Stone Town Revisited

Stone Town was warmly familiar for us on our short (2 1/2 day) interlude before leaving Zanzibar. I resumed drum lessons and was pleased to feel that I had learned a few things. My teacher taught me a few more rhythms and I left the music school vary satisfied with my time there.

We returned to our familar room at the Narrow Street Hotel, enjoyed daily lunches at our favorite local restaurant, the Passing Show. We saw familiar faces there, including our friend Aika, a colorful woman from the Kilimanjaro area who we met when we were last in Stone Town.

The familiarity of Stone Town made our month of July feel real, feeling that we were living in Zanzibar and being a part of life on that beautiful island.

Zanzibar's North Coast

At Zanzibar's most popular beach, Nungwi, we were happy to get a place just metres away from the ocean. The view from our room was of the beach and its dedicated sunbathers. While they put in full days under the sun, Liz matched their work ethic, pounding away at her thesis. I practiced my new drum rhythms and kept busy going to the "supermarket" and co-ordinating the rest of our trip.

Nungwi is an interesting place. The locals seemed more lively than in sleepy Bwejuu. We encountered a religious ceremony with the males singing and drumming while the veiled women spun their torsos to the music (I'll show you the video). We also found a group of locals our age who were practicing a drum/dance routine. Liz joined the dancers while I sat with the drummers and filmed the action.

A week went by and while it felt like time to move on (a weekly ritual at this point), we weren't ready to leave the beach, or Zanzibar for that matter. We made our way 30 min. (walking) up the coast to Kendwa.

Though Nungwi is the most popular beach, it isn't as beautiful as neigboring Kendwa. Once there, we treated ourselves to daily swims in the clear blue water. We snorkelled right off the beach and walked barefoot through the soft white sand. It's one of the nicest beaches I've ever seen and it was a tough place to leave.