Vi koerte fra Arusha med endnu en luksus bus tidligt om morgenen med vores morgenmadsboks, som bestod af noget toert broed med syltetoej og 2 aeg hver og en banan. Herfra gik ruten til Mombo, en lille landsby mellem Moshi og Dar hvor vi blev hentet af Alex. Der var dog mange om budet som ville hjaelpe os med at komme videre, saa dejligt af han stod klar. Efter en sodavand gik turen i en fin jeep opad mod Lushoto og Usambara Mountains. Efter flere haardnaalesving og flot udsigt ud til skraaninger hvor der var anlagt smaa marker, ankom vi til [View Full Entry]

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Dear Banks Blog Followers, Well, the power has been restored to Lushoto so I will do what I set off to do today, along with shopping and mailing. We both had our first real teaching experience this week and what an eye opener. It would take a long time to really describe. But, picture a classroom with only wooden desks, blackboad, and chalk...that's it. Oh, and 80 eager to learn students jammed into benches 4 per bench. Dave is teaching Biology with no books and I have English...with NO books. OK, send some, any paperbacks you can and it's best to [View Full Entry]

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Dear Bloggers, We hope you are enjoying almost autumn. Last year at this time we were happily winding our way across the USA in our motorhome and seeing some of you which was great fun. No football, homecoming, or Halloween decor is present here as it is springtime in the southern hemisphere and we see blossoms on trees with the red potato harvest in full swing. Down in our valley green and flowering potato plants are disappearing plot by plot by a small group of kanga clad women working each field and digging up the red gems. They are bagged and [View Full Entry]

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Dear Friends of the Blog, It is getting to be spring time in Melindi and the fruit trees are just starting to bloom. The air is warm and the sky is blue, except at night when it is so black as a backdrop to starry nights and a new moon...the same one you are looking at. It reminds us of some Sierra skies when we were camping as there is no artificial light. We came to our banking=post office town to do some shopping for staples and to attend a Peace Corps permaculture workshop to be given tomorrow at the primary [View Full Entry]

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Dear Blog Travelers, We are now at our site a village malindi about 1.5 hrs. from Lushoto via dala dala and foot. Unfortunately this is also the closest internet so dont give up on us if you havent heard from us for awhile. This is also our banking town and mail delivery so we will make the trek...also supplies. You can get the address from Jenn. This is a cooler, mountain area which stays green year round and has an abundant supply of fresh fruits and veggies. We are nestled in one of many valleys where everyone farms. Our home is [View Full Entry]

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Easter provided us with the opportunity to get away for the 4 day break, but with distance and travel time here a big consideration we were never going to travel that far. We decided to go with 2 other teachers, Louise and Lauren, to the Usambara Mountains which are about half way between Arusha and Dar Es Salaam which is on the coast. We planned to do some hiking and relaxing in the mountains which by all accounts were a really beautiful region of Tanzania. The only way to get there is by bus and you have many options to [View Full Entry]

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Well as Jas's and Jord's blog pointed out we went to Lushoto after leaving Zanzibar for some hiking through the Usambara Mountains. Lushoto, and the subsequent hike has to be a highlight of my time in Tanzania as touts were few in Lushoto (and less skilled), and non-existent in the countryside. People were genuinely friendly instead of being friendly to try and rip you off. The smiling, and the odd screaming kids (our guide said that grandparents and parents use the 'White Man' as their boogeyman in bed time stories: e.g. eat your peas or the white man will come and [View Full Entry]

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Bus window hawkers in Tanzania are very strong and very cheeky people. I will be sitting, reading my book when all of a sudden the next thing I know, one has pried open the window and stuffed a BBQd corn on the cob into my face, on the end of a long wooden stick. I turn to look at him, which is immediately taken as a sign that I’m interested, so out of no where, another five corn sellers shove their burnt corn in my face too, hoping I might choose one of theirs instead. So now, I have six bits [View Full Entry]

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It's been awhile since my last update! After spending the last couple days in Zanzibar basically just waiting to leave and coming up with an excuse to celebrate (and drink) we then boarded our ferry back to Dar Es Salaam. The ferry left at 9 pm at night, but when we got there an hour before departure it was sold out. Thankfully there was another ferry, and even cheaper that left at 10pm. We initially dreaded that boat ride, but for no good reason -since it turns out the tourist price buys you access to the first class lounge. Hence, we [View Full Entry]

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Well, Sunday night after finishing up my last entry on this page, we packed up and got ready to hit the ferries back to the mainland of Tanzania. The ferry was to leave at 10pm, and all of us were exhausted and hungover from the previous night of festivities. Arriving at the ferry terminal we got our passports checked and boarded. Shown to the first class section, which is not much of a first class, it had pillows on the couches which smelled like a mixture of piss and puke. Wrapping my face in my sweater I stretched out along the [View Full Entry]

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