Intricately carved wooden doors, exotic spices, and a stunning mix of architectural styles assault the senses on Zanzibar. Stone Town is a jumble of narrow alleys filled with souvenir shops, old British hotels, impressive museums, funky restaurants, and a busy beach port for the dhows that navigate between the nearby islands. There are people in all manner of colorful dress, interesting and fragrant food stalls, old grand palaces, and too much traffic. The town that was once the home of spice and slave traders, Arab sultans, and Dr. Livingstone is now a busy tourist destination with non-stop touts, dirty streets, and crumbling buildings. Still, the history and the exotic sense of the island make up for its present neglected condition. One of the highlights of our time in Zanzibar was the tour of a spice plantation.
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