Blogs from Coast Province, Kenya, Africa - page 39

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Africa » Kenya » Coast Province » Mombasa September 9th 1993

Zanzibar, a small island off the coast of Tanzania, had captured my imagination ever since learning about the exotic spice island in my history class. As if the prospect of going to this tropical paradise wasn't enough to feed my fantasy, an opportunity to travel there by traditional motorized, cargo dhow boat was more than I could resist. Eager to escape the stinking cesspool of Mombasa my travelling companions, Pamela, another Aussie, Will, from the UK and I arrive early at the dock for our voyage. ‘Excuse me, which boat is going to Zanzibar today?’ Pamela asks a grimy African wearing a well worn grease stained T-shirt who stares at us blankly. Appallingly, Pamela points at all the boats and yells ‘Zanzibar, Zanzibar’ as if he is deaf. After much gesticulating with his peers, we find ... read more

Africa » Kenya » Coast Province » Mombasa August 12th 1275

On my way back home to Baghdad, our captain informed us that we had the opportunity to make one more stop for trade; Mombasa. The city was founded by Arab traders who intermarried with local woman to create a predominately Muslim community. The population identifies as Shãfi'i Muslims, and through some early exchanges for basic goods I sense their integrity and feel that they are people of good spirit. Its key exports are coconut, ivory, sesamum (sesame), and mill. The city and its traders play a key role in the exchange of goods in and around the Indian Ocean. It is centrally located on Eastern Africa, making trade easy to and from Egypt, Arabia, India, and even Indonesia and China. Both raw materials and luxury items are harvested and manufactured here, including Persian rugs and cotton ... read more




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