Zanzibar the Spice Island

For five days after all our safari-ing we went to the warm coastal island of Zanzibar. As a former Sultanate, it is muslim and very beautiful.

Despite the crowds there to attend the Dhow Country Film Festival (a dhow is a wooden sailing vessel that used to dominate Indian Ocean trading) we had a wonderful time wandering the streets of Stone Town. We saw an inspiring and somewhat disturbing film on female circumcision in West Africa. Superstition and poverty are driving mutiliation of millions of girls for no reason... Had many good African beers afterward to lighten the mood.

We then spent four days "Thai" style at a thatched roof bungalow on the beach reading, eating fresh fish sushi and swimming with dolphins. Life is good!