This episode describes the journey to Zanzibar and my time in the old stone town. The stone town is rich in history: 1) it was a slave port where slaves were captured on the African mainland and shipped via dhows over to the island. Here they were sold at auction and then transported to different destinations across the seas. ii) it was regarded as the spice island with a big trade in pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and coconuts, as well as a large ivory trade. iii) Because of its position, it has had a strong Arab, Persian, European, Indian and African influence over time, especially with the Arab and Portuguese influence on its architecture. The old fort was built by the Arabs to house the garrison and also used as a prison. 

I spent three weeks in Stone Town learning Swahili and exploring the labyrinth of alleys surrounding the old buildings. The large stone buildings often had elaboratively carved and massive teak and mahogany doors that flung open in the afternoon after siesta to reveal shops. This was occasionally interspersed with a mosque or another official building. At night the waterfront would come alive with markets and all sorts of meat and seafood was grilled on sticks along with chapatis and mandazis. It was a wonderful place to immerse myself in culture, people watch and soak up the historic feel to the place. 

During my time there, I saved a kitten from certain death. I discuss the merits of saving the kitten from an act of cruelty. 

Photo by FlightTravels