Blogs from Tanzania, Africa - page 324

Overlanding Begins Up early to travel to Arusha - our first day on the truck! Yep, it's hot, dirty and dusty but we had a great view sitting near the front. There's about 17 of us on the truck, a mixture of Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians, Yanks and a Chinese girl. Everyone very friendly so we're sure to have a good laugh. Saw lots of Masaai on the way to Arusha, many had cute donkeys in tow and we spotted some wildlife from the truck, including giraffe and ostrich. The towns we travelled through were fascinating! It's hard to believe people live in such tiny tin shacks. Snake Park Arrived at Snake Park and set up the tent for the first time, which only took a few minutes. Had a wander around the Snake Park to ... read more

hey everyone, i know i'm behind with the blog, sorry! (pole!) the internet is tempermental here and we have been super busy. the Nogorongoro Crater: two words - friggin amazing!! safari is probably the most fun i have ever had. it was crazy awesome!! we camped out side the park and drove in early saturday morning. the views are outstanding, very jungling on the way up and then as you descend into the crater you can see the whole interior which is like a large plain with a lake in the middle. within minutes we were in the minute of a zebra herd. we drove right through them as they were hanging out by the road. we were about 3 meters away. the safari landrover is cool, you can stand on the seats while the guide ... read more

Just returned from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam on the early ferry this morning, headed straight for the Zambian high commission for them to stick the visa sticker on my passport.. and am now in the internet cafe waiting for them to complete the arduous task.. I've also received my Malawi visa last friday.. so at least visa is taken care of for the next 2 countries.. will try to get the Namibia and Botswana ones in Lusaka, Zambia.. Malawi Zambia visa cost 25,000Tsh (1USD = 1280 tanzanian shillings).. Will spend another night in Kipepeo Campsite on the south beaches, and will embark for Malawi tomorrow.. spend about 5-6 days there, before crossing the border again to Zambia.. First day on Zanzibar.. took the 10am ferry from Dar to Zanzibar.. took about 2.5hrs.. the ferry ... read more

Today we went back to the Maitumaini School for disabled children to do some filming and give them some gifts we had brought over from Australia. We learnt more about some of the children at the school. One girl, Maria, was badly burnt when her family home was struck by lightening and burst into flames. As a consequence she is now an amputee - losing one leg just above the knee and her right arm below the elbow. Her mother died in the incident, her father two years later. She is now waiting for a prosthetic limb to be made for her at the Matumaini School workshop. Even though they are constructed in-house, prosthetic limbs are expensive costing up to 600 Australian dollars. A brace can cost up to $1,000. The school has to wait ... read more

The Sunday Meeting at Morchimba corps was great. Even though it was extremely loud (they had a generator running the sound system and it seems the only volume here is full blast!), it was a great atmosphere with loads of dancing, clapping and hollering from the ladies! There were several special “acts” - two choirs sang beautifully and some of the children came up and danced. And the whole thing was over in just under three hours!... read more