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Published: March 26th 2007
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Jumbo.. (hello)
From Zanzibar to Arusha the journey has entailed a lot of good, accompanied with several bad... and oh so many ugly (predominately my feet) as I will endeavor to explain.
The GOOD.
Zanzibar Spice Tour costing US $10 was a full day of site seeing around the rural areas of the island. We were treated to local fruits, many of which I have never heard of but weren’t half bad, including the delightful jackfruit which is a cross between a pineapple and a banana.
Three US ladies joined our bus tour which were hysterical but very affluent and had experienced a different island than Amena and myself. They knew of Zanzibar as a tropical paradise with air conditioning, pools, waiters and chauffeurs. We knew Zanzibar as hot, mosquito infested, potentially dangerous food, sun burn, heckling and a whole lot of fun.
We were treated to a home cooked meal by one of the local ladies and Amena and I couldn't eat the fish curry and rice fast enough. Where as the other ladies didn’t try the delicious traditional meal as they had their lunch waiting for them at the hotel.. which was
Arusha
streets are so dirty and lined with rubbish fine because it meant more food for us.
Moral of the story: although its tough and at times I wish I had the luxuries that I so often take for granted.. you experience so much more when you allow yourself to step out of the comfort zone and get to know the country for what it is.. Not what you want it to be. Although we've done it tough and been in situations that probably two young females shouldn't be in... we've seen Tanzania in the raw. The good, the bad and the ugly.
The BAD..
I realised on our 10hour bus ride from Dar Es Salaam to Arusha that it is better to be parched than to have to use the bathroom for six hours. There's a hot tip for all you future travelers. Our bus got a flat tyre which meant we arrived in Arusha after dark in an area that Lonely Planet describes "notorious for muggings." Needless to say we were on edge departing the bus in the market area. Amena had her camera stolen earlier in the day which contained three months of travel photos 😞 so she was anti Tanzania from
Ngorongoro crater
Amena, Hagit and I the start and after we caught a man trying to un zip my backpack I was feeling the same way.
back to GOOD..
Now a few days on and meeting some lovely people in this dirty town we are now at peace with Arusha and have enjoyed ourselves. The Spice tour ladies recommended that we visit the Ngorongoro Crater, however not being on the same budget we were skeptical that it wasn’t financially viable.. That was untill we met Hagit.
A young lady from Israel who was heading to the crater and wanted some travell buddies, whereby we only had to pay the park entry fees and fuel... it was the perfect break.
Hagit is a volunteer in a Primary school hundreds of km's out of town so we stayed Saturday night out there. We were greeted by some of her students as we walked to the guest house and they were just as happy to see us as we were to see them... they are adorable and happy.
We left for the crater at 5am and along the way saw zebra and giraffes road side. Once inside Ngorongoro it is honestly the MOST BEAUTIFUL
Welcoming Dance
Theres a basketball contract somewhere with his name on it PLACE I HAVE EVER BEEN. It’s situated in a deep volcanic crater home to several distinct habitats from open grasslands to mountain forest. Truly amazing and a must for everyone.
More than two hundred years ago the Maasai arrived and have since lived in harmony with the land in their traditional way of life. Nowadays there are some 40,000 Maasai living in the Ngorogoro Crater region and we were fortunate enough to be allowed into a Maasai Bomas(village). They performed a welcoming dance for us and showed us around their village. The Maasai men are warriors and are not allowed to eat meat in the Bomas so leave for months on end to hunt and drink the blood of their prey. The huts are made out of grass, bamboo and manure(so its harsh on the nose) which sleep a family and their young cattle at night.
From the Maasai Bomas headed into the crater itself and were astonished at the abundance of wildlife. Although the area remains protected there are still the influences of man changing the natural landscape. With several hotels hidden in the mountains, roads, signs, bathrooms etc for safaris. Although I was in ore at
Maasai Bomba
Traditional Maasia Village the beauty of the place I also felt guilt for contributing to the destruction of this beautiful and what more crucial ecosystem.
Nonetheless we saw all types of wild life.. including hundreds of zebras and wildebeests, elephants (one got a little to close and we had to abort), lions sneaking up on the grazing wildebeests, hippos, buffalo, baboons (sly little things) and so much more. It was a day I will never forget.
and the UGLY...
Most of you are aware of my incredibly good looking feet 😊 so combine years of neglect with days of no bathing and walking on dirt roads = pretty ugly feet (view pic for full understanding)
But in saying that.. a little bit of dirt on the feet is trivial when compared to many other life situations i’ve witnessed.
The streets of Arusha are laden with beggars.. some I think 'get a job you bum', but most are tragic. There’s old ladies supporting babies, children about 7 years old trying to support their blind father, there’s people missing arms and one gentleman had a disease whereby his only leg was about four times larger than it should have been.
Manure built house
kids don't seem to mind.. especially when tourists bring them candy It made me feel sick and people were just crowding round starring at the poor guy.
We’ve also seen our fair share of fights break out and abuse on the streets… which is not pretty.
Today Amena and I visit the Arusha international conference Centre which plays host to the Rwandan Genocide Trials from 1994. The heinous crimes that were committed in that year are still being tried today and will continue for years to come. Headphones translating to English allowed us to hear the proceedings. And although the endless legalities meant that each session went to recess for hours to resolve a paperwork or like issue we still learnt a lot from the visit.
I wish I could write tales of pure beauty and acts of kindness.. but that’s not what my journey has entailed. With all the good, the bad and of course the ugly I wouldn’t change a thing and am thoroughly enjoying seeing all the facets that make up this crazy world.
Once again thanks for the messages and unfortunately as I’m heading back to Malawi means no electricity and hence no internet so my next blog may not be for a
Ugly
Lets be honest.. It was always gonna happen little while. To save checking it frequently if you subscribe an email will alert you next time I make an entry.
Till then Take Care… I know I’ll try to!
Xox
Mel
Ps. Sorry if this blog is excessively long.. just so much to say
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Cricket
Mels, keep up the experience. Australia thrased South Africa in the cricket to come top of group. India and Pakistan are out. Pakistan's coach was murdered in the hotel after they lost to Ireland. A player or two may be involved or betting group. Australia play West Indies tonight Tuesday. Cousins from West Coast Eagles has been suspended from his club indefinately due to drug taking. Work is Ok. Saw Andrew and Tennile last sunday and went to Docklands for lunch. Love you heaps. Look after yourself.