Dinner with Ismail's family was lovely, and I really liked his wife. It's interesting talking to men here, as Zanzibar is 95% Muslim, and I think it's not that common for women to travel alone. I've been a bit of a curiosity to everyone from tour guides to waiters to receptionists. Talking to Kawthar (Ismail's wife) was like a breath of fresh air. She is smart, funny and articulate, and liberal. We chatted all night at dinner, and I loved every minute of it.

The next night we all met up for dinner again, but this time Kawthar went home early and Ismail and his brother Hassan took me to their other brother Saleh's bar for late night drinks. Definitely a more male-dominated evening, as the conversation turned to whether I felt I "needed" a husband, etc, etc. I had to remind myself and Ismail that we came from very different perspectives on the whole question of marriage and women's roles, since the topic could have gotten into volatile territory pretty quickly. In the end, we agreed to disagree, and had another drink.


From left to right, Hassan, Kawthar, Ismail and me