Leaving Zanzibar was bittersweet - the ocean and beach life was certainly easy to get used to, but the heat and desire to be back on familiar territory had us anxious to return to Kigali.
On our way to Stonetown, we decided to stop and take one of the very touristy, but very interesting, spice tours the island is known for. Zanzibar is sort of the heart of your whole spice cabinet and it was fascinating to see each of the spices we use growing. Some of the spices we saw included; cinnamon (it is a tree), black peppercorn (seeds from a tree), cacao (more on this coming), lemongrass, cardamom, ginger root, nutmeg, coffee, turmeric, and many more! The most surprising one for me was cacao. It grows in green mini-football size pods that dangle from huge trees. Inside the pod, there are large seeds covered in a fleshy white coating. We got to eat this coating and it was amazingly delicious. Inside this seed is an inner seed which is the cacao bean. It is very small compared to the pod it comes in. Who knew. Anyway, we got to try all the spices in raw form and then were treated to a feast of different tropical fruits. Most of them we had never even heard of, but they were delicious. Then they brought out the "Dorian." It's a fruit that smells like shit - literally. Supposedly it is very good tasting. Ari tried it, I didn't. It is probably the last Dorian she ever eats if you know what I mean!
We spent a final night in Stonetown showing our friends around and left early the next morning to make our way to the ferry dock. We had heard that the ferry ride was epic (lots of seasickness and vomit bags for everyone as they got on the ferry) so we were prepared for the worst, but it was sunny, smooth, and we both got some sleep along the way. We had a long wait in the Dar es Salaam airport, so we got some lunch at the restaurant. I was so glad to see they had real ketchup. A funny moment was needed, so I decided to shake the Ketchup bottle with the cap only loosely resting on top. It was classic. Ketchup everywhere. On me from head to toe, all over my face, all over the floor and walls, all over our luggage. Half the bottle gone. I smiled. Ari laughed. A picture taken and I had to change out of my only clean clothes!
We had a layover night, back in Arusha and then made it safely back to Kigali the next morning. At the Kigali airport, we were greeted by a regiment of saluting soldiers and about a hundred women doing a traditional dance. We had become celebrities and didn't even know it. It is also possible that they were practicing for the arrival of French President Sarkozy the next day, but we're pretty sure it was for us.
Glad to be back in Kigali, we quickly got back into our routine and headed to town for some Western food. Salad and burgers. Dreamy. On our last day, we decided to try out a fancy Indian restaurant in downtown Kigali. The atmosphere was quiet and the food was great. A perfect and memorable last meal for Ari and I to share together.
We are sad to be separating for the next couple months when I fly out tomorrow. However, the whole experience has been unforgettable and we feel so lucky to have been able to do it together!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Zanzibar Part 2 - Nungwi
It was going to be hard to top Kendwa because we loved Kendwa - it had the perfect balance of activity and relaxation. But, we had made plans to meet our friends from Kigali in Nungwi, so we packed our things and caught a short cab ride to our next hotel. We met them in the café early that morning and got settled into our new bungalow. It wasn’t quite Kendwa, but it is still paradise!
Our friends had an epic travel day getting from Kigali (planes, boats, busses, taxis, and more), so we were all down for a swim on the beach and lots of doing nothing. Even doing nothing is pretty entertaining here. We watched a group of women ready to offload some fish from a small boat with hundreds of 5 gallon buckets. They were each dressed in colorful African Kangas (cotton wraps) and against the picturesque blue water and wriggling fish, it was a sight to behold. The rest of the afternoon we read and relaxed. That evening, we were able to watch the Olympics on a big screen in our hotel. It was wonderful to watch and feel a little connection to home. The food was great and we were all satisfied with the day.
The next morning we woke up early had some breakfast and headed out for a day of snorkeling. The boat ride out was stunningly beautiful as we circled the northern tip of the island. The blues of the water are hard to describe. We anchored our boat just a little swim away from the reef and got into our flippers, masks, and snorkels. For the next two hours we swam around enjoying all sorts of coral, thousands of fish, and the quiet of being under water. It was magical. After a couple of hours we were all getting sufficiently burned so we swam back to the boat for lunch. The boatmen had peeled tons of fresh fruit, fried up some chapati bread (think thick tortillas), and even managed to grill a huge bonita fish on the deck of the boat. It was a feast! We decided to check out another spot for snorkeling, but the growing surf made it not so good, so we decided to head back. This is where things got a little interesting. The seas had grown to pretty good sized swells and our boat filled with 17 people had us all looking at each other and saying - really? We took on lots of water, were all soaked by the end, had a couple of pukers, one Maltese woman in a bit of a panic, and four guides that had there game faces on (although they were laughing too). For a couple of hours, we all held onto the boat as we swayed and rocked and crashed and splashed through waves that seemed to prevent us from moving at all. Luckily we made slow, but steady progress and once we turned the boat to go with the wind and waves, it was sunny, peaceful and beautiful. A collective sigh of relief and some clapping for our “captain.” We made it home safely.
