Have you ever been to a place for more than a week and still got the giggles when thinking about where you are? That’s me right now.
(One of the first pictures I took upon arriving in Paje, and the landscape that convinced me to spend 10 days in one place.)
After a month of moving constantly and jumping on a bus, train or plane every 3-4 days to meet a new town, city or country, I decided that my two weeks in Zanzibar will lack any major transports. And this was a great decision.
(Lounging has been my number one priority in Zanzibar, and the view has never been better.)
I arrived in Stone Town, Zanzibar’s capital, thinking that I’ll spend a couple of nights and then take it from there. It is a small place and one can easily see it in one day, but I wanted to get a better feel for it. However, catching an eye cold (which in my case meant a few days of tolerating a minor eye sensitivity and an irritated nose) and arriving at a seemingly deserted hostel that did not meet my safety standards, both made me decide to exchange Stone Town after spending just one day there for a beach somewhere on the island. On a leap of faith, I booked a room for one night in Paje.
(The Rock, a popular bar/restaurant 20′ away from Paje. When the tide is high on can cross from the shore on a boat, and when it’s low it takes 3′ to walk there.)
Paje is a small village on the West side of Zanzibar very close to the more touristy Zambiani, so I gave myself options. I decided to travel using the dalla-dalla mini-buses the locals use that are cheaper and offer a look into the locals’ everyday life. Two dalla-dallas and two hours later, I was at my hostel’s front door. And what a hostel it was!
(Ananda Hostel’s front.)
I immediately booked 5 more nights, took off my travel clothes and eased into a bathing suit – I have not worn normal clothes or shoes since.
(Ananda Hostel’s view from the front door.)
Life is easy in Paje: travelers come and go offering tips and ideas, the food is cheap and mainly consisted of fish and octopus, and coconut is in abundance. To top it all, the ocean is in its most turquoise attire, and the sand is pure white soft powder.
(Beautiful seashells lay all over the beach, the village, the roads. They’re too many to count, and the tide keeps bringing more daily.)
One of the most interesting “attractions” though mainly found on the West coast of Zanzibar is the ocean itself and its wild temperament: the tide is intense and changes every six hours, sometimes bringing its waves to my feet and sometimes making me walk for 5-10 minutes to find them.
(Low tides mean walking among boats that’ve hit rock bottom, anchors showing proudly their hard work, and other secrets the ocean can’t hide.)
I never know where the shore will be when I wake up, and therefore I’m not sure how I’ll spend my day – the only certainty is that I’ll eat some kind of fruit and a pescatarian meal. I told you, life is easy in Paje.
(I am no expert, but this object I found on the beach looks a lot like a fossilized shark tooth. At least that’s what I’m telling anyone that asks…)
The only thing I haven’t been able to find in Zanzibar is a connection with the locals, which is striking after my beautiful experiences in Iran. Right behind my hostel lays a small village where locals live their daily routine despite the tourists getting regularly lost around their tiny streets. Zanzibar is mainly Muslim (while the rest of Tanzania is mainly Christian) and the women cover their bodies as they do in Iran, but instead of using mainly black fabric they all wear vibrant colors in beautiful patterns. The kids – and there are many since it is a custom for people here to marry by 15 – are very friendly and run at strangers to hug them or even climb them, and they practice the little English they know. The men are usually the hustlers, selling anything from fruit, boat tours, a meal at a restaurant, even aloe leaves for those sun burned. Walking around the village to get to the market should take 15’, however, it usually takes more since one has to say Jambo (how are you) to every kid they meet and even high five them; then one needs to avoid the herds of stray cows wandering in the village (and everywhere else) chewing the day away; and finally, tell every other man one meets they don’t need any service. It is a fun experience walking around the Paje village but also exhausting when the sun is up and blazing.
(The catch: 4-5 octopuses bundled up together, ready for the grill. The local fishermen asked for a dollar for a pic of the octopods, and when I said I had no money they just stroke a pose.)
Tanzania marks the 30th country I’ve visited, the 1st in Africa, and the 5th of this trip. So far I’ve covered distance equal to 26500 miles, or 25350 kilometers and I’ve slept on 15 different beds. I’ve met people I felt a connection with and who knows if I’ll ever see them again or if we’ll even stay in touch – such in the nature of traveling. I’ve taken hundreds of pictures and walked plenty of miles, I’ve shed some weight and now I also have a tan. I’ve managed to not misplace any of my belongings; instead, I’ve gotten myself some beautiful art and memorabilia from every place I’ve visited. And its only been one third of my trip!
