Place To Be - Zanzibar

Today we take a look at one of the best kept jet set secret destinations. It's the ultimate celebrity hideout, the island of Zanzibar. The allure of this laid back tropical Isle is timeless, and it's become synonymous with the exotic white sands and turquoise waters surrounded in an everlasting embrace. And images of the small boats plying its waters fill hearts around the world with a sense of the archipelago's immense beauty and mystery. The first thing you should know before you set foot on the island is how fast you'll fall in love with the atmosphere here. It's breathtakingly beautiful, but travelers beware the island life on Zanzibar is slow. Things don't always make sense, don't always work, or can take a while. It's important to enjoy the calm chaos and take a cue from the unhurried pace of the natives. Your smoothie might take 45 minutes to show up, but it will be delicious and well worth the wait. Stone Town provides a rich cultural backdrop with African influences as well as Indian, Arabic and Persian cultures, all mixed into a colorful blend of life. Absolutely, the very best thing to do when you find yourself in Stone Town is to get lost. Only then will you taste the heart and soul of the island. The ancient city is charming, but it's basically a maze, so you shouldn't have any trouble with this assignment. The act of getting directions through the town's winding alleys usually involves a series of utterly confusing head nods and hand gestures, and will most likely not get you where you wanted to go. But the bright side is that Stonetown is small and safe, and not knowing where you're going is part of the experience. In the evening, Stonetown is bustling with life, with kids out playing, couples strolling, and everywhere people feasting. Another thing that will have you a bit confused, but which is actually an extremely fun thing to do, is getting on Swahili time. It will boggle your mind at first, but it actually makes a lot of sense. In Swahili culture, people start counting the time at sunrise rather than at midnight. See how this could get funny and utterly confusing? It means that 7:00 AM Western time is 1:00 in the morning Swahili time, and 7:00 PM is 1:00 at night. So when you're arranging a meeting or making a reservation, it's probably best to specify the time of day you'd like to meet morning, afternoon, evening, or night. That way, even if your numbers are off, chances are you'll still connect. Zanzibar is home to people from all across the planet, and it's precisely this diversity that makes it such a unique travel destination. It's distinctive charm is a result of years of cross cultural exchange, and it's all the more enjoyable for this jumble of cultures, beliefs, and languages. Getting to Zanzibar is easy too, just go to Dar es Salaam first. From there, flights to Zanzibar are frequent and fast, taking only about 30 minutes. Or there's always the romantic route with daily ferry connections to and from the mainland which take about two hours. Justifiably famous beaches. Stonetown providing an historic heart and soul. Ridiculously beautiful wild forests. Zanzibar is truly an excellent a list place to be.