Bagamoyo and Zanzibar

On the beach at Bagamoyo, the capital of German east Africa, which used to be the major trading port on the east african coast before Dar es Salaam. The water is shallow and heavy boats cant get in, so they dumped all this fuel in the yellow containers overboard in the deeper water and then gathered it onto the shore. It was then carted to a waiting truck and the boat could moor in the shallower water.
Lots of old crumbling buildings in Bagamoyo. The doors and windows and frames are not allowed out of Tanzania as they want to maintain the heritage, but no body is maintaining them.
Early morning at the sea training institute beach for the 3 hour boat ride over to Zanzibar. NO, not this boat, but an old navy boat decommissioned and bought by a local mzunga, Jo, ( and owner of the Firefly campsite) for the crossing. Most boats and planes leave from Dar es Salaam.
Thiemo our guide, mechanic, organiser and Jo the owner of the boat, making sure we get going!
Zanzibar is a UNESCO World Heritage site with over 1000 stone coral buildings and 200 carved wooden doors. After the revolution in 1963, Tanganyika, Zanzibar and Azania (a greek word for the African coast) were joined to form Tanzania the country. The castle above was built by trading Arabs in 1698 when they seized the island from the Portuguese.
A sample of the wall construction of the fort. Stone town is the old area of Zanzibar, with winding narrow streets, mosques, churches and temples all within walking distance of each other.
An example of one of the old carved doors. Note the metal points on the doors used to deter elephants from crashing the doors in, the padlock at the bottom and the intricate carving on the frame.
Beautiful lamps and timber work abound in the streets of Stone town.
Glorious colours of the ocean remind me of Ningaloo and buildings perched right on the edge of the walls.
Zanzibar was a major slave trading centre for the Indian Ocean slave trade with as many as 50 000 slaves passing through every year in the 19th Century and it was the last legally operating market, closing in 1873 under pressure from Livingstone and the British.
One of two remaining slave chambers (out of the original 15). They put 75 women and children in this space, and 50 men in the other chamber. the centre channels was for the excrement and high tide would clear most of it away.
Sunset on the beach
Annatto, or lipstick tree fruit contains seeds and a paste (bixin) which is used as dye for the hair, body and lips. It works, but looks heaps better on the darker skin! It is also used to colour foods (butter, cheese) and is used in central american cooking.
He has the annatto on his lips and head. They called me the Spice girl as every time he went to show us another spice he would ask what it was, and most of the time I could answer correctly. He still would not pay me for the tour though!
Mace is the red covering (arel) of the Nutmeg seed.
One of the many species of Cinnamomum cassia tree used to make cinnamon. You can see where the bark has been stripped off the tree. to make it commercially, the tree is cut down when green and the outer bark is scraped off and the stem pulverised so the inner bark can be peeled.
Clove flower buds
Cardomom, the worlds third most expensive spice
Apparently this is iodine plant and the sap as seen on the knife is used to prevent infection of wounds
The community spice farm made girls hats, bracelets, and rings from grass and the boys ties and gave us coconuts fresh from the tree to drink.
Followed by a home made meal of biryani, samosa, greens, beef curry and paratha on the floor of a house in the community.

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1 Comment

  1. The plants look amazing! I wanna try the lipstick fruit! Also love your colorful outfit mumsie 💕💕💕

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