http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Ask-Marie/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Ask Marie en-us Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:48:32 +0000 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:48:32 +0000 Zanzibar Spice Tour CompanionsThe spice farm tour was absolutely the BEST value to date For 10 each we were picked up at our hotel joining 12 or so others in the ubiquitous Toyota minivan matatu given a first rate tour by an excellent guide a good lunch a trip to the swim in the Indian Ocean at a private beach and then back to the hotel. Not once did the guide or the driver ask for addition http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/blog-42536.html Getting to ZanzibarWe left our hotel the Jambo Inn about 900 am for the ferry to 1000 ferry to Zanzibar. Our cabbie Emanuel took us there without hassle and dropped us off in front of the Flying Horse ticket office so that we wouldn't have to deal with the touts. Unfortunately the one we told him to take us to was the wrong one. their's left at 1230 pm so we had to walk to the Sea Star ti http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/blog-42715.html How we do itWe started out by heading to the Tourist office not too useful and then we saw a sign for a FRENCH Restaurant and that meant COFFEE REAL COFFEEWe invited ourselves to sit with a couple our age she is Hawaiian and he is from northern California. They had just spent about four days in Zanzibar at the fairly new and fairly good AFrican music festival Doreen and David.Within minute http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/East/Dar-es-Salaam/blog-42713.html Veronica was determined to make a dress for me...using the fabric that Sarah had given me. I explained that Sarah had been in the place where the fabric was printed. So Friday afternoon we left the material and Veronica assured me that it would be finished late Saturday afternoon in time for me to pick it up on the way to the Embassy Party. Saturday morning Bill worked on his blogs and I pre http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-43671.html Monday Tuesday February 67 2006 KAMPALA UGANDAReally life is getting better. Although we had a day to recuperate when we first arrived we really didnrsquot have an opportunity to get ourselves organized. In a way it was nice that we got the sightseeing out of our systems and it was wonderful to have it all organized by Sarah so that we could enjoy our second week sans sightseeing bu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-40203.html Spice FarmThe Zanzibar Government owns about 60 percent of the land so this was a government farm although it appeared that many small villagelike communities existed. Spices are fascinating and our guide could tell us where each originated and showed us each spice and explained its season harvest and any required processing.Here is a photo of us at lunch. Fish in coconut sauce green veget http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/blog-42537.html We only meet travelers by the way that we travel. We are in the cheaper hotels the cheaper eating places and the cheapest Internet places. By and large we are in the cheaper shopping districts since I guess that most tourists stick pretty close to premarked prices in the hotels or in the special shops to which they are directed.Not us As a result when we meet fellow travelers our conversat http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/blog-42534.html The Germans had been giving us very good moneysaving advice but this last advice wasnrsquot so good. We had planned on leaving at 6 a.m. or so and taking the TSC 6000 Tanzanian shillings about 6 bus from Lushoto to Dar es Salaam. However they seemed to think that this would take 9 excruciating hours stopping every village or so so they had heard that it would be better to take a dallad http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/East/Dar-es-Salaam/blog-41737.html St. Benedicts has the BEST beds that we have slept in for a long time including the United States well probably the Peninsula in Chicago is better We were awakened first by the Imamrsquos call for prayers Islam then the various churches Christian ringing their bells and then the school started banging on pans to alert the school children we guess.At various times between 5 a.m. and 7 http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/East/Dar-es-Salaam/blog-41736.html Monday night in MoshiOur night was pretty good. I worked on the computer hoping to post things before we left but Bill fell asleep with his clothes on and I didn't have the heart to wake him. The fan was on high speed and so I took the chance that we didn't need the mosquito net so we were reasonably cool for the night. Bill got 9 hours and I slept for 8.We tried to carry our packs on our back http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/East/Lushoto/blog-41573.html MUNICH in KAMPALA UGANDAIt was Sarahrsquos birthday and we took her and Nate to dinner at a fast food Lebanese restaurant in a multistoried mall. The food was excellent especially the garlic sauce for the falafelhellipa pleasant beginning to a difficult movie.Bill and I saw Schindlerrsquos List in Bangkok now Munich in Kampala. The movie plus my readings seem to come together...I ha http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-41570.html I am reading from Granta an English publication of new writers of ideas. By coincidence the last issue focuses on Africa. I want to write from the back cover of this journalAfrica is too large and diverse fore generalizations. It has fiftyfour nations five time zones at least seven climates more than 800 million people and according to the latest diligent research maybe 14 million prover http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/East/Lushoto/blog-41568.html Buying Fabrics in KampalaAnother great dayhellipnow that we are wandering around we are meeting people who live here so we donrsquot feel so out of place. Irsquove been meaning to write about how quiet people speak here not just on their cell phones but in ordinary conversation. Plus the more into a bargaining situation the more quiet they get. So we are learning to be softspoken.Hus http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-40332.html Cloth shopping in KAMPALA UGANDAAlthough you can readily see people wearing nonWestern type fabrics they are quite difficult to find to buy. The women typically buy 6 yard pieces that are cut into a big muu muu type dress with fancy intricate sleeves or they have a blouse made and wrap the rest around not quite a sari nor a sarong but uniquely Ugandan. Sometimes some of the cloth is used http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-40334.html Wednesday February 8 2006 KAMPALA UGANDAOkay so now we really meet Kampalahellipcalled Hussein on his cell phone headed off to Owena Market looking for African cloths for quilts. We ended up in the second hand clothes market dozens of shops all hawking used clothes from America. You know when you give clothes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army what isnrsquot used in the States is bale http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-40331.html It has been a chore to find a reliable source for the INternet but today we lucked out and since we joined a club we will be checking in daily until we leave. In the meantime check out Bill's blog at www.travelblog.orgBloggersNebraskaBill for pictures and more reporting from him.miss you all but having a GREAT TIMEMarie http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Uganda/Central-Region/Kampala/blog-39996.html