zanzibar

A few weekends ago, Corrie and I took a totally-non-financially-justifiable weekend trip to Zanzibar, an island just off of mainland Tanzania.

Corrie had to quietly remind me a couple of times, “you’re not in Rwanda, stop picking your nose.”

And though we tried desperately to avoid learning anything by hiding in a fancy beach resort, Zanzibar is a fascinating place. It’s where the Swahili culture was born, a uniquely East African mix of Bantu, Indian, and Middle Eastern influence. While Swahili is usually a second language in Kenya, it’s a first language for many people in Zanzibar. Zanzibar is known for it’s spices and, historically, for slave trading with the Middle East.

Now it’s known for it’s tourism. It was super-relaxing. Think Carribean vacation, but you get to pretend you’re a Sultan.

And the boat in the picture? It's called a dhow. They actually use them. Granted, they’re now as likely as not to have an outboard motor. But how cool.