For UNESCO and with the Zanzibar mission (155Cong.Rec.E2761)

Zanzibar is definitely raking in the tourists with its all-inclusive beach resorts, but it's worth a visit for history as well. On the night before my flight home, I spent one night in a piece of its past: the Tembo House Hotel (top left). The building once housed the American consulate, which made me wonder what was located in my extravagant bathroom; it was a little too generous to be a visa window (top right). On the balcony, I imagined a friendly nod to Gandhi, who stayed there after it became a large Indian trading house (bottom left). The restoration to re-enact colonial times left me feeling a bit conflicted, but it sure was beautiful (bottom right). 

 

The hotel also includes a bit of modern history. It has turned an adjacent building, the Freddy Mercury House, into an exclusive apartment accommodation (top). The family of Mercury, who was born in Stone Town, would return to this house for vacation after they fled to England during the Zanzibar Revolution. The building has an imposing entrance, but it's tame compared to the other famous doors of Stone Town (bottom left). During a tour, our guide showed how to recognize whether they were of Indian or Arabic origin; hint: it's all in the script (bottom right). 

 

Stone Town's architecture, in general, has earned it designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (top left). With that as a tourist draw, lots of investment is being put into renovations of buildings, such as the icicle facade of the Old Dispensary (top right). The city almost lost its designation when the Mambo Msiige became part of the Park Hyatt (bottom). UNESCO doesn't look kindly on historical places being co-opted as commercial properties, but it relented in the face of a multitude of significant sites. Mambo Msiige means "do not copy do not imitate," the Omani builder's message to other palace owners. Later, it was converted to a hospital, where David Livingstone's body was brought on its way back to England.

In Christ Church hangs a cross made from the wood of the tree under which Livingstone's heart is said to be buried (top left). The church was deliberately built on the former Slave Market Site in Stone Town, not long after slavery was outlawed (top right). Just a few steps and stairs from the chapel is an underground holding cell (bottom left). The church complex also includes a museum and memorial about slavery, which sadly continued for many years even after it became illegal (bottom right).

Nowadays, there is no institutionalized servitude, but vendors slave away at Darajani Market, home to covered stone stalls for meat (top left) and makeshift seafood corners (top right). The area is a bit rank, especially considering the limited refrigeration and hot weather, but smells from spices and other products, such as drying flowers (bottom left), counteract some of the odor. And fresh sugar-cane juice, mixed with ginger and lime, is a good antidote to the heat (bottom right).

Juice vendors feature prominently at the nightly Forodhani Food Market (top left). Hawkers have on offer many culinary delights, like shwarma and bhajis, but most stands display a variety of raw items available to be cooked to order (top right). I skipped the BBQ and selected a Zanzibar pizza, which was grilled before my eyes (bottom left). Then all eyes were on me -- by the local litter of cats, at least -- as I sat on a nearby bench to eat it (bottom right).

Food is just one indication of the cultures that have melded in Zanzibar over the years, including, for starters, traders from across the Indian Ocean. I was super happy that my hotel's breakfast buffet included a variety of Indian dishes like samosas and aloo matar (top left). It had been so long since I had proper-spicy Indian cuisine that I double-downed with some curry for lunch at Lazuli Cafe (top right). The menu at Swahili House wasn't Indian-oriented, but Bollywood music played in the elevator to the rooftop bar, where I enjoyed a perfect panorama of the city (bottom left) and a colorful cocktail (bottom right).

 

The archipelago, but not mainland Tanzania, was once a sultanate of Oman, whose influence can be seen in their extravagant constructions. The Palace Museum offers amazing views of the ocean (top left), but it's not too shabby inside, considering it used to be a palace (top right). As a museum it contains various artifacts, including a cannon gift from the United States, but I liked the portable washroom, which the ruling class would use during safaris (bottom left). Right next door sits another Omani palace, called the House of Wonders because it was the first building on the island to have electricity (bottom right).

The first occupier of Zanzibar, however, was Portugal, after Vasco de Gama visited at the end of the 15th century. During the two centuries the island remained in Portuguese possession, they built structures like the Old Fort to protect their other interests on the east coast of Africa (top left). Other remaining ruins include an amphitheater, which had recently been used for an open-air break-dancing competition (top right), and an arch still standing down the road from the High Court, another architectural delight (bottom).

 

But the most ancient and perhaps most enduring contributions to Zanzibar culture are from the Arabian Peninsula and Persia. Although a sultan contracted Iranians to build the Hamamni Persian Baths in the 19th century, their ancestors likely once visited similar community pools in Stone Town (left). They and their Yemeni compatriots left a lasting religious legacy. Multiple mosque towers rise above the compact downtown, rivaled only by the sole spire of St. Joseph's Cathedral (right).

Right before independence, Zanzibar was a British protectorate. But despite that, tea never took over as the preferred tipple. Coffee became even more popular when farmers from mainland Africa brought their arabica beans to town, opening outlets like Zanzibar Coffee House (top left). Coffee is grown on the island, but plantations near Arusha provide most of the product for Stone Town cafes (top right). After a sweaty walk around town, an espresso didn't sound enticing, but an iced latte accompanied by the breeze of a rooftop cafe sure did (bottom).

