February 11 - 12, 2006 - Chitimba to Iringa to Dar es Salaam We drove all day to get from Chitimba to Iringa, in Tanzania. The border crossing was a bit of a nightmare, as Tanzania was the first country that we all required a VISA for. We exited Malawi, drove across the border, then got our VISAs, then entered Tanzania. It took only took just over an hour, which apparently, is quite good. We stopped for lunch quickly on the side of the road, and were surrounded by kids watching us eat. As we loaded back onto the bus, one [View Full Entry]

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Imagine being the hottest you have ever been but having to wear long sleeves and knee length shorts as you're in a Muslim Town - that was the first joy of Stone Town - religion has a lot to answer for! Thank God for the air con in our hotel rooms - what a treat! We spent the afternoon wandering around Stone Town checking out the diverse architecture - Arabic, Indian and European influences with amazing carved wooden doors and lots of winding alleys just like Arabian nights! There were lots of little interesting things to buy such as paintings, carvings [View Full Entry]

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I finally made it to the music fest around 9pm and unfortunately missed the jazz band Taffetas, who I had seen the prior week in Dar. But of the ones that I caught, this one was one of my favorite. It was an East African reggae band with some really awesome performances. [View Full Entry]

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I arrived at Stone Town the historic area of Zanzibar by ferry around 3pm. [View Full Entry]

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Again I woke up during the night, but only once. Unusually I felt cold, in spite of the fact I was sweating. I was also a bit achy and tired. When I woke up I felt weak and achy. I had only a little appetite and some nausea, and felt tired and weak all morning. I got tested for malaria - again negative, with both pulse/heart rate and blood pressure normal. My insurance said I could not fly until they know exactly what is wrong with me, and suggested that I went to Dar Es Salaam for the better hospitals there. [View Full Entry]

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It is looking likely I will return to Britain for more sophisticated health care. Although lately I have not had any diarrhoea, I have become very weak, with headaches and general tiredness. My appetite is very poor. My heart rate has also been too high sometimes - although not all of the time. This could just be relating to the stress, or a sign of more serious problems, I am not taking any chances, and will return to find out the cause. I have now contacted my insurance to try to arrange my return, hopefully, once I am fully recovered I [View Full Entry]

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Sadly I did not sleep very well at all, waking up every two hours or so. In the morning I also threw up, I think because I had drunk too much (I’m talking about water and ORS here). This was not drunk all at once, but when I woke each time I would drink, so I was not absorbing the water very quickly. I saw the Doctor in morning for a checkup - my blood pressure and heart rate were both normal. The Doctor had written a report, which I then faxed off to the insurers, as well as some information [View Full Entry]

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I woke up with a headache. I had one bowel movement in the morning, which again was pretty normal. I went to the hospital (Mnazi Moja) fairly early, both to deliver a stool sample and also because I was not feeling at all well. It was actually some time before I saw a Doctor, as my normal Doctor had gone out of the hospital. I saw Dr Duchi though, who proved to be a very good Doctor. He said I was taking too many drugs, and told me to stop the loperamide as well as the Malarone. He also told me [View Full Entry]

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Zanzibar Revolution day seems to be an excuse for the government here to have a big parade which is shown on all the TV channels. It is now 42 years since they overthrew the Omani Sultanate. The poor Omani Arabs were stuck into dhows and sent back to Oman, it can't have been a comfortable journey, and they were not given enough water. The trouble did not stop there, with the property of some of the Indians confiscated as well. Previously Stone Town had housed all the rich, including all the Omani's who were the ruling and traditional landowning class, and [View Full Entry]

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No stool at all today, which is for me lately, highly unusual. It is related to the loperamide I am sure. I am still feeling a bit tired and weak though. Generally a quiet day, with no work due to Eid Al-Hajj. There are advantages to living in a country with two large religious groups, with an increase in national holidays. I am taking the opportunity to rest. I am reading a book on Zanzibari History, with a lot of details on their economics. Zanzibar has always had an international feel, due to the reliance on trade rather than production. It [View Full Entry]

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