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CATEGORIES: Adventures

Asante Sana Squash Banana

The idea of Zanzibar was all Mike’s fault.

I know I’d heard of it before… but it seemed like one of those unreachable exotic locations that you had to take an 18 hour plane ride to. Which is partially true. I never gave it much thought until Mike mentioned it while daydreaming about cool places to see while he’s living out here in Ethiopia. Once I googled it, there was no turning back.

From the second we landed in our tiny 20-person airplane, the entire experience felt like a dream. We got in a cab to drive an hour south to Jambiani, a private area known for the best beaches. On the way there, we made friends with the cab driver who ended up persuading us into renting one of his mopeds. Even though Mike or I had never driven a manual vehicle… or a motorcycle… or even on the opposite side of the road… we were ecstatic to discover Zanzibar and view it how it’s meant to be seen.

My favorite part of any vacation isn’t actually relaxing. It’s actually observing the culture. I LOVE culture. I was kind of mad at myself for not exploring anthropology a little earlier in my college career.

I took my first course—Perspectives on Africa—the very last semester of college… and loved it. I drank it all in and became obsessed with all of the customs of people in different parts of Africa. It was even cooler because Mike had just started his time in Ethiopia, so I could relate the lessons I was learning to his new experiences in this foreign land.

It was so refreshing to see how untouched much of Zanzibar still was, despite it having world-famous beaches. The culture is just as rich as it’s been for hundreds of years. The ugly side of tourism has yet to affect the integrity of the island. I marveled at the gorgeous architecture that was brought from the Arabs. I tasted the famous spices. I drooled over the beautiful textiles that the women wore as shawls.

And the DOORS?! If you know me, you know I love doors. I don’t know why. Especially the really old creaky ones that tell a story. But I LOVED Zanzibar’s doors! The craftsmanship is insane. Whenever I get a door of my own, you can bet it’s gonna be a Zanzibar door.

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Ashlyn

January 6, 2012 at 7:19 pm

Carly, I love reading about your adventures. Your perspective of the world and other cultures is great! I would die for that experience to travel and live amoung the locals. Your pictures are great too! 🙂

Emily

February 27, 2012 at 5:45 pm

Carly you take the most amazing pictures for someone your age. I can't believe we actually sat in the same classroom together at JMU. You are truly an inspiration! Keep it up.

Carly

February 27, 2012 at 6:25 pm

Wow, Emily that's such a nice comment! Thanks for the kind words and motivation! :):)

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