Zanzibar! Just eight letters, but what a wealth of romance they sum up!
Like Timbuktu or Casablanca, the name itself is enough to draw travelers halfway around the world. And like Timbuktu and Casablanca, the reality of Zanzibar is sometimes somewhat different from the fevered imaginings of the traveler.
"The stench from the exposed sea beach, which is the general depository of the filth of the town, is quite horrible," noted intrepid British explorer David Livingstone. "It might be called 'Stinkibar' rather than Zanzibar."
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