http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/fufuka/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from fufuka en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 04:37:47 +0000 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 04:37:47 +0000 After two full days of travel I made it safe and sound back home It feels great to be back in the Northwest and I look forward to getting caught up with friends and family. My phone is working again so give me a call There's a kind of luck that's not much more than being in the right place at the right time a kind of inspiration that's not much more than doing the right thing in the right http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Washington/Bellingham/blog-368793.html After pushing my way out of Dar es Salaam to Lushoto and then to Tanga on a series of hot slow dalla dallas and buses that seemed to always be on the verge of breaking down loudly shaking down the road like we were preparing for take off I opted to stop at the first beachside place that offered camping and call it my home for a couple of days. To save a bit of money I said I sorta had a tent http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/East/Pangani/blog-366984.html I changed my ticket once more for a day full of monkeys dolphins and a large hairy Iranian man... After I went to the port to change my ferry ticket I opted to do one of the classic tours of the island without booking a tour. I jumped on a dalla dalla headed in the right direction and looked forward to the rest of my day. About 20 minutes into the trip with about 15 more people crammed into http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/blog-365138.html Sudan Photos http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Sudan/blog-364949.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/blog-364675.html ZANZIBAR.... it's ok say it again this time with a little more flare.... at the same time the name rolls off your tongue a certain mystique and wonder is aroused in the imagination. There has always been something alluring about Zanzibar but no one can articulate it you just have to be there to absorb the wonders it holds. It is easy to get lost in the narrow streets of Stone Town Not onl http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Zanzibar/Zanzibar-City/blog-364668.html Here are some pictures from Me and Ari's adventure http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-362779.html The journey really began the night before at a little place called Khanrsquos BBQ. New Years Eve has become a date to drown out the year before with massive quantities of food alcohol and merriments and then bring in the new year with howls and good friends and it is no different in Tanzania. So we chose Khanrsquos as our first stop to check off our New Years Eve list. Khanrsquos is an http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/blog-361173.html I made a blurry eyed early morning decision to join some of my new friends for a classic safari in the Ngorongoro Crater. I initially told myself that I wasn't going to do a safari and I would just see the animals on my own like a true traveler of the 'roads less traveled' But sometimes you just have to buckle and go for the 'touristy' route. There is a rhyme and reason why people flock to c http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/North/Ngorongoro-Conservation-Area/blog-361084.html From CraigHi AllThe mission has gone off with nary a hitch ... until yesterday. All the little potential disasters piled into one hectic day.But we beat the odds ... escaped from Sudan with mere seconds to spare. We are now resting and eating well in Nairobi. 48 hours into our homeward bound journey. Half way there. Actually Colin and I are homeward bound. Ari leaves this afternoonSunday http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Sudan/South/blog-358580.html South Sudan is a very friendly place but as many of you know this is just a recent development. For many decades Sudan was committing genocide and in the Darfur region today the genocide continues. We flew into Juba in South Sudan. Because there is so much UN money in Southern Sudan it is very expensive. We stayed in a hotel that costed 180 dollars for one room. It was extremely basic and the p http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Sudan/South/Juba/blog-356113.html We have made it out of the bush with all of our limbs. We had a great four days living with the Masai. The village was surrounded by giraffes gazelle antelope baboons and the scary cats that prowl in the night. We saw all the wildlife except for the Cheetahs and Leopards lions have been out of the area for a long time now. All three of us were given Masai names I Colin am Olumniak lucky man http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-354361.html We said our goodbyes to Madagascar and have made it safe and sound to Nairobi Kenya. Tomorrow morning we will leave this crazy city and stay with Jol Craig and Colin's friend that lives in a Masai Village near Ngong. We are all excited to relax a bit and settle into the village life Jol watches cattle near the great Rift Valley walking many miles a day It should be quite the experience W http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-353035.html After Krindy we thought it may be a good idea to practice a bit of masochism ya know since we have been so good to ourselves. We got a ticket for a taxibrousse ride from Morondova back to Tana The ride could take anywhere from 1621 hrs we were told. With our time dwindling and the ticket to hell not too expensive 44000 AR per person about 23 each we grabbed the opportunity to cover a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-351214.html Hey all first mate Colin here I was demoted from Commander after a wild and crazy night in Morondava on my bday. It turns out that all the ladies that were hanging from me at the club had a price tag and thankfully for Ari s bulldog ways she shooed them away before too much damage was done. But for my poor behavior I was demoted and Ari found some old French ex patriot that she says she loves a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/Moramanga/blog-351209.html Over the course of our trip we have heard Madagascar's top ten pop music dance hits about 30 times each usually the songs are threatening to blow another speaker as we are sitting in the cramped Taxibrousse and trying to catch a few Z's. But it has been our pleasure and amusement to watch the few music videos that have circulated throughout the island and are shown in the small roadside restau http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-351204.html The trecherous and bumpy road to prostitution did not actually take us too long... We took a large covered truck on the 4x4 road from Toliara north to Ifaty. Ifaty is a madagascarJamaica setting with many old french expats looking for a good time with the young malagasy girls. It was actually really sad to see almost every old hairy sunburnt man had one or two malagasy girls with him we had http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-350207.html From Toliara we took a 20ft fiberglass dinghy to the Manjaki hotel on a small isthmus from the mainland. This is a very nice place to visit because the village is small and you must be a rugged tourist to stay. The only way to get there is by boat or pirogue. A pirogue is a carved out sailing canoe with a single outrigger. They are all made of wood and very traditional. The hotel was on the beach http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-348387.html After the jungle we planned to head to the coast but as the omens fell we decided not to take the last train east to the coast but instead head West into the mountains were we would do some trekking. A long bus ride and a 40km 4x4 of bumpy road got us to the front gate of Andringitra National Park. Again slammed with entry fees guide and this time even a porter. I know our two young healthy bod http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-346897.html SALAAM My friends and countrymenWe awoke in the misty fog rainforest of Ranamafano not a sound was heard but the slight trickle of the water starved river outside of our bungalow. We hitched a ride to the entrance of the National Park and bought an expensive ticket in and guide to go along. Believe me my penny pinching friends if there was a way to avoid the fees and sneak in like any good youn http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Madagascar/blog-346889.html