Now, we have washed off the salt and sand, are nursing some burned bodies. A cold (sort of) beer and relaxing sunset to finish the day.
We know we are blessed. Cheers.
Our friends had an epic travel day getting from Kigali (planes, boats, busses, taxis, and more), so we were all down for a swim on the beach and lots of doing nothing. Even doing nothing is pretty entertaining here. We watched a group of women ready to offload some fish from a small boat with hundreds of 5 gallon buckets. They were each dressed in colorful African Kangas (cotton wraps) and against the picturesque blue water and wriggling fish, it was a sight to behold. The rest of the afternoon we read and relaxed. That evening, we were able to watch the Olympics on a big screen in our hotel. It was wonderful to watch and feel a little connection to home. The food was great and we were all satisfied with the day.
The next morning we woke up early had some breakfast and headed out for a day of snorkeling. The boat ride out was stunningly beautiful as we circled the northern tip of the island. The blues of the water are hard to describe. We anchored our boat just a little swim away from the reef and got into our flippers, masks, and snorkels. For the next two hours we swam around enjoying all sorts of coral, thousands of fish, and the quiet of being under water. It was magical. After a couple of hours we were all getting sufficiently burned so we swam back to the boat for lunch. The boatmen had peeled tons of fresh fruit, fried up some chapati bread (think thick tortillas), and even managed to grill a huge bonita fish on the deck of the boat. It was a feast! We decided to check out another spot for snorkeling, but the growing surf made it not so good, so we decided to head back. This is where things got a little interesting. The seas had grown to pretty good sized swells and our boat filled with 17 people had us all looking at each other and saying - really? We took on lots of water, were all soaked by the end, had a couple of pukers, one Maltese woman in a bit of a panic, and four guides that had there game faces on (although they were laughing too). For a couple of hours, we all held onto the boat as we swayed and rocked and crashed and splashed through waves that seemed to prevent us from moving at all. Luckily we made slow, but steady progress and once we turned the boat to go with the wind and waves, it was sunny, peaceful and beautiful. A collective sigh of relief and some clapping for our “captain.” We made it home safely.
Now, we have washed off the salt and sand, are nursing some burned bodies. A cold (sort of) beer and relaxing sunset to finish the day.
We know we are blessed. Cheers.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Zanzibar......
So many little things have happened, so I'll try and capture the bits and pieces....
Airport Security
Domestic flights in Africa are a little more relaxed than in the US. :)
Stonetown
I have never been to Venice, but I hear the main area on Zanzibar is very similar. Lots of very narrow alleyways, no street signs, but wander long enough and you can always figure out where you are. Photographically stunning.
Electricity
Either you got it or you don't. And when you don't, you wish you did. And when it's 90+ degrees, you really wish you did. Zanzibar's main power line has been down for 72 days from mainland africa. The whole island is trying to run on small generators. They run them for about 4-5 hours each day. Cold beverages are tough to find.
It's the Heat....and the Humidity
Without power in our hostel room, the fan shut off promptly at 11:00 pm. It was unbearably hot in our room. I asked what time it was. 12:15am. I waited for hours and asked what time it was. 12:45am. I waited for a few days and asked what time it was. 2:10 am. Repeat all night. When we "woke" in the morning, I turned to Ari and said, "I think we are cooked." I can empathize with broccoli that gets steamed now.
Planning
It seems like it's every day. Wait it is. 18 days traveling in Africa feels like much, much longer than 18 days at home. In a good way. We can't believe all we have done as we look back on the first part of our journey.
Forodhani Gardens
After dark, this park lights up with 50-60 street vendors selling all sorts of grilled meat and seafood kebabs. It is gourmet though. Chefs in white hats. Beautifully lit. Grilled to order. Everything comes with some fresh baked bread or more likely a pile of cheeps (fries)!
Re-steamed
Steamed again tonight!
Dolphins
Ari has longed to swim with the Dolphins since she was a child and we had to make her dream come true. We did swim with dolphins in the wild. But it would be more aptly described as Dolphin chasing. It was cool, but ethically we wouldn’t do it again or recommend it. We then snorkeled for a bit at a nearby reef. It was a great morning.
