Open-sided daladalas are everywhere on the road into Zanzibar Town. They are THE mass transit solution for Zanzibar, privately owned, largely unregulated and cheap. We traveled in air-conditioned, private van comfort, at least until….

StoneTown is on most tourists must-see list so today it showed up on ours. Well, actually our itinerary said we were going on a Spice Tour, and that was our plan until our driver, who didn’t speak English, drove us to StoneTown. Hakuna matata!

….we entered the tunnel entrance to StoneTown and our van died. Then we did what any good rescue team would do in the narrow tunnel until…..

Driving into Zanzibar Town (StoneTown is the historic city center of Zanzibar Town) is never easy given the crowded, chaotic streets, but this van ride had an exclamation point when we entered the narrow tunnel that defines the entry to StoneTown and our engine died. It wouldn’t restart because the battery was dead. The photos tell the the rest of the story.

Joe spots the truck!

Reverse! We have to push it backwards out of the tunnel.