Zanzibar Secrets

To me, one of the most dangerous places in Dar is not the area in town called Kariakoo (where pickpockets apparently wait to pounce on the unsuspecting) or the deep waters around the little islands off the coast (where sharks apparently wait to do the same).
No...one of the most dangerous places in Dar sits innocently enough along Haile Selassie road and looks really innocuous.

Zanzibar Secrets is a little place which sells beautiful things at not-so-low prices. In fact, if you enter, without thinking, you're likely going to leave at least USD50 poorer.

This is a bad thing for innocent foreigners (mainly expat wives) who might find themselves driving past quite frequently. It's especially bad because women here are starved of any good boutiques and the allure of Zanzibar Secrets on an idle afternoon is particularly difficult to resist.

You'll be lured by the pretty, picturesque window dressing and the gorgeously tall, proud Zanzibar doors.



Once inside, there's no turning back....


There are lovely Zanzibarian tops, loose-fitting but stylish pants, beaded necklaces and bags and intricately-made lamps, all priced above what you would pay if you weren't dying for a good place to shop! The worst part is, all these lovely items seem to know your name and have no qualms calling it repeatedly until you find yourself delving into your purse to pay for them!

I've fallen prey, many a time and have now learned to keep my eyes on the road (where they should be in the first place!) when I drive past.

Despite this resolve, I've succumbed (most recently, about a week ago) and found myself coming out of the place in a daze holding somethingI never intended to buy in the first place.

Evidently, one of the secrets referred to in Zanzibar Secrets is getting their customers into a trance-like during which said customers make purchases that they never planned to in the first place!