Where's Stu? Zanzibar, Tanzania

Stu is traveling around Africa for a year and we last caught up with him in Malawi. He has now reached Tanzania and headed straight for the spice island of Zanzibar. Stu admits that the beaches are lovely, the tortoises absolutely huge, but the island is just too touristy for his taste.

When I arrived in Unguja (Zanzibar Island), I walked around Stone Town looking for lodgings. I was followed around by various Papaasis, who I tried to ignore as best I could. Papaasi literally means 'ticks' in KiSwahili. They are beach boys that follow around all new arrivals.

The authorities had closed down all the restaurants in Stone Town during daylight hours for the period of Ramadan, except of course for restaurants in the luxury tourist hotels. But, there is tension between the needs of the tourists and the culture of the island. And, despite the haunting beauty of the place, for my taste it was spoiled by too many tourists!

The young man on reception arranged a trip for me to Changua (Prison Island). The island is very close to the main Zanzibar Island. It has a small beach, an old prison built by the British but never used, and a colony of huge tortoises.

Read Stuart's blog for more on Zanzibar and we will catch up with him next week as he makes his way to Lake Tanganyika.