For two weeks I’ve shopped at the market and diced tomatoes in the kitchen and sat on the couch watching ESPN over a plate of lukewarm leftovers; in most ways, it’s been as unexotic a fortnight as you could possibly imagine in Zanzibar. It’s also been a huge relief. Homeless for close to two years, having my own place, my own household routine, has been about as foreign and thrilling to me as spotting lions and leopards on the plains of the Serengeti would be to a bunch of tourists on safari. I’ve traded Grevy’s zebra for grocery lists and cheetahs [View Full Entry]

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Hi Everyone! We survived the Serengeti (wild elephant "attack" and all) and have moved onto Zanzibar. Totally different here: more touristy, like Panama City or Destin. Hot, Hot, Hot. Humidity like down south - unlike other parts of Tanzania which were hotish days and colder nights. And they call this Winter! We flew over here today using two small planes (about 10 passengers). Even though it is so hot here, we must dress modestly due to culture and Islam influence. We are both well - no major sickness thankfully, however, it is easy to get dehydrated. Kind of like Israel in [View Full Entry]

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After 6 days on safari, I have moved on to the beach for a little relaxation. The safari was great! We started at Lake Manyara were we saw many elephants, hippos, zebra.... The next day we set off for Ngorongoro Crater which amazed us with how close some of the animals were including a male lion that walked down the road in front of us! Then we headed to the Serengeti for a couple of days. The animals were much harder to spot here but we still managed to see a number of lions even close up and a couple of [View Full Entry]

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We've got about another hour left on Zanzibar before we return to Dar Es Salaam, and I think we all could have easily stayed on for a few more days at least. Zanzibar is gorgeous - the water is incredibly blue and clear, and the weather has been fantastic since we arrived. We did a really good tour of the old Stone Town on the day we arrived, and went to someone's house for a traditional Zanzibar meal - it was great. Afterwards we went to a spice plantation, and it was surprisingly interesting, and really interactive (particularly when we got [View Full Entry]

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Ali Baba will find a place for me. He makes this promise, sweat shining on his fat Buddha’s cheeks, eyes pinched and squinting into the sunlight. In the week I’ve spent in Dar, hanging around Chef’s Pride while Ali Baba works the crowd, it’s grown obvious that this is a man with a chubby hand in many pots. He gives me the number of his nephew, Ibrahim - the owner of a popular budget guest house in Stone Town, the Pyramid Hotel - and suggests I look him up as soon as I arrive. On my day of departure, hauling my [View Full Entry]

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I was so excited about Zanzibar a) to have a bit of a break from sitting on the truck and b) to get a bit of beach action! To get to Zanzibar off mainland Tanzania we had to get a ferry. Prior to getting on the ferry though we got herded on to a barge which you stand on. It was a funny experience standing in between the cars (which are also being transported on this thing) and alongside women that have kilos of stuff (for lack of a better word - could be in a bucket, basket or boot) [View Full Entry]

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Just a quick note to say that we’re now on Zanzibar, after spending the last week and a half travelling through Zambia and Malawi. I’ll do a full update hopefully tomorrow sometime, as we’re currently in Stone Town on the island, but head up north to the beaches later this afternoon for some lazing around. Malawi was awesome - absolutely gorgeous scenery, lovely people, and we’re the proud owners of some very nice wooden bowls, carvings, etc. Internet access has been thin on the ground, and I think it will continue to be so until we get to Nairobi, so if [View Full Entry]

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Ah, Zanzibar was fantastic. Highlights included snorkelling, fresh seafood markets, and drinking beers in a bar that overlooked the ocean with the sunset illuminating the dhows that were sailing by. But I wouldn't want to make you jealous, so here is just one story which I will cherish for a long time. We were staying on the north end of the island and Dulal, a Bangladeshi guy with a thick British accent and an enormous beard, had rented a small motorbike for the day. He invited me to jump on the back for a trip to a small and apparently beautiful [View Full Entry]

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Greetings from Africa! We made it to Zanzibar and are having an amazing time!!! It is soooo beautiful here! Pictures do not do this place justice. The people, the ocean and the food are perfect. We have made many new friends with locals, French and a kind South African whose computer I am currently using so I do not have much time to write, but I wanted you to know that we are well! We wish you were here. We are staying at an awesome "resort" called Mount Zion. All they play on the stereo is reggae...it is just our pace! [View Full Entry]

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hi all!! Well this should come as no surprise to anyone, but I somehow got malaria while relaxing on this tropical paradise!! I'm fine now but I was really feeling like shit for a little while there!! I got to see the inside of an african hospital firsthand while hooked up to an IV drip... oh MAN was that ever an experience hahah!! The doctor actually even let me look at the malaria under the microscope hahaha!! I'm alive and well though I just thought I'd throw up a quick note about my latest adventure hahaha!! Love to all!! Shannon [View Full Entry]

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