Jesus Christ of Nazareth was baptised at the age of 30 and began his public ministry that included performing miracles at that age. He was later betrayed by Judas Iscariot for 30 pieces of silver. In Roman numerals, the number thirty is represented by XXX.
It was befitting that I should celebrate this most special birthday in the beautiful East African island of Zanzibar where I would have a variety of 'crazy things to do on a XXX birthday'. Initially, the plan was to hire a motorbike (piki-piki as they call it in East Africa) and ride around town with my travel mate, Pako Lesejane. Riding on the busy streets of East Africa, be it Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Mombasa in Kenya or Stone Town in Zanzibar is an event. The Dala-Dalas (taxis in Tanzania/Zanzibar) and the Matatus (taxis in Kenya) make our local taxi men appear like saints as far as driving is concerned. So while being on the road and competing for space with rowdy drivers would have been a good way to celebrate my birthday. I instead opted for a speed boat ride across the rough Indian Ocean from Stone Town, Zanzibar to Mombasa, Kenya.
