Mohammed Lodi, popularly known as Lodi, is what locals call the “Heart of Stone Town”. The soft-spoken Rastafarian has, for the last two years, led tourists who would normally dine in a fancy hotel to all the street corners in Stone Town to try the street cuisine.
You can see from their faces the feeling of sitting on the pavement, in the middle of the street, motorbikes passing by, honking, children running around and women in veils walking by.
The feeling of being outside defeats all the air-conditioned restaurants in the upscale hotels they have booked. With bowls of traditional Zanzibari octopus soup, tourists sip the flavourful broth from the bowl before eating the pieces of octopus.
Authentic experience in the streets of Stone Town, tours are from Monday to Saturday, taking walks for breakfast and dinner. From sunrise, the corners of Stone Town are filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread sold by street vendors.
For new visitors who want to experience Zanzibar, he said, “Go deep in Stone Town. If you wanna know the history of Zanzibar, wake up at six o’clock in the morning. Walking around at six o’clock in the morning, before the shops open. Yes, go walking around. It’s safe. Numbers are safe.
