A few minutes in Stone Town are all you need to suss out the vibrant friendliness of the place. People walking by yell “Jambo!” in greeting, followed by an inquiring “Habari?” (“How are you?”), “Where are you from?” and “How do you like our Zanzibar?”
Getting from one place to the next is very time consuming, but pleasurable nonetheless. Within the first half hour, Jenni and I meet a young man called Ali, who offers to show us around. In broken English he explains some of the history and culture of Zanzibar. Ali tells us that most Zanzibaris are Muslims and that this is the middle of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. We are asked to respect their culture, and not to eat or drink in public until after sunset.
Ali is an invaluable help, and he plays the part of guide brilliantly! He shows us the best places to shop in, taking us down narrow streets filled with the bright colours of materials, clothes, jewellery, paintings and wooden carvings.
