Mike in Sweden: Zanzibar, Loved it/Hated It

Zanzibar! What a great and bad place all the same. I cant really put an exact thought about it, unfortunately due to the constant harassment I had during my visit. Dont get me wrong, Zanzibar is a GREAT place. I had a wonderful time, outside of the city when I took a spice tour, went swimming on a secluded beach in the Indian Ocean, saw all the spices, bought all the spices (SUPER CHEAP), saw slave trading locations and ate lunch with the locals. It was a great experience. Everyone I met at my hotel, both Tanzanians and Westerners, were worth the trip. I had a great time having dinner, lunches, beers and conversations with everyone about life in Tanzania, travels, etc. This was the highlight of my trip. The normal Zanzibarians are also great! They offered me food and were happy that I was there, something not expected in such a poor place.

HOWEVER!!! Now I come to my constant harassment and RIP OFFS!!!!! I will now not necissarily recommend Zanzibar for those that are easy going and friendly. One must be demanding, say NO, keep constant guard and finally try not to be bothered by the constant begging and offers from the "walking salesmen."

When going to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam, the first encounter you have while walking up to the port to buy your ticket is this incredibly LARGE wave of salesmen, touts and taxi drivers offering you everything, grabbing your bags, wanting your passport and trying to rip you off. It is quite overwhelming, and i was ripped off on my trip to Zanzibar. It was only $15 or so, but that is a LOT here in Tanzania. Once you arrive in Zanzibar, the same thing happens as everyone wants to offer you some kind of taxi ride, spice tour, city tour and be your 'best friend.' Just tell them to leave you alone, say 'NO' or 'fuck off' and they will leave you alone.

Everything about my stay was great, the hotel was fabulous and cool for African standards (lovely breakfast, clean room, ceiling fan, etc.) Then I took the MOST ANNOYING TRIP OF MY LIFE!!!!!!

I agreed with one local guy, ALI, that we would go on a city tour. He wanted 17,000 Tanzanian Shillings (About $12) for the tour. I agreed to give him about 8 to start with and later the rest. Thats when the tour began.... It started off good and we saw some of the sights. On the way, I started to be followed by up to 4 guys trying to sell me the same shit at once. This did not stop for my whole walking tour. Everytime I stopped, took a picture and began walking again, they were following, harassing and begging from me. Once you told them to leave, they left....but as you can guess, they simply went around the corner and found you on the next street only to beg and harass again!!!! They did not stop even when you went into a restaurant, and were harassing from the windows and patios. Not a fun experience. This was in addition to MY GUIDE begging and wanting things from me. He had problems with his eyes that day and wanted me to buy him sunglasses!!!! He also wanted me to buy him lunch, drinks and all kinds of other things. He also took me to his good friends, whom suprisingly owned GIFT SHOPS and would basically not let me out of the place. After some more begging I told him I didnt want him any longer, and after a bit he just dissapeared. GREAT!!!!! But then I had to walk back to the center alone and was harassed even more!!!!! Finally I ended up at a cafe and then to an Indian Restaurant and had some beers and fruit with and English guy, who paid for everything for me! That was a great end to the day and I was on my way back to Dar and later to fly back to Sweden, hot, sun burnt, sweaty and ready to go!

Overall, Tanzania is a great place and I did not experience any bad people, except in Zanzibar. I would therefore not recommend Zanzibar. I would reccommend Tanzania for EVERYTHING ELSE! They have such a beautiful country. They have Lake Victoria, The Serengetti, all the Animals, Oceans and Zanzibar. It is amazing there. Definitely would return again (especially for my research) but not to Zanzibar!

Now some pictures....