Where in the world are Jen and Josh?: A tour of Zanzibar

We woke up to another beautiful view. You can hear the waves all night long. It's lovely.

We then headed out on our tour for the day.

We started at a tour of a spice farm. Few spices are native to Zanzibar but the Arabs that used to control Zanzibar brought many species hundreds of years ago.

Tumeric

Jen

Orange

Cardamom

Aloe vera

Papaya

Guava

Lipstick tree is used to make henna

Your guess is as good as mine

Nutmeg

Limes

Vanilla

Avocado

Lemongrass

Jen... mesmerized

Bananas

Star fruit

Marijuana... Actually it wasn't but can't recall

Coconuts

???

A boy in a tree retrieving cloves

Cloves

Volcanic rocks that are everywhere that are excavated and used to build buildings

A handsome man

I figured you wanted to see this one again

Cinnamon bark. Cinnamon is queen of spice because all parts of tree used.

Cinnamon roots

Jack fruit

Ginger

A man retrieving a coconut while he sings

Showing off

This was scary as each knife stroke he came closer to sticking himself in the face.

It was really delicious

A local

The guy gets the girl

King of the land

Then we ate all the fruit we saw. It was all delicious.

Then we headed to Stone Town, an area know for old buildings made of stone that used to be center of slave trading.

This cross was made of wood from a tree next to where Dr. Livingston, the British man who lead the effort to abolish slavery, was buried. His heart was buried in Tanzania and his body in UK.

This church was built by British to bring Christianity to Zanzibar while working to abolish slavery. Zanzibar is still 80% Muslim.

Whipping post used during slave trade. Slaves were whipped to assess their strength by their response to the pain. Slaves worked hard to appear strong because the living quarters in the market were so bad. The locals from Zanzibar worked with the people from Oman who controlled Zanzibar in capturing and trading slaves so all the slaves came from mainland.

A sculpture to remember the slave trade. The chains are original. Most of the statues are women and children because most of the slaves are women because they for used for domestic duties. The Arab people also impregnated their slaves and accepted the offspring as their own children. All the male slaves were castrated so they could not touch an Arab women. For this reason there are few people that appear of African descent as there are in the United States.

The slave holding quarters that held twenty.

This area held 60.

Then we walked through a market.

Fish are caught three times a day which is good because it is hot in the market.

Most have fridges today in Zanzibar--80% have electricity which is different from the mainland where 80% do not. But fish is still dried for those without fridges.

Then we took a tour of the town.

Lots of old buildings with Indian, Arab and other architectural styles.

The chain engraving around the door meant the owner was a slave dealer.

Building made out volcanic rocks. Most are there.

Indian style doors have metal spikes to keep animals like elephants and cows away form door.

Area where British used to hang out and talk so they called it Jaws Corner similar to Speakers corner in UK.

Lots of political posters. There are over 10 political parties.

Used to be British residence.

Freddie Mercury of Queen's old apartment building. He was from Zanzibar.

The fort built by Omanis to defend against Portuguese

House of Wonder--it was the tallest building in East Africa and first to get electricity around 1900, elevator, etc. It is located next to the Sultan's former residence. The rest of Zanzibar got electricity starting in 1997.

Inside the Sultan's residence.

A British king who never visited but sent picture to build relations and enable trade.

A sultan

Sultan's saddle and a metal sculpture carried around in front of Sultan so people knew he was coming and would bow in advance.

A chest made of local wood.

A Sultan's clock... different from my grandfather's. ;-)

A sultan's daughter who fell in love with a German person and was cast out of her family but wrote a famous book and was buried in Germany in sand from Zanzibar because her family wouldn't allow her body back in Zanzibar.