Lost in Stone Town
Many thanks to our tour mate Lucy, who after having read previous reviews of our Intrepid Travel tour, suggested that we skip the one night stay in Dar Es Salem and head straight for Zanzibar. The stay in Tanzania’s capital was only meant to break up one very long travel day, but in reality it didn’t make that much of a difference. It was a unanimous decision among our entire group, wooed by white sand and a relaxing end to our hecktic trip, to rise a little earlier and do it all in one shot. And so we landed in Stone Town with a little extra time to spare.
*****
The locals were celebrating the first day of Ramadan. Curtains were drawn in the restaurants catering to the tourists, being ever so careful not to offend anyone who was sacrificing for the month. A call to prayer echoed down the street from the nearby mosque. Kathy mentioned to me that she got a dirty look from a woman in a shop for the small slit in her ground length skirt. A couple of children curiously wandered up and wondered why I was taking a photograph of their father’s coconuts laid out for sale on the street. I proudly showed them my photo and smiles lit up their faces. In turn they asked us to take a photograph of them to which we gladly obliged.
We came across a woman out for her morning walk with chickens being lead by homemade plastic leashes. I asked if I could capture the moment, but she wanted nothing to do with being in the frame. Instead she offered her fowl up as models. I gladly accepted her offer and caught her snickering in my peripheral view.
It was a couple of hours in which we wandered through the maze of Stone Town, reflecting on the many influences throughout. From the rounded top Indian doors and the traditional rectangular Arabic door frames, to the intricate carvings on the doors signifying either religious or symbolic beliefs. We snuck peeks past the doors as the city began to wake up.
Turns out that the local was right, by the way, and I felt embarrassed for my earlier suspicion. He definitely would have gotten us back to our hotel in less time.
But then I also would have missed this moment.
how to do it
Our trip was courtesy of Intrepid Travel. All opinions, as always, are our own.
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Absolutely stunning shots, per usual. Love the variety in the doors from colours to textures to symbols.
I completely agree, if you only have a limited amount of time in a place, wander, get lost, explore. It often makes for a much more memorable trip. When my husband and I were in Bangkok in January, we were completely burnt out from seeing the sights. Instead we took the long (LONG!) way back to our hotel through back streets and markets. It turned out to be the best part of our four days in Bangkok and led to the best photos.
Great post, Pete.
Good decision to skip Dar and just go straight to Zanzibar. We made the same decision when flying from Zambia – even though it too was a VERY long flying day (arrived about 3:00am in Stone Town). Your photos are absolutely exquisite! Especially the ones of the Zanzibari doors. We stayed for 4 nights in Stone Town in a restored boutique palace-hotel (absolutely recommended!) before a long stretch of beach time, and our travel article on “Nine Unforgettable Moments in Zanzibar” was published in Canada’s national Globe & Mail newspaper – forgive the shameful self-promotion please :-). We also have a few Zanzibar posts on our blog and one on “Stone Town, Zanzibar: Haunting slave markets and palaces” if you’re interested… Looking forward to more of your Zanzibar posts!
Sand In My Suitcase recently posted..Dresden attractions – all that glitters might be green
Amazing photos! Love the moment you captured with the chickens – their little leashes are too funny.You guys are in a corner of the world that I’m not totally itching to travel, but I’m really enjoying reading your account of it.
Rika | Cubicle Throwdown recently posted..Clinica Esperanza – Roatan’s Clinic of Hope
Great story Pete. I love the little details you added as well as the random photos of doorknobs and such. That last shot of the girls is precious. They are so adorable.
Oooo, this is probably one of my favorite sets of photos of yours, Pete! The details really tell the story of the place – and I love all those details from the doors!
Amanda recently posted..Bloggers and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Travel Day
Oh my! These are such stunning photos.
Sounds like you had a great experience with some beautiful memories. Thanks for sharing.
Mirna recently posted..How To Keep Your Skin Healthy While Travelling – Natural and Budget-Friendly Solutions
What a gorgeous post. I feel as though I’m right there with you.
Refusing help from strangers comes naturally to us, too. I remember our first day in Morocco, which was also our first trip outside Europe or North America, my husband and I were dropped off by a cab and left to wander the narrow alleyways in search of the Dar we had booked for the night. With no street names and no map of the area, we had no way of finding our way.
We stopped at a little hole in the wall vendor selling water, bought some water and asked for directions. Three young boys overheard us and insisted that we follow them. We wanted nothing to do with them and tried to shake them as we stopped and asked more “trustworthy” people to point us in the right direction.
The boys stuck with us and eventually led us right to the door of our Dar, which we never would have found on our own. Then they scattered far too quickly for us to even think of giving them anything for their trouble.
They had only been trying to help and I’m sure they thought we were completely insane for refusing!
J
Jane M recently posted..Getting Merry on the Ultimate Vancouver Craft Beer Bike Tour
You have captured it well. The photos make it seem so atmospheric.
Natalie recently posted..From Nice to Naughty: When Good Travelers Go Bad
The pictures captured the perfect moment!! that girls are so beautiful
Izy Berry recently posted..The Secret Truth about the Life of a Digital Nomad
I like the initial photos where everyone is swimming, not sure why. Everyone seems happy and playing, I suppose.
Looks like a neat place to visit 🙂
Well done, You just gotta love Africa!
Hello Pete,
I too am a photography nerd and enjoy taking pictures of things in twilight and early in the morning. Your blog and the pictures you have taken speak so much about your style and work that I had a great time going through it. Keep up with the wonderful work.
Savar Pandey recently posted..Thought of the day – Theodore Roosevelt
Absolutely LOVE the close-up photos. Brings back a lot of memories for me. It was such a need city to visit, full of lovely people. 🙂
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