Stone Town chill

Getting to Zanzibar turned out to be both easy and hard at the same time.

It was easy to book the plane, book a hotel and go through the visa process, that part wasn't that hard. It was the packing, the night travelling and the goodbyes which extended through the nights that took their toll on us. After about 3 nights of really poor sleep and a night flight, we were dog tired when we got to our hostel and the nap after the shower felt like a gift from up above. It was what we needed to kick start our endeavor.

Recharged we decided to take to the city to discover what it has to offer.

First things being first, we had a relaxed coffee by the shore of the Indian Ocean.

It was a glorious moment of realization for the both of us that we had started something magical and the shining sun and spicy coffee only emphasized the grandness of it!

With broad smiles on our faces we walked lazily along the small streets of Stone Town.

“Oh look at the artwork for sale” said A.

I am sure all the tourists start off by admiring the shapes and the colors of artwork sold on the streets. That, however, soon changes. More on that later on...

With many colonialist influences from both east and west, the old town is a small maze of little streets with doors competing in a sort of unofficial beauty and intricacy contest all the way until you get the main square and port. It is hot and filled with people but everybody smiles at you and invites you to their souvenir shop. Remember that the admiration of artwork wore off?

If you didn't know, Zanzibar is the land of “hakuna matata”, and “pole, pole”. No worries and slow, slow so even as you walk on by, though many salespeople approach you, stress is not a thing and everything seems to happen at a slow pace. This is a place to relax and admire the sun from the blissful shades of the trees.

As the night falls, the Old Town market comes to life.

We were concerned that it was a tourist trap and even though some of the stalls are definitely more for the foreigners, the vast majority of people enjoying the festive mood are the locals.

If you are ever there you should definitely try the Zanzibar pizza!

Though not even remotely connected to any form of pizza, this bastardization of the fine Italian meal, which resembles more of an omelet, will definitely surprise you with its ingredients and with the showmanship of its chefs. Check that out!

Close seconds on the culinary line are the sugar cane juice which was simply amazing and the soups for which most locals seemed to go for and which will heartily fill you up.

You will also find many types of fish and seafood for sale. I'd personally stay away from this as all of the stalls seem to have the exact same foods and their freshness is somewhat questionable. But hey, if you do it please let me know how it went!

By this point, even though you will likely be delighted by the views and the experience, you will also probably be tired by the amount of people trying to sell you artwork, food from the stalls or boat rides of some kind.

If this is the case, “hakuna matata” my friend! Remember that all of those people selling the same exact artwork on all of those stalls are just trying to make a living and the same can be said for all others that approach you. Smile politely, say thank you and steadily walk away. Millions would die for the opportunity to visit this place and letting pushy art peddlers interfere with your mood seems a waste of this blessing you have given yourself.

For us, the Stone Town nights ended by the promenade by the sea just admiring the city, the lights and the ocean.

Stone Town is a chill place and it is exactly what we needed. “Hakuna matata” everybody!