Zanzibar

We are now on Zanzibar almost a week. We spent a couple of days in Stone Town (I have to put links as technology does not allow to upload our pictures...) http://www.zanzibar.net/zanzibar/webcam/. This is a world heritage sight with small, small streets where even Peter gets confused :) It is very oriental, most women wear veils and the man traditional white gown (which I secretly call pyjama ;) and a little hat. The town is incredibly nice and lively, kids run on the small streets up until midnight, people walk up and down the whole day and especially after Ramadan finished yesterday, everybody is very festive with new clothes, henna, smiles. And if you manage to get away from the tourist stuff which is all the same wherever you go there is actually beautiful art and friendly shy faces. It's a place that can send you dreaming, cafes, restaurants, gardens, sunsets. You can indulge in this link below of the most beautiful and expensive hotel www.236hurumzi.com (in which of course we stayed (not) ;)
And the beaches! White sand and hundred shades of blue of the Indian Oceans, knotted beds and four days without shoes, it was just beautiful but I will not go on about this as I guess autumn is knocking on Europe's door ... Tonight is the beginning of Eid and there will be a big celebration which goes on for three days and of course there is a lot of food.

Sadly, it is not only pretty Sheherezade stuff, the island grew rich on the Slave trade and was the main export port for slaves to the East. Nearly 600 000 slaves have been solved through Zanzibar between 1830 and 1873. And then there is the poverty everywhere, houses falling down, bad roads, lack of schools and hospitals... paradise does not exist, its always built on someone else's suffering...

We are taking the night ferry back to Dar and tommorrow heading off to the old capital Bagamoyo and then further north towards Arusha, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.