Zanzibar - Stonetown

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One more early start, hopefully this is the last one. Joined the crush to get aboard the 7.00am ferry and 2 hours later I'm fighting my way through the touts on the Zanzibar wharf. The Princess Salme Inn is only 100 metres from the port, built in the old Moorish style with an open courtyard interior and loads of stairs. Zanzibar is a lot more laid back than mainland Tanzania, even the touts don't push as hard, I think I'm going to like this place. Spent a couple of hours wandering around the narrow winding streets of the old town and found myself going past the same shops time after time, the place is like some sort of crazy maze. Took a $10 2 hour walking tour of the town in the afternoon so I'm slowly starting to make sense of the place. Had a look at the meat and fish market - it's enough to make you turn vegetarian.

Had dinner at Emerson Spice a hotel in another old Moorish building that has been beautifully renovated by an American guy who has lived in Zanzibar for the last 20 years. The dinner is a 5 course pris fixe (degustation) menu - first off is Spinach Roll, Duck Stuffed Tomato, Bungo Fruit Ceviche. 2nd course Spiced Pumpkin, Radish Salad, Lobster with Vanilla Sauce. 3rd course - Turmeric Calamari, Grilled Pineapple, Gallic Bamia. 4th course - Red Snapper in Banana Leaf, Coconut spinach Potato and Spicy Carrot Puree. And finally Passion-Mango Givre, Stranes Fruit & Orange Cake all washed down with a couple of glasses of Sauv Blanc. At US$25 it's damned hard to beat though expensive by Zanzibari standards.

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