Two more sleeps before I head out on my special Christmas trip to Dar es Saleem, Tanzania and Zanzibar Island. I say go big or stay home so I chose one of the most exotic locations in Africa to visit for Christmas. In fact I have wanted to visited Zanzibar for a long time and never thought that I would be able to afford to make the trip. As it is not that far from Botswana I decided to splurge and go for it. I may only live in Africa once so I want to make the most of it.

So you can see exactly where I am going in relation to Botswana, here are maps:

Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro but I won’t be going that far north.  As you can see, Dar es Saleem is a sea port city right on the Indian Ocean. It is a vibrant and bustling city of commerce as it is on many of World’s main shipping routes. I am going to browse the amazing markets where you can buy anything from food, or crafts to a love potion. Who knows what I might come with ……

Here is a great website that you can check that will give you a flavour of some of the things I can do while in Dar : http://migrationology.com/2012/04/things-to-do-in-dar-es-salaam-tanzania/

But my real destination is Zanzibar Island or Spice Island as it is commonly referred to. The island is part of an archipelago and it sits about 25 kms off of Tanzania. I will be on the Island from Dec 23 until Dec 28 and I can’t wait to get there. I am staying in Stone Town which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Like Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) Zanzibar has been a pivotal hub of many different civilizations in this part of the world.

The architecture reflects the Persian, Arab, Indian, Portuguese and British history.  I first heard about the island through the memoirs of an Arab Princess, who lived on Zanzibar and wrote her memoirs after living a very exotic life. Her story can be found here: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/ruete/arabian/arabian.html

Here are some more links that will give you an idea of the paradise that I am travelling to:

http://migrationology.com/2011/04/40-things-to-do-in-zanzibar-1/

http://migrationology.com/2011/04/40-things-to-do-in-zanzibar-2/

I can’t wait to explore the Spice plantations, the amazing architecture of Stone Town and of course the beaches. So stayed tuned for some great posts of pictures and stories because I am sure that I will have a few to share with you after Christmas. My only issue is that the two men in my life are fighting over who gets to take me to the airport on Thursday morning. I think that Tabuche won that round as he claimed the honour first but Lawrence says that he is going to come to see me off too….what is a girl to do????