After two weeks of waking up before the sun to carry sloshing 18-litre buckets of water on our heads to fill the big blue water bucket, after calluses and blood blisters and even a scorpion bite incurred as what was an empty field in the Shamba countryside became a building, Zanzibar was what most would dfine as paradise - pristine white beaches and clear turquoise ocean, groves of palm trees waving in the spice-scented breeze, coffee, and flush toilets. I spent every day wondering how the next thing on the schedule could possibly be more luxurious or fascinating or delicious than [View Full Entry]

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July 1st we arrived at a campsite just outside Dar es Salaam, called Mikadi Beach. After a very long day in the truck I walked straight into the Indian Ocean still wearing my clothes. The campsite was one of my favorites, sandy beach, palm trees, and great views of the sunrise. It was a little piece of heaven. July 2nd we took the express ferry to Zanzibar. I sat inside the ferry, got really seasick and then spent the rest of the ferry ride throwing up over the side of the back of the boat. The only bonus of this throwing [View Full Entry]

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Hi all, I had a really great time in Zanzibar. Got the bus at 7am on Friday, feeling very tierd and slightly hungover from the night before. Arrived at Dar es Saalam at 3.30pm, the last ferry to Zanzibar left at 4pm so it was a mad rush to get in a taxi and then buy the ferry tickets. I managed to get there with 10 minutes to spare, and thew up on the 2hr crossing! Eventually made it to Kendwa rocks (a beach resort at the north of the island) by 8pm. I met a South African guy there, Warren [View Full Entry]

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A couple misc notes. First, a word to the seniors (and the super-super seniors) at F&M, fear not, I think I'll be at your graduation. I'll be the one with a box of tissues, balling my eyes out. Second, a shoutout to Eagles Nest, I miss everybody a ton. Glad to hear you are enjoying the blog and hopefully you are learning some stuff. I hope all the 5th graders are having a great spring and excited about Middle School. I hope everybody is still loving Eagles Nest and telling Janelle and the volunteers how awesome and fantabulous they are each [View Full Entry]

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We were on our Tanzanian safari when we celebrated our one-year anniversary of being on the African continent. We can hardly believe that we have been travelling for this long and that a year has passed already! However, the state of our clothes attests to our length of travel as they are certainly worse for wear, our packs are filthy, and our shoes starting to fall apart - I guess it is time to wrap up this travel adventure before we have no clothes or shoes left! The Zanzibar ferry terminal in Dar es Salaam is nothing like a BC Ferries [View Full Entry]

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Hello again! I suppose I should start from last Monday leading right untill this moment in this little internet cafe actually overlooking the beach! I went to KiliKids as they were having their offical christmas party on the Monday for a couple of hours before doing my packing and last minute bits and bobs. It was great to see the kids one last time but what I forgot to mention before, which I think is worth mentioning is that I saw a live goat get killed - African style. I never thought before that I was squeamish about seeing blood and [View Full Entry]

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After breakfast (toast again and fruit) I boarded a large dhow to go snorkelling!! I sat near the bow and lappd up the weak rays (it was cloudy), Soon we were gliding along not far from the short with a breeze in my hair. we stopped to pick up flippers and a mask and then headed to the island, Mnemba, which we would be snorkelling off. All 11 we arrived at what looked like paradise - white sandy beaches and lush forest. However we could not set foot on the island because it was private (apparently it belongs to Bill Gates). [View Full Entry]

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Awoke to thesound of rain and went to the rooftop restaurant for breakfast, It was very grey where we were headed so I was prepared for dissappointment. However by the time we had left to walk to the matatu, it had stopped and the sun was peeping out. The drive was about 2 hours long through little towns and villages and lush green vegetation. It is a really beautiful and bountiful island. Because of the tour yestersay I was able to spot many trees and shrubs. I even spotted another Kodak Palm, which is a palm that everyone takes photos of [View Full Entry]

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My Friends and Family, Jambo! It's been too long! I'm sure by now you're nearly all convinced that I've been spending the past 3 months in the heart of East Africa serving, volunteering, and selflessly offering my love to anyone who will take it. Friends, I hate to tell ya this, but you've been sucked in to some sweet deception! In reality only 3 days ago I was lying on the powdery white beaches of Zanzibar Island, swimming in the brilliantely teal and almost too warm Indian Ocean, suffering from a brutal headache because I couldn't decide between the fishburger or [View Full Entry]

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On the 9th September after about 10 days of hectic waking up Gestapo style and having the tents down, breakfast out, dishes washed, then queuing single file to be hosed down and de loused before we got back on the van at 6am, we set off for a nice relaxing few days on the island of Zanzibar, which is a two and a half hour ferry ride from the port of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. We were crammed into the bus at 5am and driven to the port, which was filled with hundreds of locals selling cashew nuts, bananas and copies [View Full Entry]

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