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| View to the south |
Rainy season is in full swing and we always enjoy going on a walk in the evening. The overcast skies lend to cool temperatures and the soft light gives the landscape a subdued tinge. Many areas are overgrown so we have to stick to the trails. The grasses are also very high and full of seeds so I try to avoid too much off-roading.
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| Grass is booming, my allergies as well |
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| Much greener than dry season. Understatement of the century. |
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| Swahili encounters, a super band formed from artists, always one of my favorites. |
My sixth trip to Sauti za Busara and the event continues to get better (Trip V)! This years event was under new management and although it retained the same feel and standard as previous years, there were a few noticeable changes. There were more food vendors inside the venue and a clever pre-paid payment system integrated into the festival wristband. The entry process was also pushed back outside the actual fort and resulted in a quicker moving triage and entry process.
The sound system and mixing this year were great and crowds were on average with previous years. It is the perfect mix of being crowded enough you can feel the energy and size of the event but small enough that you can recognize the dedicated concert goers night after night. And most importantly, there is always enough space to dance!
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Sauti za Busara is one of the most underrated events in the world, especially for music lovers. I had never heard of one artists before attending the event, I had not even checked the program. But each year I'm blown away by unique and foreign sounds, collaborations between artists, and energy of the cosmopolitan crowd.
Very similar to last year, the jam session super group formed by artists attending the event was one of the highlights. Titled, "Swahili Encounters" artists take turns learning each others songs and jamming out. It's cliche but it demonstrates just how powerful the language of music is. The and consisted of a saxophone (Ethiopia/Hungary), vocals (Kenya), percussion and vocals (Zimbabwe), congas (Tanzania), percussion (Tanzania), guitar (Niger), drum set (Uganda), bass (Sudan), guitar/accordion (Ethiopia). How insane and diverse is that lineup, not to mention that over half of them are female?
My other favorite was the female duo from the island nation of Reunion, Sibu Manaï. They performed at the small amphitheater and their performance started late but they immediately won over the crowd. It was a unique set up with pre-recorded tracks and some minor looping with keyboard paired with a live percussionist and stunning vocals. The vocalists style fit the vibe of the music perfectly and by the end the crowd were singing refrains of the songs after a raucous applause?! It was an amazing performance and the artists had grateful reactions.
I unfortunately could not stay the final night but I am already looking forward to next years edition!!!
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| One of the ferries |
My favorite way to get to Zanzibar is the Azam Fast Ferry. Flying is very cheap as well but the faff of the airport procedures can make the ferry a more desirable option. While there are several ferries that service Zanzibar, the safety and reliability can be extremely variable and thus I recommend Azam Fast Ferry. They are organized and professional amongst the relative chaos at the port.
I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to actually purchase tickets online for this trip. In the past you could reserve tickets but still had to enter their office to pay upon arrival. This doesn't sound like a huge deal but the port is one of the most hectic transport hubs in Tanzania. There are touts from several companies and no matter which mode of transport you take to arrive, your vehicle will be completely swarmed upon arrival. I assume the guys get a commission for every customer and the environment is peak aggressive salesman. People will grab your bags, your arms, try to separate your group, feed you misinformation, straight up lie about what is available; all tactics are on the table. There are a few notable transport hubs that I have frequented in my life that offer such chaos.
If you've got your ticket you can get dropped straight at the gate. There is an initial ticket check and a short walk down to a security screening. There is not much organization so you have to be careful to ensure your bag is actually moving through the scanner and then jostle to pick it up on the other side. It is usually very hot in this part of the port and the area then opens up to the holding pen. There is a section in the back for economy, then a small area for business (with fans) and a separate self-contained air conditioned area for VIP tickets. They do a good job loading the ferry in an orderly fashion and it's rather quick to get onboard.
The company has a few different ferries and they rotate throughout the many trips a day. From my experience it's totally worth it to get at least a business class ticket to allow for interior seating with air conditioning. The deck can be alluring but the reality of the sun, wind and waves is less than romantic. And one still has access to the deck if you want to stroll around. We have purchased the "VIP" tickets when business class is sold out and although the chairs are much larger and more comfortable, in my opinion it's not so much different than business class.
