The beaches on the island all have a different flavor- whether it be a touristy place with many resorts, the local beach with women gathering seaweed and children playing in the surf, or the classic rasta scene with bungalows local bars and a laid back beach. I was not disappointed after stepping off the hot dalla dalla (local transport) , dropping my bag and taking my first swim in the brilliant turquoise water. The pictures will tell more than words can ever muster... [View Full Entry]

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Hey All, Sorry this might be a very quick update as usual I don’t have a long time on this computer. I can’t believe it was a whole week ago I wrote my last blog. I can’t remember if I told you about Christmas?? Well anyway it was great, Santa came to both Alice and I with presents deposited under our makeshift chrismtas tree made of branches, leaves and shells. The next couple of days were much like the rest, chilling out during the days, meeting up with fiend during the evenings. We had two Irish girlfriends from the Hostel staying [View Full Entry]

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Lamminta vuotta 2009! Luin asken Suomen uutisia ja huomasin, etta siella on talvimyrskyja, pakkanen kiristymassa ja sahkokatkoja. Meilla on edelleen tasainen +30 astetta paivittain, nyt ei ole trooppisia sadekuurojakaan ollut muutamaan paivaan ja merivesi edelleen lamminta kuin linnunmaito. Jos en olisi Suomessa elanyt, niin ei taalta kasin kylla sita pimeytta ja talvipakkasia tosiaan osaisi kuvitella, niin kaukaisilta ne tuntuvat nytkin, vaikka vain vaivainen kuukausi ollaan oltu poissa. Olemme viettaneet uutta vuotta Sansibarilla, Saharan etelanpuolisen Afrikan turistikeskuksessa Stone T [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to Tanzania! But for our intents and purposes - Zanzibar! We decided to do the "dummies" version of Tanzania - we skipped the "deep" or "hard" stuff and went in for the fun! New Year's was approaching, so we decided that taking it easy was a good plan anyway! Zanzibar is known for exoticism and fragrant spices. It is also known for the beautiful old part of the main city called "Stone Town" and Zanzibar's magnificent beaches. Like most of the coastal areas on the East Side of Africa, Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim. The mosques, the architecture and the cuisine [View Full Entry]

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I had a unique Christmas this year. Katie, Alisha and I managed to find transport to Lilongwe on the Thursday before Christmas. On the way we saw these guys standing on the side of the road with what we thought were umbrellas. Alisha finally told us they were actually mushrooms and we pulled over and bought a few. That evening dinner was amazing, and I am still shocked at how enormous mushrooms get here. Anyway, that is beside the point. You want to hear about my vacation I am sure. So that Saturday our bus from Lilongwe to Dar es Salaam [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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I know it's a cliche, but I am not one to buy a red convertible, so...climbing Kilimanjaro to honor midlife instead! There are five girlfriends going...the youngster (6 mos younger than me) also being my oldest friend, Deb from Sonoma State days. There's also Judy, a crack ER doc from San Jose that we met in Kenya about 5 yrs ago ... her family and mine were staying in the same tent camp. Terry is from Santa Barbara and has the distinction (of many) of being the witness at our very brief and informal wedding ceremony. Her husband, Duncan, gave Ian [View Full Entry]

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Zanzibar. It's a mythical name - a place that I've dreamed about visiting for years. I have always been fascinated by exotic place-names. Zanzibar. Timbuktu. Lhasa. Kathmandu. This fascination is totally divorced from any actual knowledge of these places. For years I thought that Kathmandu was an Asian seaport full of salty old sailors and opium dens. When I finally got there, I couldn't quite reconcile my vision with the Himalayan kingdom/smoggy third-world city that I found myself in. The opium dens were there, and Kathmandu remains, to this day, one of my favorite cities, but th [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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So all of the volunteers and I thought it would be nice to come together and make a thanksgiving feast. I was elected to head up the planning and preparations. WE had chicken (hard to find turkey), stuffing, garlic mashed potato, roasted sweet potato, gravy, and a salad. I was kind of nervous about cooking such an elaborate meal in this kitchen but it worked out great. I brined the chicken, and the oven actually cooked them perfectly, and the bread I used for the stuffing was ideal, and in fact probably the best stuffing I've ever made. We set up [View Full Entry]

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