Blogs from Tanzania, Africa - page 388

This is installment #2 of 3 in my vacation series… sorry for being long-winded.........and for subjecting you to the workings of my quirky mind ACT 1: UNACCEPTABLE!!! Setting: The Fasaha (aka, the “Unacceptable Bus”) Characters: *The Driver: Sporting a large bandage protruding about 2” from his forehead, enjoys indiscriminate usage of the Bus Horn *The Bus Horn: Yes it deserves front billing - it is polyphonic and very loud (cacophony ensuing from 5 little buttons)*The Chicken-in-a-Bag: Rather gloomily resigned to his fate *The Touts: Not overly understanding of the word HAPANA (NO)*Mr. Fragrance: Does not understand concept of personal space 5:45am: Laden with our backpacks and a large box of water (eight 1.5 L bottles of Kilimanjaro left from safari), we struggle down the stairs to catch the ... read more

Countdown to Holidays is officially at ONE!!! Here's my itinerary: Saturday, May 7 - Leave on bus for Arusha (yucky washrooms thus will not be drinking any fluids until arrival). Let’s all hope that the bus will have a/c this time Sunday, May 8 - Relax in Arusha, visit with old roommate, enjoy COOLER weather! Monday, May 9 - FIVE day safari in Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Ngorogoro Crater... hopefully including some chasing of giraffes and/or flamingos (no, not outside of the car, there are lions you know...) Friday, May 13 - End of safari… sigh…... (hear animals rejoicing in background) Saturday/Sunday, May 14/15 - More relaxation in Arusha (safari-ing is tough work). Maybe check out that BBQ place that masquerades as an auto-shop by day? Sunday/Monday, May 15/16 - Leave for Lushoto, a picturesque little ... read more

Wow...I don't know how else to describe this town. Old, centuries old architecture, Islamic Arab influence ingrained with a mix of Indian and East African (Swahili) heritage, preserved on an island untouched by modernization yet preserved in its time. One could only imagine what bustling business occurred in this town centuries ago, for this sea faring island reeks of history from many cultures past and is infused in its present form. The Persians, Arabs, Portuguese, and Omanis have all touched this area. However, thanks to the Aga Khan trust for culture, the buildings and streets are being preserved and maintained. Must do's in Zanzibar? For sure, staying at the Zanzibar Serena Inn, or even having lunch there (make sure to order the Swahili mix). Also, the Emerson & Green hotel has a beautiful rooftop restaurant. Make ... read more

Happy Easter! I have just returned to Dar es Salaam after a nice 5 day vacation in sunny, sandy, beautiful Zanzibar. As always, life in Africa is full of mini-adventures, and many amusing moments (at least in retrospect). Zanzibar is known as the fabled spice island and is accessible by either 1.5 hour ferry or 20 minute flight from Dar. Deciding to get some good photo ops, Sean (new traveling partner, roommate-to-be, patient listener of many rants...) and I took the ferry on Thursday morning. After leaving him to sleep off the remnants of a very productive night (I chose to languish in the bubble, he was not so prudent), I spent the ferry ride outside chatting with a missionary and his ex-wrestler friend (Nikita?). Interesting fellow… never knew missionaries had such a good income? Upon ... read more

After spending almost a month in TZ, I have had the opportunity to make a few interesting observations about local food and exactly how to eat. Starches So the basic starches here are wali (rice), chipsi (soggy french fries) and ugali (stiff porridge). I have tried to steer cleer of the chipsi as they tend to sit out in the open for a quite a long time, only to be re-fried upon ordering. Apparently they make some sort of "spanish omelette" (use term very loosely) out of eggs and chipsi - grease quotient = very high. After some adjustment, I must admit that I am quite fond of the wali. It may be a tad oily (grease quotient = fair to moderate) and may also contain some crunchy bits (mantra = it's a rock, it won't ... read more