Mauritius surprised me not because it was as beautiful as expected, but because it proved far more layered — from lagoons and luxury resorts to cooler highlands, religious devotion and quiet scenes of everyday life.

Zanzibar first revealed itself to me through Stone Town — a place of narrow streets, slave history and overwhelming sensory impressions — before the island’s calm Indian Ocean resorts showed a completely different reality. This is a reflection on contrasts, memory and the parts of Zanzibar that stay with you long after the journey ends.

Anse Source d’Argent is usually photographed as calm and idyllic, but this image shows a more dramatic side of the beach. Brief sunlight, dark clouds and moving surf give the granite a stronger, more elemental presence.