I began my journey in 800 A.D.; while going through I saw lots of gold, ivory, and silver. Things countries traded were spices, wood, animals and pottery. I went through south China sea, east India to Southeast Asia, West India to Persia, and Africa. The East African city-states were buying items from Asia. Many residents of the city-states were willing to pay high prices for cotton, silk, and porcelain objects. These items were expensive because they were not available in Africa at the time. After long overseas journey, I enjoyed fine restaurants, lodging, and entertainment cities had to offer.
The Monsoons also played a important role in the trade. I had to wait for 5 months to wait till monsoon (heavy Rains) were over. Then I had another 5 months to trade freely until the Monsoons were over. On my way to South Africa to trade spices and wood, I faced some major monsoon storms. I have traveled this route many different times but never faced this kind of weather condition, and it was a near death experience. Indian Ocean Trade remained the largest trade network until the 1600-1700 because after 1600 the Age of Exploration begins and the Americas are founded.
At different countries I met people with different personality and cultures. At times traders married inter-racially and over the centuries, a new and distinct ethnic group developed, known as the Swahili. Today millions of Swahili people live in the nations of East Africa, where the Swahili language is widely spoken.The Swahili language is a mixture of the Arabic, Hindi, and Bantu languages.
I began my journey in 800 A.D.; while going through I saw lots of gold, ivory, and silver. Things countries traded were spices, wood, animals and pottery. I went through south China sea, east India to Southeast Asia, West India to Persia, and Africa. The East African city-states were buying items from Asia. Many residents of the city-states were willing to pay high prices for cotton, silk, and porcelain objects. These items were expensive because they were not available in Africa at the time. After long overseas journey, I enjoyed fine restaurants, lodging, and entertainment cities had to offer. 
The Monsoons also played a important role in the trade. I had to wait for 5 months to wait till monsoon (heavy Rains) were over. Then I had another 5 months to trade freely until the Monsoons were over. On my way to South Africa to trade spices and wood, I faced some major monsoon storms. I have traveled this route many different times but never faced this kind of weather condition, and it was a near death experience. Indian Ocean Trade remained the largest trade network until the 1600-1700 because after 1600 the Age of Exploration begins and the Americas are founded. 
