Blogs from Tanzania, Africa - page 363

So where am I going, well the project is based in the Kilombero Valley, which lies between the Selous Game Reserve to the east, the Udzungwa Mountains Natyional Park to the north and the Mahenge Mountains to the South; if you look on a map the middle of no where! The Kilombero River forms part of Africas largest river basin, joining the the Great Ruaha, Rufiji and Luwegu rivers. The southern end of the valley is a Game Controlled Area and contains populations of elephants, buffalo, lion, zebra, antelopes and crocodiles, plenty of opportunity for me to get eaten then! The project will focus on developing an understanding of the relationship between the Kilombero Valley's fauna and flora and the local population, with a view to guiding/educating the locals on how to manage the natural resources ... read more

sakina, sakina, saKKKIIINA! this isn't the howl of a fabled african monkey, nor the sullen call of a majestic african bird...but rather the piercing rattle of the dala-dala man, slipping the rest of the way out of the sliding minivan door and onto the gravel side of the road, as the dala-dala lurches to a 4 stop. the old and tattered mini-vans that were originally manufactured to seat 8, maybe 10...are being used to full capacity here in arusha, no inch or cubic air of space gone unnoticed. zillions of dirty white vans zig and zag around the streets, shuttling the arusha public from the city center to the towns, neighborhoods, villages, and bomas, scattered around the northern Tanzanian countryside. among the volunteers, we have a running count and 26 passengers is currently leading the tally. ... read more

I have heard it said that you ask questions when your interested and daydream when your bored. I must be doing something right, as I have gotten several questions. And this REALLY gets me going! The proverbial "Ask me about my Grandchildren" syndrom. You all know what I am talking about .. the pictures come out, the grandious stories of how your grandson or granddaughter made the winning goal or touchdown, and the gleam in the eyes with pride. Well, we are sort of like that about Africa. We could talk all night! So, as questions are posed to me, I'll answer so everyone can see, maybe someone else was thinking the same thing. Do they use dollars? And if not what? And how much is that in dollars? They use shillings instead of dollars - ... read more

They say a picture’s worth a 1,000 words - but what if you can't see the picture? That's what this journal is all about. Painting pictures in words for you; our family, friends, supporters, and anyone else interested in our journey, so you can experience what you can not see. I have determined that most everyone - those that are honest about it anyway - have an innate need to want to know what’s going on. It might be that we don’t all want to know what the best club is for the fairway, or which hair product keeps the frizzies at bay the best, or even which brand of peanut butter is the best. But when it comes to people we know, their lives, how they are, where they are, and what they are up ... read more

On my way to Zanzibar for a 4 day chill out on the beach having spent the last 10 days travelling to and through Masai Mara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. Travelling with a really great bunch of people (20 of us in total) and have seen some amazing and unforgettable sights! The highlight was the Serengeti - first night travelling through to our camp we came across a fairly rare sight of 2 lions chilling out having just killed and half eaten a Zebra. It was a bit gruesome to see the empty shell of the top half of it's body and head. They were guarding what was left but were so relaxed (and full) they didn't show any interest in a family of Guinea fowl who marched by right in front of them! ... read more