people

All posts tagged people

This post is the forth in a set of publications which will describe the last trip I did in East Africa, back in August, leading me to Zanzibar and back again.
Zanzibar, despite being part of the United Republic of Tanzania, is really different from any other place I have visited in East Africa. It has a mix of cultures which at times makes you wonder whether you are in Africa, the Middle East or India. Different religions are professed here and their influences can be seen in the architecture, the clothing and the food.
In my opinion, the true beauty of Zanzibar lies in its streets, its markets and the people. Even after getting used to East African markets, Zanzibar managed to surprise me: the variety of spices, aromas, vegetables, fruits, objects and pieces of art was astonishing. Before heading back home, I had stockpiled a quite remarkable array of spices and massage oils, including 2 coconuts (yeah, I am crazy).
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In Zanzibar, as in the rest of East Africa, you get to meet a lot of people. It’s very easy, especially if you don’t mind talking to strangers.
In fact, being a white (a mzungu, as they say) gives you a lot of chances to talk to people; of course, many might see it as an economical opportunity but, given a bit of effort, it often turns into a quite interesting conversation. By showing to people that you actually want to get to know them and learn about their culture makes a huge difference from being the common exploitable tourist.
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The last ship from Lokrum leaves at 8pm, people cannot stay on the island after that time.
Knowing at which time the sun would set, I took the 7.30pm boat to get back to the old port.
I expected to see a sunset, but I would have never thought it would be so spectacular from the boat.
The people, with their boats, sailing and fishing only made it more amazing.


 
While I was walking on a rather quiet street, I noticed a group of men playing cards and thought that would be an amazing picture. At first, I was just pretending to take a picture of the landscape just to gather some courage; after few seconds I just smiled at one of them and asked if they were up for a picture. They all laughed and agreed (or at least that’s what I understood, they spoke mainly in Croatian).
Sometimes it seems hard to take pictures of strangers, but at the end it’s easier than it seems.
Just smile and ask.