But let's be honest, most of the time, when I stopped to hydrate, a lager was at the top of my list. At Travellers Cafe, I took a load off with a Serengeti Lager (top left) while I watched locals play pickup soccer on the sand below (top right). Another night, I put down a Kilimanjaro Lager at Tatu Pub (bottom left) before I headed to the nearby beach to take in a hazy sunset (bottom right).

  

 

The islands of Zanzibar, as you probably know, are part of Tanzania (Serial No.112-113)

I had a specific goal in mind for my second R&R from Kyiv: I wanted to escape the Ukrainian winter for warmer climes. And I went big -- just south of the equator, to the tropical island of Zanzibar. And I was not disappointed. I started sweating the moment I stepped off my plane. Luckily, when I reached Spice Island Hotel & Resort, they had a freshly squeezed watermelon drink ready to refresh me (left). My bungalow had air-conditioning, but at night, I didn't need to use it because the ceiling fan was enough to waft the cool sea breezes over my mosquito-netted bed (right). 

Besides enjoying the sunny climate, I set little agenda for myself. Most days, I ate a leisurely breakfast with avocado -- so much avocado -- by the pool (top left). Then I'd set up shop on a lounge chair facing the ocean to relax and read (top right). Occasionally, I jumped in the pool, but mostly I putzed around until dinner, which was surprisingly varied and sometimes sophisticated. One night, the entree choice was local grilled slipper lobster (bottom left). Another night, I made my own pizza: half vegetarian, quarter seafood, and quarter extra cheese (bottom right).

My first night, dinner came with entertainment, in the form of a tribe leader playing native music on a range of interesting instruments (top). It was an engaging performance, but I was equally enamored by the range of cocktails on the resort's own dock bar (bottom left). Daily drink specials made good use of local ingredients, such as the melon margarita I drank at dusk (bottom right).

I wasn't entirely a lazy beach bum. Almost every day, I did some sort of activity. One day, the in-house skipper and his recruited assistant took me snorkeling at a nearby sandbar with lots of coral outcroppings (left). I saw lots of colorful fish and some particularly brilliant-red starfish. But possibly even more enjoyable was riding there and back in a traditional dhow, basically a big canoe with a sail (right).

 

Another day, I set out on foot for the 30-minute walk to Kuza Cave. It was a hot route with little shade, so I was chomping at the bit to climb down the precarious path to the sheltered natural rock formation (top left). Many bowl-like structures can be found around the island, but this is one of the only ones to have water, so it was named after the Swahili word for womb (top right). I joined a couple of Slovakian tourists who arrived around the same time as I for a dip in the crisp spring water (middle left). We were given snorkel masks so we could check out the various stalagmites and crevices underwater (middle right). After a relaxing splash around, we dried off with an impromptu drumming and dancing session (bottom).

On yet another hot day, I went, by car this time, to Jambo Spice Farm (top left). The farm has large fields for mass production, but the surrounding community of workers has turned part of the enterprise into a tourist destination (top right). Upon arrival, I received a leaf cup to collect the remnants of various spices I tasted right off the plant (middle left), including the easily recognizable peppercorn (middle right) and the surprisingly artistic nutmeg seed (bottom).

 

The farm cultivates crops besides spices, including cacao (top left) and red bananas (top right). After about an hour of wandering through the bushes and trees, we were able to take a load off and were served a wide variety of tropical fruit, including the exotic bananas (bottom left). One worker climbed a tree to cut down coconuts, whose water and fruit we ate directly from the shell. We did so while adorned with crowns and bracelets made from palm leaves and hibiscus flowers (bottom right). 

 

Other days, I kept my adventures closer to home. I rented a big-tire bike from my hotel and rode north along the sand until I got hungry (top left). Then I returned to Paje for lunch: fresh fruit juice with a mango and avocado -- yes, more avocado -- salad from Mr. Kahawa (top right). The coastline is dotted with tourist trappings, but the presence of locals, including some schoolchildren playing a recess game, was a welcome reminder that the island is not just a resort (bottom left). While some vacationers tried their hand at kite surfing, the villagers plied their trade of harvesting seaweed (bottom right).

To the south of my hotel, in Jambiani, fishermen sort their catch and dry their haul at the local seaweed center (top left). The tides are drastic, so they have to cross expanses of rock- and coral-laden sands to reach their tethered dhows (top right). Although some buildings in the village are crumbling, the community of fisherman continues to thrive as it transitions to a more tourism-oriented economy (bottom).

When I saw a sign for Kim's Restaurant on the beach, I couldn't not check it out (top left). I was the only customer at the thatched-roof outdoor eatery, where they were constructing some adjacent hotel rooms (top right). The builders seemed happy for an excuse to take a break. One scurried up a nearby tree and knocked down coconuts for them to drink and for the cook to use in my order of coconut-crusted fish (bottom left). They even gave me one to enjoy alongside my Safari Lager as I waited for my meal (bottom right).