Fever
Mark got one. It went up to 102. Ari read about Malaria in the guidebook and convinced me I might be comatose in 24 hours. She took care of me like a dream! We abandoned our plans for the day, hightailed it back to Stonetown to find a doctor. $7 to see the Doctor. Meds for stomach issues. Return at 4 for a Malaria test. Wait. Using a 9th grade biology microscope and in a room with no light (remember no power!), the lab technician proudly signed my diagnosis. Negative.
Pasta
We had the most delicious meal we’ve had since being in Africa. Basically penne and meat sauce. But real parmesan and garlic and olive oil! Amazing!
Luxury
With an epic day under our belts, we felt we had earned an upgrade from our steam room. We spent a little more, but it felt like pure luxury. A room with a sea view. A working, clean bathroom in our room. And best of all, a little A/C unit that felt like heaven.
Forodhani Gardens
Back for more good street food!
Beit el-Ajaib
Spent the morning taking in “The House of Wonders.” A museum with a bit of history about Zanzibar. Great view of the city and ocean from the top.
Kendwa
We set off at noon for Kendwa. Beach paradise. Turqoise blue water. Beautiful boats. Palm thatched roofed bungalows to spend the night. Romantic candlelit dinners. Great music from home. And best of all - Pizza! 2 days in paradise. Paradise. Ari - sunscreen and happy. Mark - “base coat” and burned.
Airport Security
Domestic flights in Africa are a little more relaxed than in the US. :)
Stonetown
I have never been to Venice, but I hear the main area on Zanzibar is very similar. Lots of very narrow alleyways, no street signs, but wander long enough and you can always figure out where you are. Photographically stunning.
Electricity
Either you got it or you don't. And when you don't, you wish you did. And when it's 90+ degrees, you really wish you did. Zanzibar's main power line has been down for 72 days from mainland africa. The whole island is trying to run on small generators. They run them for about 4-5 hours each day. Cold beverages are tough to find.
It's the Heat....and the Humidity
Without power in our hostel room, the fan shut off promptly at 11:00 pm. It was unbearably hot in our room. I asked what time it was. 12:15am. I waited for hours and asked what time it was. 12:45am. I waited for a few days and asked what time it was. 2:10 am. Repeat all night. When we "woke" in the morning, I turned to Ari and said, "I think we are cooked." I can empathize with broccoli that gets steamed now.
Planning
It seems like it's every day. Wait it is. 18 days traveling in Africa feels like much, much longer than 18 days at home. In a good way. We can't believe all we have done as we look back on the first part of our journey.
Forodhani Gardens
After dark, this park lights up with 50-60 street vendors selling all sorts of grilled meat and seafood kebabs. It is gourmet though. Chefs in white hats. Beautifully lit. Grilled to order. Everything comes with some fresh baked bread or more likely a pile of cheeps (fries)!
Re-steamed
Steamed again tonight!
Dolphins
Ari has longed to swim with the Dolphins since she was a child and we had to make her dream come true. We did swim with dolphins in the wild. But it would be more aptly described as Dolphin chasing. It was cool, but ethically we wouldn’t do it again or recommend it. We then snorkeled for a bit at a nearby reef. It was a great morning.
Fever
Mark got one. It went up to 102. Ari read about Malaria in the guidebook and convinced me I might be comatose in 24 hours. She took care of me like a dream! We abandoned our plans for the day, hightailed it back to Stonetown to find a doctor. $7 to see the Doctor. Meds for stomach issues. Return at 4 for a Malaria test. Wait. Using a 9th grade biology microscope and in a room with no light (remember no power!), the lab technician proudly signed my diagnosis. Negative.
Pasta
We had the most delicious meal we’ve had since being in Africa. Basically penne and meat sauce. But real parmesan and garlic and olive oil! Amazing!
Luxury
With an epic day under our belts, we felt we had earned an upgrade from our steam room. We spent a little more, but it felt like pure luxury. A room with a sea view. A working, clean bathroom in our room. And best of all, a little A/C unit that felt like heaven.
Forodhani Gardens
Back for more good street food!
Beit el-Ajaib
Spent the morning taking in “The House of Wonders.” A museum with a bit of history about Zanzibar. Great view of the city and ocean from the top.
