Three beaches and charming Stone Town
Trip Start
Feb 11, 2011
1
20
Trip End
Dec 07, 2011
Stone Town, Zanzibar Urban/West, Tanzania
Sunday, October 23, 2011
After they left, I went back and forth between Stone Town and a couple of the other beaches. Kendwa was my favorite because there was actual beach there. The soft, white sand was clean and not covered by seaweed. You could swim in the water 24 hours a day since there wasn't a massive tide like on the East Coast. Plus, Kendwa (specifically Kendwa Rocks) is the main backpacker hot spot on the island because of it's clean, cheap dorm room and Saturday night parties. I met a bunch of fun people there and had a great time hanging out and relaxing.
Stone Town really grew on me. Once I learned how to navigate through part of the maze of streets, I was able to explore some new areas away from all the touristy crap. I enjoyed walking through the gardens in the evening when the street vendors were all out. I also happened to be there for Eid Al-Hajj, a Muslim holiday. During the 3 nights of the holiday, the gardens were packed full with people. There was barely room on the sidewalks to move. Families brought mats to lay out on the available sidewalk areas (you're not allowed to walk or sit on the grass) for the children to play and nap on. Even at 10:30pm each night the gardens were packed with people of all ages, dressed to impress. The little girls were all wearing makeup and the women had decorated their hands with henna and put on their most sparkly burqas. Definitely different from your average day.
I've posted a smattering of pictures from Zanzibar. I didn't actually take all that many pictures that weren't of the sunset. You'll just have to visit yourself to experience everything else.
