Tanzania's Finest

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Hello again. A belated happy new year to everyone at home, I'm assuming everyones resolutions of getting in shape have already fallen by the wayside. The last two times I attempted to write a blog the town we were in lost power as I was a few sentences from finishing, so please forgive my tardyness.
First off, we spent New Years Eve in Stone Town, first at a bumping nightclub, followed by an after hours cafe. Without going into too many details, the next day we ran into people we didn't exactly remember meeting, who treated us like good friends. After Stone Town it was off to idyllic Kendwa beach. This beach resembles paradise, and the atmosphere didn't disappoint. Days were spent lounging on the beach, snorkelling, reading, and playing beach volleyball; nights were spent jamming with some bongos around a campfire, and playing drinking games with beautiful Swedish women. We would have spent far more than 8 days there, but being high season, it was well over our budget. From Zanzibar we headed back to Dar es Salaam for 4 nights. My first day there was spent searching for an adequate clinic or hospital, because I had some serious throat pain. Dealing with the public healthcare system in Tanzania was an adventure, however I managed to obtain antibiotics and am now pain free. I also encountered a little foreign exchange fraud, which meant spending another two hours making a police statement that most likely will not result in any long term jail sentences for the suspects. All part of the experience.
After confirming the dates of our Kilimanjaro climb, we then headed to a little known region of northern Tanzania known as the Usambara mountain range. This glorious region consisted of small villages situated on ridges, surrounded by lush rolling hills. We did day hikes, some camping, and finished at our favorite guest house of the trip. For under 7 dollars a day, we received accomodation, breakfast, warm buckets of water with homemade soap, and a feast delivered to our sitting area for dinner. The owner was well-spoken and a great source of tourist information. His offer of putting us up while we volunteered at the neighbouring secondary school is something we are both considering.
A 12 hour bus ride later, and I was in Arusha, the safari capital of East Africa. My bus driver warned me to watch my pockets, and as I walked from the bus depot I had no fewer than 8 touts tugging at my bag offering me safari's, climbs, accomodation, even drugs. I had made the trip to Arusha to meet up with family friends from home, Bill and Richard Weymark. After a 3 course meal in their hotel, sending a picture of the three of us to my mother to ensure I was alive and well, and a few beers, I returned to my guest house with sporadic electricity and no running water. Needless to say, our travel experiences have been rather different.
Tomorrow we start our climb of Kilimanjaro. Both Will and I are pretty nervous, but excited, and as prepared as ever. Hopefully I will talk to you next after ascending to the highest point in Africa. Much love,
-Graham

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