Kendwa
We set off at noon for Kendwa. Beach paradise. Turqoise blue water. Beautiful boats. Palm thatched roofed bungalows to spend the night. Romantic candlelit dinners. Great music from home. And best of all - Pizza! 2 days in paradise. Paradise. Ari - sunscreen and happy. Mark - “base coat” and burned.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
so much has happened, we are not gonna lie:
on monday we witnessed court at the UN Special International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. This rounded out my studies of justice practices for the genocide and let me say how different it was from things in Rwanda. How slow and extravagant the approach the UN has taken. But, the visit was very illuminating
and then, just as we thought we were getting the hang of tourist-central, the town of Arusha, Ari went and got to absorbed in some work on the internet and her poor little bag behind here was snatched up by a bravado character and disappeared without a trace. Bummer! While Ariana had been frustrated that she forgot her passport back at the hostel that morning when she should have had it to visit court, we were both very glad that she actually did not have it that morning and therefore the hassle of the missing bag was much less than it could have been. After a brief tutorial on how to call the US from our new Tanzanian cellphone all missing credit cards were canceled and a sincere hope that the little cash that was lost was going to a worthy cause. As Gandhi says, when someone robs your home, you should open all the doors and windows because the problem is not the robber but they system that has created the discrepancy that one person would need to rob another. I thought of this as I walked down the street to our hotel today. I think Gandhi would criticize me for responding that the world is too complex for that to be the solution in a world of such extreme inequalities, but this is something I am wrestling with too. (Ari)
More to come from Zanzibar as soon as we have a reliable internet connection!
on monday we witnessed court at the UN Special International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. This rounded out my studies of justice practices for the genocide and let me say how different it was from things in Rwanda. How slow and extravagant the approach the UN has taken. But, the visit was very illuminating
and then, just as we thought we were getting the hang of tourist-central, the town of Arusha, Ari went and got to absorbed in some work on the internet and her poor little bag behind here was snatched up by a bravado character and disappeared without a trace. Bummer! While Ariana had been frustrated that she forgot her passport back at the hostel that morning when she should have had it to visit court, we were both very glad that she actually did not have it that morning and therefore the hassle of the missing bag was much less than it could have been. After a brief tutorial on how to call the US from our new Tanzanian cellphone all missing credit cards were canceled and a sincere hope that the little cash that was lost was going to a worthy cause. As Gandhi says, when someone robs your home, you should open all the doors and windows because the problem is not the robber but they system that has created the discrepancy that one person would need to rob another. I thought of this as I walked down the street to our hotel today. I think Gandhi would criticize me for responding that the world is too complex for that to be the solution in a world of such extreme inequalities, but this is something I am wrestling with too. (Ari)
More to come from Zanzibar as soon as we have a reliable internet connection!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Zanzibar!
Just say it a few times, it feels good! Zanzibar, zanzibar! Ari and I are having a drink at a posh rooftop hotel bar that is overlooking a sunset on the Indian Ocean. And with that said, I think will get back to enjoying paradise!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Ng'irse Village
Despite the fact that the Tanzania Tourist Board closed at 1:00pm on Saturday and we did not make it there in time, we were able to arrange a “cultural tourism program.” We didn’t know much about it, except that we would visit a nearby village and have a walk around with a guide.
We were picked up from the hostel promptly at 9:00 am by our guide and drove an incredibly dusty, bumpy, rocky road about 15 minutes up into the mountains. The road was so bad, we had to get out twice because the car bottomed out and wouldn’t move. It is amazing that cars here last more than a few weeks! Our guide told us a bit about each village (about 3000 people) as we passed it before arriving in Ng’irse (Nnn gear say). The gardens as we drove in were incredible with Canna Lilies that were over eight feet tall and came in every color. In the front yard of the house we stopped at, four teenage boys were harvesting corn. They put dried, shucked corn in a giant potato sack and then beat it with a stick to remove the kernels from the cob. They then sorted all the kernels removing any bad ones and rocks and placed the good ones into more potato sacks for storage. It was really fun to watch and I was glad to be observing only as the work was hard.
Next, we had a cup of coffee with the village chairmen who told us about the cultural tourism program in his town. Long story short, they have allowed tourists to pay to visit the village and all the money goes to build a school for the village and four or five that surround it. The chairmen explained that all the accounting books were open for the community to see at any time, so they knew where each dollar was going. He was very proud of his program, his village, and the education the kids were getting from his school.
We left the chairmen’s house with our guide on a walk to see the school and hopefully stop in at a church service. It is predominantly Christian (Lutheran), but there are still a few people who practice traditional local religions. The school was fun to see and we were both surprised by how much it costs to build a VERY simple classroom that will house about 80 students. $15,000. A bag of cement is $15 (compared to a couple bucks in the US) and then the cost to transport to the remote village can be equally as much. One classroom will take years to build. Patience is a requirement, but I couldn’t help but compare to the US where a classroom like this would take less than two days to build and probably could be done for less than $1000. It is differences like these that are hard to account for when we wonder from afar why progress takes so long in third world countries.
