Monday, July 4th:

After breakfast we headed from Matemwe to Stone Town.  The ride took over an hour and passed through many villages.  The interior of the island was lush with a landscape of huge mango trees surrounded by bananas.  Village markets were thronged with people.  Along the road many were attempting to flag down dalla dallas that were already overflowing with passengers.  We passed through the extensive new Stone Town as we headed to the small historic center. The new town was bustling, the street full of buses, vans, cars and oxen drawn carts. There were areas of grim apartment complexes.

Finally we turned into the old town and could drive no further.  Along with our driver, we shouldered our bags and continued on foot through the narrow streets buzzed by motorbikes looking for our hotel.  After a couple wrong turns and with the help of locals, we arrived at the beautiful Emerson Spice.  The hotel is in the former home of an Omani merchant, his five wives and 30 children.  It is decorated in an elegant arabesque style.

After putting our bags down we enjoyed coffee and juices in the rooftop cafe.  Then we had a two hour guided tour of old Stone Town.  The highlight of the tour was the extensive and crowded market.  The labirinth went on and on with different sections for produce, meat and fish.  Ruby was fairly traumatized by the meat market and the girls were flagging in the heat and tiring of the historical explanations. The tour ended at a restaurant complex that was open for lunch during Ramadan.  We found a cool air conditioned spot for a tapas lunch and everyone revived somewhat.

After lunch, we slowly made our way through the city stopping in many of the countless handicraft shops with beckoning salesmen.  When we made it back to our hotel, our apartment was ready.  The suite is over the top incredible.  The main bed room has thirty foot ceilings and tall curtained windows to the central courtyard.  To one side is the large bathroom followed by a porch over and atomosheric ruined courtyard.  On the other side is a room with a day bed, tall windows to the street and a spiral staircase up to the loft with two small beds.

In the late afternoon, Joe and I went back out to run errands and explore the town further while the girls stayed behind.

For dinner we returned to the rooftop cafe for a five course feast while the call to prayer echoed around us and the large orange sun set into the sea.  The meal was very good.

No one other than Jane got a good night’s sleep thanks to street noise and the call to prayer.

Tuesday, July 5th:

We had a quiet morning around our hotel after breakfast.  Then we spent the morning walking in the old city shopping, going to the post office, and getting lost.  After lunch in our hotel’s courtyard, the girls again choose to hang around the hotel while Joe and I ventured on a second shopping trip.  Then we all enjoyed a coffee shop before cleaning up for dinner.

The hotel provided a guide to get us through the warren of narrow lanes to a local restaurant called Passing Show. The undistinguished food was ordered from a counter.  The place was crowded with customers, men mostly of lighter complextion wearing Kofia caps.  Someone brought us a plate of dates and tiny cups of cardamom spiced coffee to break the fast.  We all awaited the call from the mosque before eating.  Our guide picked us up, and again we enjoyed the walk through the less commercial streets of Stone Town.

Joe and I finished the night with Drinks in hotel’s “secret garden” in the picturesque ruins of a courtyard.