12/1/2015

The bus from Nairobi to Dar-es-Salaam via Arusha left precisely at 6:00. It managed to make its way through the capital of Kenya before the heavy traffic started. Warm pink sun raised slowly over the bush on the left hand-side of the road while the passengers were freezing in the wake of too-well working air condition. A stop on the border to obtain visa to Tanzania and get screened for ebola extended to over an hour and a half. On the road again, only to find out that passengers had opened the windows in order to heat up the ice-cold bus. In turn, I had a not-that-unique experience to travel for 16 hours through the boiling hot desert bushland of Northern Tanzania in a four-wheeled sauna.

Late arrival on the outskirts of Dar, being touched on THOUSANDS of Tanzanian Shillings (the currency is not worth much though) by a taxi driver, eventually finding affordable accommodation, making my way to the harbour next day, buying a ticket for the ferry for the mzungu price (including special “taxes” for white people), waiting a couple of hours even though I was promised that the ticket was for the ferry that was to leave in one hour, melting in the unbearable swelter of African noon, being squeezed and made mincemeat by the hectic crowd while boarding on the ferry, feeling seasick all the way, up up up and  doooown  through the choppy sea, reeling out to the land, being screened for ebola, being checked for the vaccine for yellow fever, finally finding a washroom to pee (what a relief!), noticing a huge red label over the entrance to the harbour: KARIBU ZANZIBAR. Whoopee, yes, I made it!

Strolling along narrow streets of Stone Town, admiring intricately carved doors of shabby tenement houses, being taken back in time to the days when men played domino on the streets, buying grilled hawker seafood wrapped in newspaper, drinking freshly pressed sugar cane and lime iced juice, wolfing down warm coconut bread, travelling by stuffed to the brim daladala, walking along the beach in the rain at noon, drinking cold Kilimanjaro beer on a sea view terrace of a tiny guesthouse located on the beach, swimming in the warm Indian Ocean in the morning, hiding from the big sun in the shadow of a strawy umbrella, balancing on a slackline stretched between two palms in front of the Ocean, sipping fresh mango and passion fruit juice, savouring coconut curry kingfish, falling into trans to the sounds of rhythmic drums played by the locals during a bonfire on the beach at night, playing frisbee with grinning children from the village (on the beach of course), collecting shells of most unusual shapes and colours, admiring boys performing breathtaking stunts and flips on the beach again, making friends with three handsome Maasai who performed their tribal dances to techno music on the New Year’s Eve party, making friends with a Danish couple who escaped their existential disappointment emigrating to Zanzibar after they had retired from work, basking in coconut juice, enjoying a good reading while listening to calming sounds of waves some three meters away, getting lost between narrow streets of Stone Town again, being told dozens of compliments by beach boys, having the heart melted after seeing herds of fluffy cats around stalls offering grilled octopus and shrimps, sitting outside until late at night observing vibrant street life - that would be briefly it about Zanzibar; or maybe I should also mention being burned by jellyfish on the very first day, being blackmailed for THOUSANDS of Tanzanian money by the local police for some minor offense, being stung for beers by beach boys, being counted 8 times more for the ticket for daladala (mzungu price again), being on the worst party ever (the famous full moon party - never again!) and being  nagged at on every corner to buy Maasai pendants, bracelets or earrings.

Though it may sound suspicious, I’m not a vacation buff. My main reflection after the holiday is that it was a pleasant though very tiring form of relax. I don’t think I’m a kind of person who can thrive on a vacation. I believe it is better for me to lead a life based on everyday exclusive dose of relax so that I don’t have to waist energy, time, money, carbon footprint quota etc. on travelling to distant places associated with the archetype of proper holiday (compulsory white sand beaches and coconut palm trees). Although it feels so good to travel and visit new places, from my point of view the feeling can be totally destroyed by seeing destinations through the vacation-lens and through all the cliches coinciding with the notion of vacation. Also, vacation is something strictly connected with working. Only when you are off from work can you go on vacation. This facet also repulses me from it. Long live relax in everyday life! Long live relax so that I don’t have to wistfully descry the next  v a c a t i o n!

Meanwhile, the correct answer for December's quiz question is: TURTLE'S EGG. The winner of the great immaterial surprise prize presented below is a person hiding under a lovely nickname: ROSE! Congratulations Rose! From Zanzibar with <3

This month's photo quiz: It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a... well, what is it, this unidentified object from the picture? Leave your answer in the comments if you want to fight for winning another unique immaterial surprise prize!