Walking and Eating: Stone Town, Zanzibar

We braved and survived the ferry known as The Vomit Commit from Dar es Salaam to Stone Town, Zanzibar.  Arriving into Stone Town was a pleasant mixture of laid back island culture and the frenzy of the Medina's we experienced in Morocco. The town consists of narrow winding streets, similar to Fez, but in a very small scale. The architecture is a fascinating mix of Arab, Indian, European and African influences creating a one-of-a-kind island city.  Wondering through the streets, looking at the form and colors of the buildings and experiencing the markets is a great way to pass the time.   We stopped by the Zanzibar Coffee House and had top notch coffees and warm pastries.  When the sun started to go down, we had a cocktail at the Africa House and watched the Dhows (traditional local sail boats) against the glowing orange sky. Once the sun went down, directly below the backside of the Africa House is the night food market.  This is an absolute culinary adventure not to be missed.  There are probably about 40 counters set up, manned by several people in white chef jackets.  We walked along the counters sampling fresh calamari, shrimp and fish off the grill, fresh squeezed sugar cane juice with ginger, fried cassava chips wıth chili, and to top it off, a banana and chocolate pancake.  Heavenly.