All photos by author. Mambo! Its the classic street slang for whats up? in Stone Town, Zanzibar and in most of urban East Africa. It literally means, things or issues? The upbeat term is often paired with the word vipi (how) as in, Mambo, vipi? How are things? There are at least 20 ways to answer the popular question that I never learned in formal Swahili classes. The gap between school and street could not be wider than in Stone Town, Zanzibars capital city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, that nearly 400,000 residents call home. Here, the lugha ya kisasa slang or lugha ya mitaani street language changes by the minute, mostly by young people who flip or shine an old word, or fashion a completely new one, inspired by hyper-local contexts, meanings, and realities. I thought I knew Kiswahili. Id earned an advanced certificate at the State University of Zanzibar. The program prides itself on teaching a kind of Swahili described as sanifu (standard) or fasaha (clean). It was rigorous...
First it was a book. A tie upon a New York Times Best Seller List, offered over 7 million copies worldwide, Elizabeth Gilberts Eat, Pray, Love was a smash hit, moving countless individuals to cruise copying a authors soul-seeking voyage around a world- from Italy to India to Indonesia. Now theres a film instrumentation starring Julia Roberts, as well as Eat, Pray, Love insanity has infected a population. Balinese hotels have been getting in upon a action, catering to folks looking to reconstruct Gilberts trip. Case in point: a Eat, Pray, Love package at Ubud Hanging Gardens, a luxurious Orient-Express skill thats not far from Balis informative capital of Ubud, perched above a rice terraces unaware a Ayung River gorge. Subject to availability as well as with a two-night minimum required, a package includes: * One way airport transfer * Balinese acquire drink * Daily breakfast buffet for two * One Balinese cooking at a Hindu church followed by a good fortune rite at a Holly Water Te...
The underground suite at Sala Silvermine in Sweden is a sight to behold, if you can find the light switch. Once Swedens most profligate, and profitable, source of silver, when the deposits began to dry up, the mine closed down for business. But some entrepreneurial spirits bought up the space to bring travelers a unique accommodation. Why choose such a property? Well, a mine is a terrible thing to waste.
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