The Spice Routes have connected the East and the West since ancient times. Ships sailed these trade routes from Indonesia to the Mediterranean, via India and Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa’s spice islands, threading together destinations through flavor and fragrance. The souks of Dubai and Muscat and Old Jeddah are perfumed with frankincense and rose petals; while in India and Sri Lanka, tamarind and cardamom scent the air, and trails lead through vivid seas of green to hilltop tea plantations. In the streets of George Town, capital of Malaysia’s Penang Island, the heady scent of jasmine mingles with aromas from food stalls where sizzling seafood is wrapped in banana leaves. The markets of Mombasa are heaped with cinnamon and grains of paradise; while the Indonesia island of Sabang is a picture-book paradise, where monkeys play in the palm trees leaning out over white-sand beaches. These are destinations intertwined not just by sea routes but by myths and storytelling, each ripe for exploring. AFRICA ANDASIA CRYSTALCRUISES.COM | 1-866-945-3594 39 ITINERARIES ABU DHABI, UAE
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