Exploring Stone Town, Zanzibar

We took the ferry this morning from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar, a two-hour journey that went by pleasantly if uneventfully.


Old Stone Town is a real warren of narrow, twisting lanes, mosques and palaces, a confusing but incredibly evocative place. 

It’s atmospheric but also messy, and garbage-strewn; it’s crammed with gorgeous Arabic architecture, but much of it is in a state of elegant decay; and its streets are full of life, markets and a culturally diverse mix of peoples from the rim of Indian Ocean, yet it’s also incredibly poor.

Papasi, ‘ticks’, are hustlers that hassle tourists at almost every corner – mostly selling their services as tour guides. It’s tough wandering around such a poor place and trying to politely ignore these guys, but after a while you become hardened to it – sad. They are all generally polite and very desperate for money – all made worse by the fact that Zanzibar seems to be a high-end destination for Westerners, ie lots of rich people come here.

Once you get away from the ‘sights’ and delve into the old bazaars and alleys, it’s a lot easier to appreciate the city. Women wear Muslim veils or colorful Swahili dresses and the men just get on with trading, sipping coffee or lounging on the steps.