Zanzibar

I am an armchair traveler, by necessity, since I don't have the money to go off on exotic vacations. So I like to read guidebooks about places I'd like to go, but likely will never visit. Lately Zanzibar had got stuck in my head, and I read a terrific guide book from Brandt, written by Chis and Susie McIntyre.

Zanzibar is one of those places that define exotic, probably because of the name, which is so pleasing to say. It's like Timbuktu, a name that means far away, and that people know of without necessarily knowing where it is exactly. Well, Zanzibar is off the coast of East Africa, a semi-autonomous island that is part of Tanzania. It might be best known now for being the birthplace of Freddie Mercury.

But of course it has a much longer history that that. For centuries it was ruled by Omani sultans, and was a key place in the slave trade. Being an island, it was a major trading site, and also exported cloves, but human beings seems to have been the primary export. It was also variously ruled by the Portuguese and the British.

Today it a primarily Muslim place that is increasingly reliant on tourism. The Brandt guide covers the entire island, from the major city of Zanzibar Town to the sleepy beaches of the northeastern part of the island. There are also still some areas of protected wildlife, where you can see flying foxes and red colobus monkeys (there was once leopards there, but they are thought to be extinct). Diving and snorkeling are key things to do there, as there is a coral reef off the coast.

The book also discusses two nearby islands, Pemba and Mafia. The latter, though it has an unfortunate name, is one of those places to go if you really want to get away, as there are only a few roads and many of the places to stay don't have running water. I suppose Wi-Fi would be out of the question (although Zanzibar itself has plenty of places with Internet connection).

It sounds like a fascinating place. I am drawn to islands--I'd love to live on one, but I do want modern conveniences. The busiest place on the island is an old section of Zanzibar Town called Stone Town. Here is a description that makes me want to pack up and go:

"One writer has described the old Stone Town of Zanzibar to a tropical forest where tall houses stretch to the sky instead of trees, and the sun filters through a network of overhanging balconies instead of foliage. It's labyrinth of twisting streets and alleys is a stroller's paradise, with new sights, sounds, or smell to catch the imagination at every turn: massive carved doors, ancient walls, tiny tempting shops with colourful wares and bustling shoppers, old men hunched over a traditional game, kids with homemade toys, ghetto-blasters at full volume, little boys hawking cashews or postcards or fresh bread, the sound of muezzin calling from the mosque and the scent of cloves or ginger or lemongrass--and everywhere the echo of Zanzibar's rich and fascinating history, the sultans, shipbuilders, explorers, slave markets, merchants and exotic spice trade."

If I ever get rich I'm going to be visiting places like this. But for now, I'm just going in my imagination.