Just a quick update this time, with photos and stories from a couple of trips I have had around the island.
Jozani Forest
Taking advantage of the fact that my friend Laura runs a tour company and needed to try out the tours that they offer (and so I got to go for free!), I spent a day at Jozani Forest and on the ubiquitous spice tour. Jozani is situated in the south east of the island, and is made up of ancient forests, plantations and mangroves, where locals can get all their medicines, food, clothing and just about everything else they need to survive. It is also home to the rare and endangered red colobus monkey, which is indigenous to Zanzibar.There are only around 2,500 of these monkeys left in the world; half of which live in Jozani. Luckily, despite the best efforts of the Finnish monkey killer, there were lots of monkeys around and they were out in force. The main road from Stone Town to Paje runs through Jozani Forest and the monkeys were congregated only a few yards from the roadside. Although they are wild, they are used to humans (and traffic) so were happy to come quite close and allow me to get some photos.
Spice Tour
To be honest, I wasn't really that bothered about going on the spice tour beforehand and probably wouldn't have done so if Laura didn't need to see it. I've been on these kinds of trips before, where the guide tells you that spices and fruit grow on plants and trees and then try to sell you packs of spices at silly inflated prices. Perhaps it was because the tour guides were already known to Laura and so everything was very informal, but it actually turned out to be a very good tour - both informative and entertaining - and I enjoyed it. Of course they did take you to their shop at the end of the tour, but there was very little hassle and, besides which, the prices weren't too ridiculous. I still didn't buy anything - old habits die hard! - but I can recommend the tour to anybody who comes to Zanzibar.Around Stone Town, you can always tell who has been on the spice tour because of the woven palm leaf paraphernalia they are adorned with. It doesn't hurt to look like an idiot every once in a while, and Laura and I took that to heart (although she did manage to carry off the look a lot better than me!).
Paje
The kite-surfing season ended at the start of October and there was a big end-of-season party planned in Paje. So, Helen, Emilia and I joined Ipyana and a few other friends for a weekend away at Teddy's Place. Staying in a traditional makuti banda set just back from the ocean, we spent two days and nights on the beach, at Teddy's or in the nearby bars, and it was the most wonderful weekend break.
Paje is located on the south east coast, with long white beaches flanked by palm trees and mangroves, and a fairly constant wind from the south meaning that the blue-green ocean is a Mecca for kite-surfers (which seemed to please Helen and Emilia for some reason!). As it turned out, the big end-of-season party mainly passed us by, but we were having such a great time in our small group that it wasn't until the day after that anybody noticed. I don't know whether it because it is a bit of a back-packers' place, or just because of the setting and the fact it was the end of the season, but the atmosphere was very chilled - the place has a different feeling when compared with the equally beautiful Kendwa.
The days in Paje were like a throwback to childhood holidays. We idly passed the time swimming in the turquoise ocean, jumping around like school kids in the soft sand while strolling down the beach or just sitting in the sun watching the waves roll in. The evenings started by drinking colourful cocktails with who-knows-what in them (they tasted good, but they certainly had a kick!) and continued in the local "nightclubs" or on the beach; having moonlit seaweed fights or sitting under the stars, waiting for the expected meteor shower (which I think we missed due to the aforementioned cocktails!). We then stayed up until near-dawn, lay in the hammocks, chatting about life, the universe and everything. It turns out the answer is not 42 as I long believed, but it may be 23......
Nothing that we did was particularly exhilarating, or unique to Paje, or would ordinarily be unforgettable, even though it was all good fun. What really made the weekend so special was the company. Not just the people I was with, although they are good friends and that helps, but more the fact that everybody was, quite simply, happy.
Sitting on the beach or in Stone Town gives you lots of time to think and I have been considering why people are happier here - not just in Paje, but in Zanzibar in general. I'm sure I don't have the answer, I don't think there is an "answer" to such philosophical questions, but here is some backstreet psychology based on my musings. (I won’t be offended if you choose to stop reading here!)
