Back in Stonetown

MEMORABLOG: 16.12-17.12. 1998

In the last "Stonetown" entry I almost didn't mention anything about the town itself. Stone town is regarded as Zanzibar's capital. The town was named after the coral stone buildings, largely built during the 19th century. The town is known for it's narrow alleyways, large carved wooden doors and covered balconies. The doors are part of the Swahili culture and were largely influenced by Arab and especially Indian motifs. The large brass studs on the doors became decoration after having served as spike covers to protect the inhabitants from elephant raids during the Indian wars. The town currently house over 16,000 people and is home to 51 mosques, 6 Hindu temples and 2 Christian churches. The people are extremely diverse and fascinating.

What is annoying in Stonetown, are the touts... they see you from a far, almost smell you. You really cannot avoid them, but when you are a few days on Zanzibar its easy not to get hassled (especially if you did most of tours, have a hotel and already have a ticket back to Dar). And some are quite friendly...

In any aspect, Stonetown is a "souvenir" shopping paradise... You can get everything you can get on the mailand, and more... and for lower prices :) But, our time on the island ticking away, and soon we'll have to depart back to the mailand. Actually, we decided to stay an extra day, and go the airport directly from the island and not to see more in deep Dar itself... so, i leave myself Dar es Salaam for the next time..

I was struck by one thing in Zanzibar. If Thailand is a paradise for men, Zanzibar is for women. Its really not uncommon to see a woman with a young black guy. When we were staying in Paje, a woman came with "a driver". Well... he looked like 18 or younger, she was 50+. They shared the room, while... well... he didn't eat with her. When she went back to the room, he also went. Ok, don't know who was using who, but i guess those boys like the mzungu attention for a few days. She gave him money, food and more...