Our next stop was at the local church where we joined about thirty very nicely dressed Tanzanians for singing, dancing, and praising. Our guide wrote the words to a couple of songs and we sang and danced along with them. It was something I will never forget. The faith that filled the room was palpable and everyone donated at the end despite the fact that most of them survive on less than $250 a year. It was moving to listen to the service in Swahili and see the passion with which the people worshipped. It was unlike any service I have ever seen in the US. I have video to share when I am home!
Our tour continued with a walk to a beautiful local waterfall, along the way every child wanted to come say hello and give us a flower. Ari had quite the bouquet by the end of our walk. The kids especially wanted to have their picture taken and then get to look at it on the camera. They looked at the camera with wonder- most of them will not use a computer in their lifetime! The landscape was lush and green with crops growing everywhere - bananas, coffee, corn, mangoes, avacados, beans, cabbage, and many more! The waterfall was an idyllic scene and reminded us of the rainforest we were in!
We headed back to the chairmen’s house for lunch and it was delicious! On our final walk, we visited a traditional round house where cattle and people lived together. That is how important cattle are! The women was widowed and relied on the tourism program dollars to help send her kids to school. We visited the local spring where people collect their water each day and walk it back to their home in 5 gallon buckets on their head! Finally we visited a local (very local) bar to have a banana beer which is what the locals drink because it is strong and cheap!
That’s it. It was an incredible day and we were thankful for this look at the local culture outside the tourist areas.
We were picked up from the hostel promptly at 9:00 am by our guide and drove an incredibly dusty, bumpy, rocky road about 15 minutes up into the mountains. The road was so bad, we had to get out twice because the car bottomed out and wouldn’t move. It is amazing that cars here last more than a few weeks! Our guide told us a bit about each village (about 3000 people) as we passed it before arriving in Ng’irse (Nnn gear say). The gardens as we drove in were incredible with Canna Lilies that were over eight feet tall and came in every color. In the front yard of the house we stopped at, four teenage boys were harvesting corn. They put dried, shucked corn in a giant potato sack and then beat it with a stick to remove the kernels from the cob. They then sorted all the kernels removing any bad ones and rocks and placed the good ones into more potato sacks for storage. It was really fun to watch and I was glad to be observing only as the work was hard.
Next, we had a cup of coffee with the village chairmen who told us about the cultural tourism program in his town. Long story short, they have allowed tourists to pay to visit the village and all the money goes to build a school for the village and four or five that surround it. The chairmen explained that all the accounting books were open for the community to see at any time, so they knew where each dollar was going. He was very proud of his program, his village, and the education the kids were getting from his school.
We left the chairmen’s house with our guide on a walk to see the school and hopefully stop in at a church service. It is predominantly Christian (Lutheran), but there are still a few people who practice traditional local religions. The school was fun to see and we were both surprised by how much it costs to build a VERY simple classroom that will house about 80 students. $15,000. A bag of cement is $15 (compared to a couple bucks in the US) and then the cost to transport to the remote village can be equally as much. One classroom will take years to build. Patience is a requirement, but I couldn’t help but compare to the US where a classroom like this would take less than two days to build and probably could be done for less than $1000. It is differences like these that are hard to account for when we wonder from afar why progress takes so long in third world countries.
Our next stop was at the local church where we joined about thirty very nicely dressed Tanzanians for singing, dancing, and praising. Our guide wrote the words to a couple of songs and we sang and danced along with them. It was something I will never forget. The faith that filled the room was palpable and everyone donated at the end despite the fact that most of them survive on less than $250 a year. It was moving to listen to the service in Swahili and see the passion with which the people worshipped. It was unlike any service I have ever seen in the US. I have video to share when I am home!
Our tour continued with a walk to a beautiful local waterfall, along the way every child wanted to come say hello and give us a flower. Ari had quite the bouquet by the end of our walk. The kids especially wanted to have their picture taken and then get to look at it on the camera. They looked at the camera with wonder- most of them will not use a computer in their lifetime! The landscape was lush and green with crops growing everywhere - bananas, coffee, corn, mangoes, avacados, beans, cabbage, and many more! The waterfall was an idyllic scene and reminded us of the rainforest we were in!
We headed back to the chairmen’s house for lunch and it was delicious! On our final walk, we visited a traditional round house where cattle and people lived together. That is how important cattle are! The women was widowed and relied on the tourism program dollars to help send her kids to school. We visited the local spring where people collect their water each day and walk it back to their home in 5 gallon buckets on their head! Finally we visited a local (very local) bar to have a banana beer which is what the locals drink because it is strong and cheap!