The happiness of Zanzibar
The weather here is (usually) fantastic, the island is beautiful and, compared to western societies, the cost of living is cheap - all of these factors help - but there is also something more fundamental. If I were to try and put it in a nutshell, I would say that that people in Zanzibar (both locals and those people who have made it their home) have a better sense of priorities. That is not to say that people here are inherently "better", because I don't think that is the case, but the environment and circumstances of life help (or even force) people to focus on what is important.
As an example, in the UK (and, I would guess, in most of the developed world) people, and societies in general, place a higher value on having the latest gadgets or fashion. I have certainly been as guilty as anybody of the first and possibly the second, although people may - and regularly have - questioned my choice of clothes! But here, getting hold of the newest toy or this season's must-have clothes is, if not impossible, then difficult. So people don't think about it too much or worry about whether owning these material things will make their life better. Instead, they focus their attention on the people they love, make the most of what they do have and enjoy living in the moment.
It is not just luxury items either. Basic day-to-day essentials (like food) can be easily bought here, but although there are lots of stalls in the market, they all sell broadly the same things. There isn’t a lot choice and if something is not available, then you simply need to make alternative plans for dinner or do without. Shortages of food items, as with the power cuts, are just accepted; as far as I can see, there is no (or, at least, less) time spent worrying about what might have been or over things that a person cannot influence. And I think it is healthy. Filling a mind with unnecessary worries about the trivial things in life crowds out the thoughts about family and friends, whereas collectively giving priority to the latter leads to a greater sense of community, and that in turn leads to happier individuals and a happier society.
As well as the (general) lack of a culture of materialism, there are other values that lead to these different priorities. In western societies, there is a tendency for people to focus too much on their work and careers (another confession!). At home, it is common for those in high-pressured jobs to worry about getting the right work/life balance, but all too often it is only paid lip service. Here, the pressure and urgency at work doesn't seem to exist in quite the same way. I have seen people get frustrated by the length of time that things take to get done, and I can understand this, but I think it is a consequence of applying a western value to a different culture whereas, when everything moves slowly, who really cares if things take longer or if you meet or miss an arbitrary deadline for a task. Especially if, by missing the deadline, you get to spend more time doing the things that are important to you or being at home with those that you love.
That is not to say that a career or job is unimportant. A lot of people spend a big chunk of their life at work and job satisfaction can be a major influence on whether or not a person is happy. It is therefore important for people to care about their work, but what I have seen here is that where people do care about their work, it is because it aligns with their values, rather than just caring about work because they want to do a good job. The prevailing laissez-faire attitude can and does hinder progress but, despite this, they are happier than those in developed societies who live life under constant stress about work or money. Who is to say which is right? I think I know which I would prefer
Of course, Zanzibar is not Utopia. There is sadness here too, and poverty, sickness (especially with the accompanying poor level of health care), and wanting to have some life's luxuries all lead to a degree of unhappiness - it is just that it does not seem to be to the same extent as at home. Status is a big thing here too and there are some people here for who status (which can include career progression) is very, maybe overly, important. I actually think this is the root of a lot of the corruption that undoubtedly exists and, tellingly, a lot of the status symbols that people have are based on owning material possessions. I think it is also telling that those who are always trying to move up the social or career ladder are perhaps those who are least happy.
To be fair, I haven't met many of Zanzibar's high flyers, so my view is based more on hearsay and supposition. The people I have met here are, almost without exception, extremely considerate of others and will try to help if they can. In a society where the prevalent attitude is to care about others, you know that others care about you, and so the challenges you face can be more easily overcome (and so they are less of a worry). It allows a person to think more about the internal values by which they want to live their life, and it reinforces the value that the people in your life are more important than "stuff", so friends and loved ones are placed, without caveats, at the top of the list of priorities. When material possessions are less of a concern, and work doesn’t dominate your thoughts, you just need to get the people part of your life right to be happy. It is a cliché, and just a bit soppy, but of all the wonderful sights I have seen here, the most beautiful is that of a girl falling in love (even if it is not with me!). Onnea hunaja pupu!
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