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 How I Spent a Week in Zanzibar Without Breaking the Bank Gotta be real with you. The first time Zanzibar crossed my mind? I kinda laughed. Not out loud — more like that internal “yeah, okay” kind of laugh.  Actually, my wallet laughed. I mean, in my head I saw all those dreamy Instagram shots — the kind where people are sipping coconut drinks by some infinity pool, waves crashing in the background, the sun doing that golden hour thing. It looked beautiful. It also looked... expensive. So I figured I’d save the idea for a time when my bank account didn’t feel like a joke. But fast-forward a bit, and there I was — standing barefoot on Kendwa Beach, sand between my toes, fresh coconut in hand, thinking to myself: “Wait... this didn’t break me?” Zanzibar gave me a different reality than what I expected — and not the one you find in those fancy travel brochures or sponsored YouTube vlogs. This is what actually went down — the unfiltered, do-it-on-a-budget, still-had-the-time-of-my...

Let me just start by saying that if you come to Zanzibar only for the beaches, you're kinda cheating yourself. I mean, yeah, the beaches are ridiculous. The kind where you lose track of time because the water’s that blue and the breeze just… resets your brain. But man, this island? It’s not just sand and seafood. It’s layered. Deep. Sometimes uncomfortable. But always, always real. I figured this out the weird way. It Was Supposed to Be a Chill Trip I landed in Zanzibar with zero plans beyond “eat, swim, nap, repeat.” Booked a spot in Paje, right near the water. The guesthouse guy, Bakari, asked me what I was planning to do. I told him, “Not much. Just beach things.” He shook his head and said, “That’s what tourists say when they miss the real thing.” Didn’t think much of it at the time. I just smiled, nodded, and went back to my grilled octopus. But a couple days later, after one too many beach naps and the same playlist looping in my ears, I started feeling an itch. Like, okay, t...

Last month, after a borderline mental breakdown at the Nairobi airport (don’t ask), I knew I had to hit pause. Like, real pause . Not just a long shower or a weekend nap. I needed something deeper. A reset, not a distraction. My cousin Jameela, who now lives in Dar (and suddenly eats gluten-free everything), swore by this place in Zanzibar. She called it "a full cleanse for your soul." I laughed. But now that I’m back? Bro. She wasn’t lying. When Holidays Stop Feeling Like Breaks You ever come back from a trip feeling... heavier? Not just from the food (though, shoutout to Cape Town's gatsby rolls), but mentally. Like you spent your money and time going somewhere , but your mind never left home? That was me after back-to-back trips. Loud cities, rushed excursions, hotel rooms with curtains that never quite close. All that movement and still no peace. That’s why this trip was different. I didn’t want noise. I wanted air. Not air-con. Not bus-window breeze. Real, sal...