say, this budget traveler was eating them every time I spied what looked like a reasonably fresh one. As I was looking for a bakery one of the locals noticed me and attached himself to me. They do this in hopes they can wrangle a dollar or two out of a person. In the end, he not only took me to the bakery, he took me to the major market where this picture was taken as well as several other places. He turned out to be an excellent guide and I turned out to be a customer.
Stonetown Zanzibar Group Africa
The group is getting ready to go on a walk in Stonetown, Zanzibar. Stonetown is something of a really old place. It is a maze of twisting, turning, meandering alleys that are too small for a car, but just big enough for a person and a donkey-cart. It’s also a UNESCO Heritage Site. This picture was taken at the steps of the hotel where we stayed. We left the truck in Dar es Salaam while we were on the island of Zanzibar. There were four people in my room, including me. It cost me $18 a night. We only stayed one night. I was sad that we didn’t stay longer. I would have preferred to stay more time in a UNESCO site rather than the beach. However, I’m not on the planning committee for the trip I was on so I had to go where the group went. The reason for spending 3 days at the beach were the snorkeling and the scuba diving. While there are pros and cons to traveling with a group, I consider always having to go where the group goes to be a con. I’m a pretty independent sort.
