Blogs from Tanzania, Africa - page 18

The little boys sprint over from the soccer field when they see me carrying empty buckets. They fight for their chance to carry my water, knowing there'll be a treat involved. Fifteen minutes later, seven children in tattered sweaters with huge smiles come into my courtyard carrying buckets full of precious water. Dry season is sneaking in and my gutters are dry. These little boys get lucky; I have a plethora of avocados and hand each of them half of one in addition to the normal allotment of 3 jelly beans. Their huge smiles bring me joy knowing there will be something in their tummies. I close the courtyard door and go inside to cook lunch. Half an hour later I open my back door. The courtyard is open, solar panel turned upside down, and ... read more

A long time ago, I was on a date with a guy teaching me to drive his Jeep on the beach. He asked me if I wanted to do donuts. The sand and water we were flinging off the tires felt wild and adventurous, but I hesitated. “I feel like I’m going to flip it!” I sang, in awe of the general experience. “Nah,” he said, “You’d feel gravity shift.” I’d feel gravity shift. The memory came rushing back as the minibus swerved across the highway with a nauseating lean to one side. It wasn’t like that feeling of dropping, or even of inertia. The feeling was a sickening sideways tummy-tumble that let you know you’d be going home in a flag-draped coffin had you not strapped in. This time, the driver, who may ... read more

One could foresee that our journey was coming to its conclusion. On our last day in Nungwi, at Makofi's, I actually shaved. I had not shaved since mid November, a week or so before we embarked. Oh I had trimmed my beard once every couple of weeks, but standing outside the shower area, ankle deep in white sand with the temperature hovering in the mid to high thirties, I pulled out my trusty Mac 3 and proceeded to prepare myself for a return to... what? I do not want to call it 'civilization' as Africa has its own form of civilization that, in just as many ways that we perceive it as behind us, it has also leapt far ahead of us as well. It was simply a sign that change was in the offing.... we ... read more

On the first of February, we packed up and left Diani beach, taking a short cab ride down the coast. Thirteen km. south and the topography had changed dramatically. The modern paved road had degenerated into a pot holed trail of dirt and dust. Every few minutes we would pass a gated entry to some large resort, but the hustle and bustle of Diani beach had disappeared into a quiet remoteness. We pulled into our resort, the Kinondo Poa, and were greeted by a manager in pressed black pants and a formal, buttoned white shirt. The resort consisted of seven structures - a bar/restaurant sitting beside the pool, a cookhouse, a large mansion like building where the owner lived and the manager had his office, and four guest houses. Each guest house was split - like ... read more

Monday 5 February - Day 8: Barafu Camp (4640m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m) & down to Millennium Camp (3790m) Several of us had a couple of hours sleep (me) and some had no sleep (Adam). We were woken by the waiter and so dressed very quickly. Most of us had the majority of our clothes on as we slept in them. All I had to do was to put my snow pants on. We were given hot water to wash our faces. Fortunately, we didn’t have to pack our tent up which was one less thing to do. We knew we would be back for brunch. We all met in the tent to have our hearty breakfast – porridge, coffee or milo, egg pancakes and fruit. There was certainly a buzz amongst us. We got ourselves ... read more