Make no mistake, Stonetown, Zanzibar, is exotic. When I was here 18 years ago I fell for the atmosphere, the unique look and feel of the place, because there really wasn’t much else to do here but wander and soak up the atmosphere. Now there are so many things to do, while still preserving that [...]
I walk into a light, bright, white wooden building, sunfilled with soaring ceilings, in Stonetown, Zanzibar. It is now seemingly an art market for tourists, but was previously a hostel and orphanage. However a quick walk down the steps into the cellar and a different history emerges. Here is one of the few remaining pieces of [...]
Squashed into the back seat of the dala-dala(local minivan buses), escorted by the chatty Heelal and the quieter Sa’id, I marvel at how a thirteen seater van can so easily accommodate twenty – no, we’ve just stopped again, twenty two passengers! Taking the dala-dala from the markets to the village on the outskirts of Stonetown [...]
I move slightly from one butt cheek to the other, as subtly as I can, hoping my face does not reveal my deep discomfort after sitting on a six inch high solid wood plank stool for the last two hours. It is the best seat in the house, and as the guest getting a one-on-one [...]
An ancient, crumbling, Arabian nights fairytale island, surrounded by the brightest turquoise water I have ever seen. Once a major trade capital for spices, silks, slaves and more, it’s the original melting pot, mixing ancient Africa, Arabia and India, with the Chinese and then the Portuguese following in later centuries. It’s a very visceral history [...]