That’s it. It was an incredible day and we were thankful for this look at the local culture outside the tourist areas.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Twiga and Punda Milia (the Giraffe and Zebra)
the Twiga (swahili for giraffe) say Jambo (hello). They were amazing to see, towering gracefuly over the trees, when they run their lanking body becomes a graceful moving mass, silently gliding quickly across the landscape although because of their size they look like they are moving in slow motion. to see many of them in a herd moving with this grace was very moving, tettering on the holy.
the safari as you can imagine was incredible. so many animals. a wildbeest giving birth. a huge volcanic crater in which we explored a lush green landscape filled with zebra and wildbeest in the thousands, hand fulls of lions in various lazy positions (probably more like your own fiesty cats than you imagine). there were flamingos galore and a lepord and cub in a tree all day long, there were herds of elephant with their wrinkly bottoms and funny elbows and huge padded feet and wabbly trunk they use like a fork to twirl the long grass like spagetti and stuff it in their mouths-sometimes 18 hours a day they eat, and walk slowly and eat some more.
wow, an incredible experience.
now, we are back in town. it is hectic here and mark and i are thinking of going straight to the beach on zanzibar. on one hand it seems a shame to miss the mountains here but hiking is not mark's thing at the moment since his knee is still recovering from knee surgery and, everything we tried to do here requires loads of walking anyway, that perhaps we won't be redundant with a tour of the mountainside. so, we are working on travel plans. we shall see how it goes. I will keep you informed. more pictures are on the way once we sort out the 1300 we took in the last four days of safariing.
the safari as you can imagine was incredible. so many animals. a wildbeest giving birth. a huge volcanic crater in which we explored a lush green landscape filled with zebra and wildbeest in the thousands, hand fulls of lions in various lazy positions (probably more like your own fiesty cats than you imagine). there were flamingos galore and a lepord and cub in a tree all day long, there were herds of elephant with their wrinkly bottoms and funny elbows and huge padded feet and wabbly trunk they use like a fork to twirl the long grass like spagetti and stuff it in their mouths-sometimes 18 hours a day they eat, and walk slowly and eat some more.
wow, an incredible experience.
now, we are back in town. it is hectic here and mark and i are thinking of going straight to the beach on zanzibar. on one hand it seems a shame to miss the mountains here but hiking is not mark's thing at the moment since his knee is still recovering from knee surgery and, everything we tried to do here requires loads of walking anyway, that perhaps we won't be redundant with a tour of the mountainside. so, we are working on travel plans. we shall see how it goes. I will keep you informed. more pictures are on the way once we sort out the 1300 we took in the last four days of safariing.
Lions, Giraffes, and Zebras…Oh My
I’m not sure where to begin to describe what our safari was like, but in a word - SPECTACULAR! Start by thinking of every African animal you know, multiply those by thousands or tens of thousands, put yourself in the middle of a field with all of them, add some dusty roads and a beat-up Landcruiser, and you can be on a safari in your head. We visited three national parks, so I will try and capture a little bit of each of them; Lake Manyara, Serengeti, and Ngorogoro Crater. In much the same way that it is difficult to describe the enormity of the Grand Canyon to someone, the Tanzanian national parks are so immense they are often beyond description.
Lake Manyara
At 10:30 am our Landcruiser, guide (Ema), and cook (Aidano) arrived at our hostel to pick up Ariana, myself, and SallyAnn (a wonderful Australian woman who came with us). We made a couple of quick stops in town before heading to “Mosquito Town” which sits just outside Lake Manyara to drop off some of our camping supplies. It was quite strange to be in the position of not having to set up the tents or make sure the lunch was ready or do anything else that might be considered work. We strolled about town for a bit getting to know all the locals who work very hard to make sure you visit their shop (more about this later).
With the roof on the Landcruiser off, so we could stand up when we saw something, we headed towards Lake Manyara. On the way we saw our first wild animal, a few giraffe (or in Swahili “twiga“) browsing on the acacia trees outside the park. Needless to say we were amazed to see this creature in the wild and spent about 20 minutes taking pictures. At the park entrance we saw a handful of small blue monkeys (not actually blue) and marveled at their cuteness. As we drove down the road in Lake Manyara, we soaked of the sights and sounds of a tropical rainforest - massive trees, lots of birds and monkeys, etc. After driving through the rainforest for a while, the trees open up to a massive grassland that surrounds the lake. We saw some Zebras, warthogs(Poomba!), and Cape Buffalo on our way to the Hippo pond. We watched the Hippos splash around for a bit and just sat quietly to take in all the scenery. We slowly made our way back to the main gate, enjoying watching the playful baboons along the way.
