Zanzibar, Tanzania
It means no worries. And it did take me a moment to realize that the people here say it like “you’re welcome” or “no problem” without reference to the Lion King - which swiped the common phrase from the Swahili language.
Everyone here has been so nice. There have been some beach hawkers who approach or call out but they really haven’t been overly agressive or rude. A polite “no thank you” or two seems to stop them and many folks are just looking for a conversation or to ask if you are enjoying the island.
I had one guy approach me while I was on the beach taking photos to make sure I wasn’t planning to swim. He explained that sharks were prevalent in the waters during tides changes and pointed to something in the water and said it was a shark. The rest of the group confirmed later it was probably true because around the same time they saw someone calling a group of 10-12 local boys who has been playing in the water back to the shore.
I also made friends with one of the Masai guys we saw out on the beach yesterday. His name was Oly - which he wrote in the sand with the long thin stick he carried. He was dressed in very bright red clothes and had his long hair styled in the traditionally with skinny braids woven together with cotton or wool thread.
We talked for quite sometime - he owned a shop near by that I wasn’t going to visit right then - but he asked if we could talk a little longer because he explained he was working on his English (which was very good).
We talked about America and Kenya (where he was from and where we are going next). He said he knew when he heard me talking to the shark guy that I was either South African or American. When he saw how friendly I was, he figured American, haha! He said Russians aren’t friendly like Americans - “probably because it is a cold county.“
We talked a bit about former President Obama and his Kenyan roots. He excitedly told me about a couple from America he met a few weeks ago and they were “black like [him].” He said they told him there were lots of black people in America and asked if it was true. He was really nice and I’m glad I got to meet him!
Actually, many of the local people have been excited to hear we are from the US and it seems they don’t get American travelers here as frequently as some other places we’ve been.
There are lots of British people here though. We made friends with a couple from London who kept ordering milkshakes with rum and playing good music on their portable speakers yesterday.
Today, we mostly just lounged on the beach - sitting in the shade, watching local kids play and argue on the sand dunes at low tide, seeing fishermen come in with buckets full of fresh fish and watching the boats go back out to sea.
Oly asked me if I was enjoying my vacation in paradise. I’d have to yes, I really am! What a beautiful place to be with good friends, good drinks and the love of my life. There isn’t too much more one could want.
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