Life is a patchwork of experiences
I’m a planner. For me, figuring out the details of a trip is just as much fun as the actual travel. But not surprisingly, I discovered that the most meaningful experiences are often the unexpected ones.
Continue reading “Discovering A World of Diversity in 72 Hours”
“Please. Come into my shop. Let me show you what I have. I will make you a good deal”. This was the constant litany that accosted us as we wandered the narrow lanes in historic Stone Town. But I wasn’t interested just in shopping. What I was really on the hunt for was to see the famous carved Zanzibar doors.
Continue reading “Discover the Famous Zanzibar Doors – Finding Craftsmanship Among the Kitsch”
The photo for this post was recognized in the 2018 North American Travel Journalists Association awards competition with a Bronze in the Photography, Portrait, People,- Online category.
As we were touring the Sultan’s Palace Museum in Stone Town on the island of Zanzibar, a group of local students were also visiting on a school field trip. They were all dressed in what was clearly a school uniform – the boys in grey slacks and yellow polo shirts and the girls in ankle length grey skirts and yellow head scarves. I was struck by the contrast of the girls with their simple head coverings as they were studying one of the displays in the museum, and the painting behind them of a very elaborately dressed Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The painting was given as a gift when Zanzibar’s ruler, Sultan Barghash bin Said, signed a treaty with Austria-Hungary’s Emperor Franz Josef in 1888.
Thanks for visiting
Rose
The narrow alley like streets in Zanzibar’s historic Stone Town are filled with stores and vendors that all seem to sell the same carved wooden masks, kaleidoscopic lion paintings and made-in-China t-shirts. There was one store that I discovered though that was different – Sasik. This is a non-for-profit women’s cooperative that makes beautiful applique cushion covers and wall hangings based on Arabic designs. The proceeds from the sales go back to the women and their families.
If you visit Stone Town, make sure to check out and support Sasik.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
We ended our tour of East Africa with two days on the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. After almost two weeks of driving through game parks and seeing so much wildlife, sitting on the beach for a day felt like I had been transported to a different world, even though it was just a short flight away. I love to watch sunrise and sunset on a beach. Since our hotel was on the island’s east coast, in this case it meant getting up early to see the Zanzibar sunrise. Definitely well worth the early morning wake up call.
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