Back at camp, we found our dinner table set with hot water for tea and coffee ready. We had a quick cold shower to rinse off the dust and enjoyed some terrific food from our cook. Fried fish and chips, vegetables, avocado salad, and a banana fritter for dessert. We spent a couple of hours talking to Ema about the current political situation in Tanzania and then got to bed early.
The Serengeti
The morning began with a wonderful breakfast with lots of fresh fruit (the pineapple is so good it actually tastes like a different food) and slowly packing camp to leave by 10:30 am. We drove past Lake Manyara to the entrance gate for Ngorogoro and Serengeti. The roads are all very bumpy and dusty, but the scenery was stunning. In Ngorogoro, the Masaai people are allowed to live, graze their cattle, and build temporary communities. Traditionally the Masaai would be purely nomadic, but as in the influx of tourists increases, the number of Masaai standing on the side of the road hoping tourists will stop and pay to have their picture taken has greatly increased. They have set up “villages” that are pure tourist stops and the safari vehicles pay $50 to stop and visit. This money is helping to educate some of the children, so it’s not all bad, but our guide guessed the Masaai would be gone in 10 years.
We drove out of the mountain and got our first view of the Serengeti, which means “endless open space” in the Masaai language. It is similar to looking out over the ocean in its size. We stopped for lunch at the visitors center with 40-50 other safari vehicles on basically the same journey before our afternoon game drive on the Plains. We took off in search of a leopard we heard talk of, but after stopping near a rocky outcropping our engine only revved as we tried to leave. We took a look around the vehicle and noticed that what appeared to be the axle was sticking 12 inches out of the back tire. Our guide said “oh shit”, we said “oh shit.” He pulled out a three foot part from the vehicle, put it in the car, informed us that it was only the part that controls four-wheel drive, switched it to two-wheel drive and headed off successfully. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Breakdowns like this are not uncommon at all, but our Safari vehicle, while sufficient was a piece of junk. Later that day the driver closed his door and the window shattered. Depsite all this, the vehicle served us well the whole time and we were proud of it by trips end!
The animals we saw were amazing - lions, leopards, elephants, ostriches, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, hippos, lots of birds, and lots that I am forgetting. I will let the pictures speak for themselves, but pictures fail to capture what it feels like for a male lion to walk inches from your vehicle and then slowly wander past. We had to keep reminding ourselves that this was not a zoo, but a very wild place.
We enjoyed our evening camping in the Serengeti and enjoyed the stars in this remote location. I have never seen the Milky Way so bright. We sipped a glass of wine with SallyAnn and hit the sack in preparation for our 5:00 am wakeup.
We woke early, had a cup of coffee and hopped in the safari vehicle to get out on the plain for sunrise. The pictures will show it was incredible. An umbrella acacia tree makes the perfect foreground for a brightly colored sunrise. Our morning game drive allowed us to see a baby leopard climbing around on a tree, as well as a large herd of elephants. Our guide knew everything about every animal, so it was as educational as it was beautiful.
Ngorogoro
Off to Ngorogoro. Ngorogoro is a crater formed by an extinct volcano that has collapsed and left a crater about 20 km. wide. It is basically its own ecosystem as the animals that live here rarely leave the crater. The walls are steep and everything that is necessary to support life is in the crater. Again, the view is difficult to describe so check out the photos. Again, the wildlife was captivating (I am running out of adjectives!) and we were fortunate to witness a wildebeest giving birth. I have the video to prove it and we couldn’t believe what we were watching as the baby was born and then walking within five minutes. You think your baby is gifted? Don’t compare it to a wildebeest! There is much more to talk about, but it will have to wait til I see in person as I am getting tired of writing and my time on the internet is coming to an end.
We made it back to Arusha last night and are spending today planning the next leg of our journey. We are a bit weary of being such an obvious outsider in the city and are hoping to escape and have a bit of time not dealing with the day to day stress of being two of only a handful of Muzungus! We are having an incredible experience each day and are thankful for every opportunity. My journey is nearly half-way over and I can say it continues to transform me.
Monday, February 8, 2010
An Epic Day in Tanzania
We have arrived safely in Tanzania and were quickly very aware that we would have to adjust to a new culture, new transportation, new lanuguage, and new poeple. It is always a bit daunting, but today tested both Ari's and my patience (is this correct grammar, any english majors are free to edit that sentence!).
