… one will hear this very often while strolling through the white and windy streets of Stone Town, the heart of Zanzibar. This relaxed and friendly island became a marvelous rest-spot after the long sticky-smelly train journey Zambia-Tanzania. Smiling back colorful faces greet you on every corner with ‘karibu Zanzibar’ (Zanzibar is welcoming you), the reply ‘jumbo poa, mumbo poa’ (how are you? fine) is obligatory. Here the local hawkers are so relaxed, hassle-free and politely inviting, that they no longer seem to threaten as a ‘tourist trap’.
However, the local fish market, somehow omitted by tourists on their sightseeing trail (probably because it is not mentioned in the ‘bible’, i.e., Lonely Planet) is a trip-maker. This busy round-the-clock dock is the spot where each morning hundreds of fisherman return from their overnight fishing expeditions, unload, sell and trade their catches. Enormous fish, fat calamari, lobsters and other marine creatures, all fresh and ready to be transported to different places on the island.
All worn out and tired of bargaining, we come to watch the sunset at one of the beaches. We finish the day with an evening feast of the fish market goodies: tuna, snapper, shark, shrimps, octopus… served with coconut or sesame bread, spicy potatoes and falafel, salads and freshly squeezed sugarcane juice. Now it’s time to check out today’s WC game in one of the pubs.
We’re just waiting for Marcin to arrive from Dar es Salaam at the ferry terminal. We found a café with a beautiful terrace overlooking the main bridge connecting the ferry with land, so we scan all the ‘ants’ carrying their possessions onto land, where is Marcin? Well, the boat broke down, so Marcin is stuck somewhere in the middle between DeS and Zanzibar. Karibu Africa!
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The next couple of days on the island were busy and exciting. For Marcin, a computer geek who has just disconnected himself from the digital world, relaxing on a dream-beach was the priority. Snorkeling, swimming, dangerous dhow sailing (Why dangerous? Just check out the photos – a typical dhow is a hand thatched boat from wooden odds and ends and a piece of cloth on a stick as the sail.) – all that to reach the most remote untouched white sandy beaches. The boys even got to join an authentic fishing expedition with ten local fishermen. ‘Mzungus’ (whites) are officially not allowed on this kind of vessels. The guys returned from the hard working night exhausted, awfully smelly and most of all with no fish. Bad luck 
Meanwhile, I had a great time with the Danish-Dutch girls’ team from Zambian train, shopping, dining and hanging around. Gosh, I miss the simple-pleasant life back home!
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