A slow train to ‘nowhere’
This sleepy ponderous train ride gives us a sense of overall fulfillment when visiting the old British Burma colonial hill-station of Kalaw. Boarding the train at Shwe Nyaung station, near Inle Lake, we’re struck immediately by the Spartan and somewhat grubby nature of the Upper Class carriages we’re to travel in. The curtains look as if they’ve doubled up as cleaning cloths and the seats as footrests, so we’re under no illusion that...
Stepping out in Stone Town
The best way to appreciate Stone Town’s history in Zanzibar, is simply to walk the streets. Although the principal building material of Stone Town is coral, hence its name, the warm-coloured stone has been sculpted by successive occupiers to leave their cultural and architectural signatures throughout. Zanzibar’s strategic and easily accessible location along the East African coast made it a cosmopolitan melting pot, where...
