Josh Reisner

I spent a week or so in Zanzibar, mainly in Stone Town. It’s a beautiful and ancient, but a bit touristy now. Stone Town is characterized by it’s tiny twisty streets that are too small for cars. Also lots of ornately carved doors. I stayed at Warere Town House which made up in friendliness for what it lacked in elegance.

I went on a tour of a spice plantation, which was educational and got me out of the city for a day. If I had been more ambitious, I would have taken a dala-dala bus to see more of the island.

Freddie Mercury is from Zanzibar, which is something they won’t let you forget.

Things I wish I had photographed:

• my tour guide, Omi
• the guys at Warere, esp. Chi Chi
• trivia night at Mercury’s bar
• the old women watching The Expendables subtitled in Chinese and dubbed in Arabic on the ferry
• the late-night scene at the Dar Es Salaam airport