Have you ever been to an ATM that was temporarily down or out of money? So frustrating right? Have you ever been to 11 in a row? Ari and I felt like we were on The Amazing Race today and our objective was to visit every ATM in Arusha. The reward would be that when we got to the last ATM it would actually work! With a Mastercard though....try again. The race continued for about four hours! Needing to withdraw a hefty chunk of change to pay for our room and all of our safari, we had to utilize multiple ATM's, some working with Visa, some Mastercard, some with a limit of $100, some with a limit of $200. The ATM's have a camera and I think someone is watching so that if you are not crying - no money. Once the tears are running down your cheeks, you have clumps of hair in your hands, and you are saying a Hail Mary while you type in your PIN - ahhhhhh, sweet success!
If that were it, no big deal, just another day in Africa! Alas, the next challenge was to make a call with our cell phone. Ari bought a cheap SIM-capable phone in Rwanda, so that as we traveled we could buy a local SIM card and voila - phone acess. Hahahaha. The idea is sound, the network is only slightly better than AT&T in the US. Useless. Her phone, although the company works in Tanzania, her phone is locked to Tanzania SIM cards. No worries, we will just use the Rwanda SIM card at slightly higher rates. Hahahaha. We bought some minutes for her phone and saw what had become a mantra for the day. "Network failure" After about ten trips back and forth, in and out of cell phone offices, we eventually agreed that Ari's phone was cursed and would never work here. So, we decided to buy the cheapest ($16) cell that would work in Tanzania. After purchasing the phone, we were ready to make a call. Except we just needed to wait 5 hours for the phone to charge - ahhhhhh, sweet success!
If that were it, no big deal, just another day in Africa! Alas, the next challenge was to make sure that our safari price was not a ripoff. I had been working with an Austrailian woman to make the plans for our safari via email and she has been great! However, the number of people and price of our safari kept jumping around. Long story short.... we were on the phone with her about 10 times to finally settle on a price that will leave us paying a bit more than we would have liked and her company making no profit on this trip. She has been super apologetic and I have learned to get a set price or find someone else. We are excited about our trip, with this behind us and are hopeful that as soon as we set out for the Serengeti all our Arusha troubles will melt away!
Well, my computer says I am out of time and we need to walk back to the hostel where we will be picked up in about 45 mins! We are having a great time and know that these little setbacks are a mere inconvenience. Most of the people living here would be incredibly thankful to have any such opportunities that we do!!
Have you ever been to an ATM that was temporarily down or out of money? So frustrating right? Have you ever been to 11 in a row? Ari and I felt like we were on The Amazing Race today and our objective was to visit every ATM in Arusha. The reward would be that when we got to the last ATM it would actually work! With a Mastercard though....try again. The race continued for about four hours! Needing to withdraw a hefty chunk of change to pay for our room and all of our safari, we had to utilize multiple ATM's, some working with Visa, some Mastercard, some with a limit of $100, some with a limit of $200. The ATM's have a camera and I think someone is watching so that if you are not crying - no money. Once the tears are running down your cheeks, you have clumps of hair in your hands, and you are saying a Hail Mary while you type in your PIN - ahhhhhh, sweet success!
If that were it, no big deal, just another day in Africa! Alas, the next challenge was to make a call with our cell phone. Ari bought a cheap SIM-capable phone in Rwanda, so that as we traveled we could buy a local SIM card and voila - phone acess. Hahahaha. The idea is sound, the network is only slightly better than AT&T in the US. Useless. Her phone, although the company works in Tanzania, her phone is locked to Tanzania SIM cards. No worries, we will just use the Rwanda SIM card at slightly higher rates. Hahahaha. We bought some minutes for her phone and saw what had become a mantra for the day. "Network failure" After about ten trips back and forth, in and out of cell phone offices, we eventually agreed that Ari's phone was cursed and would never work here. So, we decided to buy the cheapest ($16) cell that would work in Tanzania. After purchasing the phone, we were ready to make a call. Except we just needed to wait 5 hours for the phone to charge - ahhhhhh, sweet success!
If that were it, no big deal, just another day in Africa! Alas, the next challenge was to make sure that our safari price was not a ripoff. I had been working with an Austrailian woman to make the plans for our safari via email and she has been great! However, the number of people and price of our safari kept jumping around. Long story short.... we were on the phone with her about 10 times to finally settle on a price that will leave us paying a bit more than we would have liked and her company making no profit on this trip. She has been super apologetic and I have learned to get a set price or find someone else. We are excited about our trip, with this behind us and are hopeful that as soon as we set out for the Serengeti all our Arusha troubles will melt away!
Well, my computer says I am out of time and we need to walk back to the hostel where we will be picked up in about 45 mins! We are having a great time and know that these little setbacks are a mere inconvenience. Most of the people living here would be incredibly thankful to have any such opportunities that we do!!
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