NO, I DON'T WANT A TAXI, CD, SPICES...

OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU'RE SELLING! Or, my recent trip to Zanzibar, especially Stonetown!

I actually love Z'bar and never turn down a chance to go! So when my friend Jenny said she really needed to get away, and would I mind going during my week holiday (Spring Break is how I think of it), even though I'd just been in December, since she'd never been and wanted someone who knew the ropes, I couldn't say yes fast enough! Another mentor, Shelley, had also never been and had no plans for that week, so the 3 of us took off. We stayed in the same place Sarah and I had stayed in Dec., and it was lovely and restful and relaxing and beautiful. We went snorkeling on an all day trip and just loved it. Jenny loved it so much that she rented gear the next afternoon and we went again just off the beach from where we were staying. Ate lots of seafood, slept, read, watched sunsets, had a great time. We were there from Sunday till Thursday when we left for our Spice Tour on the way to Stonetown.

I've never stayed in Stonetown before, just spent time there, but Joanna had and suggested a place to stay that was in walking distance of everything we'd want: shops and restarants, as well as historic places to see and the market. That was where the title of this cames from! Because it is such a popular place for tourists, hawkers just hang out on that street jumping at anything that even remotely resembles a tourist! Apparently, the following things are true of tourists: we never walk anywhere (so we must want a taxi!), we can't get enough Tanzanian music (so we want to buy the one CD they sell!), and we've come to Z'bar for spices (so we have to buy more!). Unfortunately, I haven't perfected the knack for rudeness that other poeple have, so I was often the target of these pitches. One man practically followed me around Stonetown and ended up asking me to take him back to Arusha with me! On Friday night, we were at a very public outdoor garden with lots of families and locals, as well as tourists, and we were just bombarded by hawkers with artwork, spices, etc. One woman was heading our way, and I jokingly said, "Wouldn't it be funny if she tried to sell us something?" Since no women had approached us up to that point, it was highly unlikely, I thought. HOWEVER, she walked right up to me and asked if I'd like a henna tattoo! I said no, but just had to grab Jenny and Shelley to keep from snapping!From then on, Jenny would just look at me at random times and say, "Don't you want a taxi?"

On Saturday, because we had almost a whole day before our plane took off, we went snorkeling again! It was a perfect thing to do and a great end to our stay. I'll definitely go again, but I'll work on rudeness before that!