I've taken probably three different ferries and all the seats are comfortable and spacious. There is a small stall selling beverages and snacks, kudos to Azam for vertical integration as all the soft drinks are Azam brand.
The ferry takes about 1:45 to complete. It always feels like a little longer than what I remembered but the time passes quickly especially if the seas are calm. The disembarking procedure is equally as quickly and relatively orderly. Overall the ferry is a great way to cross back and forth between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam.
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| Inside the lounge in Zanzibar, much better than the Dar side |
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| Outdoor seating isn't bad |
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| Business class seating is nice! |
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| Drying out the ocean product |
We enjoy visiting different parts of Zanzibar whenever we have a chance. We are particularly fond of the northeast with its quiet and pristine beaches. This trip we elected to stay at a small hotel with 10 or so rooms in Pwani Mchangani. The village proper was located a little south of our hotel and the north was nearly deserted.
The area was extremely quiet with hotels sparsely dotting the coastline with large tracks of land lightly fenced or left fallow. The evening walks were beautiful passing a group of tourists playing volleyball, a local football game, and the usual tout trying to sell a massage, snorkeling tomorrow, or kitsch souvenirs. When I was recently in Spain I met someone that had just returned from a trip to Tanzania. I asked how he enjoyed the trip and he said he liked it but in Zanzibar he couldn't walk the beach because of all the harassment from the touts. I feel for him as I see the aggressive, often Maasai, harangue all the tourists. I know exactly how to deal with it in a polite yet firm way in Swahili so it's just a minor annoyance but I realize not everyone has that luxury. And the beach touts are on every single beach in Zanzibar so I hope everyone has their strategy of how to deal with it!
Some evenings the beach was quite deserted while others there were many people both foreign and local taking a stroll. The breeze blew strong off the water we were mostly greeted to cloudy mornings opening up to sunny days with some wind. The area had a similar feel to Matemwe, a stones throw to the north. The only downside to this area is that due to the sparse collection of hotels, sometimes you may be captive to your hotels food, especially for dinner. It's great if your hotel serves excellent food but if not places like Paje have an advantage of numerous easily accessible food choices.
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| Empty beach |
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| Amazing water |
I had a great time on my previous trip to Mnemba and had looked forward to going again (Trip I). I gotta big up One Ocean Diving Zanzibar for their continued excellence in operating a relatively large scale trip. They offered free pick up and drop off from hotels in the area and our ride was a bit late so when we arrived to their office we were initially a bit shocked by the 20 or so people gathered there. We got suited up and loaded onto their in house daladalas. It's a pretty clever way to transport large groups of people, especially afterwards when people are wet.
When we reached the docking point I was surprised at the huge amount of people, not only from our group but from several others. It was like an exodus down to the shore. A large hotel has recently been constructed and as a result there are several stands with curio and other goods with a long line of entrepreneurs hawking their wares.
The level of service and experience was as I remembered it. The only drawback to this trip was how crowded the second snorkel site was. We were wading between boats and anchors and I suppose it's the cost of an amazing site in an area with many tourists. Either way it wasn't enough to spoil the experience and the first snorkel site was totally open.
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| Ready to jump in? |
One of the most characteristic things of Zanzibar are the buses. The buses are more like converted short chassis flat-bed trucks which results in a short and cramped space to sit. There are wooden benches lining the interior and although it can be tight it is actually a cozy situation with at least some opportunity for airflow. There are some seriously impressive loads carried by these buses normally stacked on the roof. The buses and routes are indicated by a number and it's pretty easy and straightforward to navigate any bus to your destination.
I have a great memory of my brother once visiting. We took a bus to Paje and on the way it got pretty full. However, I knew it was nowhere near to it's full capacity. My brother commented that it was pretty packed just as we were pulling up to a group full of school kids. I knew he'd get a kick out of just how many more school children could fit inside!
