Zanzibari Experience — Travelogue

I have a very irritating habit of comparing every experience of mine with what i might have had in my childhood in my own sweet cocoon of Kerala — #TheGodsOwnCountry.

When i landed in Dar-e-salaam, Tanzania, i felt i landed in our very own Kochi — the port town of Kerala. It does have a lot of similarities, the smell of sea is all prevailing, the banter among people who is ferrying between the mainland and the islands, the fish market everywhere :) which i love to watch.

Apart from the familiarities, this visit did demystify a lot of assumptions which i had of Africa. All prevailing notion of it not being safe was the first, could see women walking around at late evenings, wherein i was clinging to my man, which i was not needed to in those streets. I should have walked quite freely there, but my conditioning of being near your male companions once the night fall was not needed at all. We were greeted everywhere by Jumbo — whatsapp in swahili! How welcoming was that. They might have a straight face or poker face, but they were friendly in all means.

Even in markets, the bargaining was inevitable, but they never were forceful but fair. Even when men were making you try on stuff, you could feel they were doing it with dignity. What a liberation! In markets which i am familiar with, when you are out you need to be watchful of the road romeos who might paw up or elbow you. None of these happened on these streets.

We could walk around in the streets of Dar-e-salaam and Zanzibar at late evenings and early morning without any cat-calling and no intrusions.

The natural beauty which these places had to offer can never be brought out in words by me, may be attached photos can do some justice to it.

This trip reinstated the Mantra — “Bhramaan se Bhram Mitta Hai” — which means “you clear your misconceptions through your travel”