Arusha, Tanzania: (Day 16) Dec-26-2013

Happy Boxing Day.  It's 7:45 am and we are en route to Arusha.  We have been on the road for just under 2 hours and should arrive by 1, making for a 'short' day of traveling-only 7 hours.  I woke up sharply at 5:00 when Debby knocked on my door.  She asked if she could use the shower as hers and Vincent had no water pressure.  I said sure.  I packed up my  'completely unpacked' overnight bag and got dressed for the day.  It was a little chilly here in Lushoto and expect it to be similar in Arusha...though much colder within the Ngorongoro Crater due to its high altitude.  Breakfast at 5:30 and on the road by 6:00.

Today we are arriving at camp just outside Arusha around 1:00 and making lunch for ourselves.  Afterwards we are taking a tour of a local Maasai Village, which also has a snake park.  I'm not sure what to expect, but am excited nonetheless.

I have been thinking a lot about my round the world (RTW) trip over the last several weeks--actually for the last 1-2 years really.  Over the past 2 hours I have been driving myself crazy with thoughts/ideas so I figured I would try to capture some of them in hopes of clearing my mind.

I plan to travel the world for ~12 months.  I would like to go to South America where I can hike Machu Picchu and Patagonia.  Depending on budget I may consider Easter Island.  It goes without saying that every other mainland country will be visited.  Maybe I start my trip going through the national parks here in the US and drive down through Mexico and take busses and trains through South America.  This way I can start my ticket in South America.  Another destination would be Southern India--I've seen a lot of the North and would like to see more, but I may revisit the Northern portion...cost/day is so low here and could probably be budgeted <$50/day for two people for hotel and food....but $25 is also very possible.  Eastern Europe is also a destination I would like to visit.  The unique cultures, ease of traveling within, and central access makes it high on my list.  Western Europe bores me, so I'll visit there when I am older and just want to take a short 2-3 week trip.  Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed Ireland, and London wasn't horrible, but I just feel the US offers more 'diversity' within it's own 50 states than does Western Europe...or least it's not too far off.  I am not a fan of going to "see stuff" so the appeal of the ruins in Greece just does not excite me too much.  Plus I have already been inside the Pantheon and the Parthenon (if you count the perfect recreation in Nashville, TN).  However, I am very excited to Visit Amsterdam next week.  Everyone I have met from the Netherlands seems to possess certain distinguishing characteristics that I really appreciate.  They are light spirited, quirky, educated, sarcastic, goofy, and just plain old fun.  I have a very strong personality so I can pick up fairly easily on if someone wants nothing to do with me.  The dutch people I have met while traveling are not as eager to 'prevent rocking the boat' as many other cultures and this is important to me.  They tend to speak their minds, a quality that is useless in the others as their minds are mostly empty.

Eastern Europe has a different feel and the foreignness of it intrigues me.  I would like to then venture into Russia and travel around for a while.  Russian culture is so beautiful and I have immense respect for their people (nudge, nudge, Ayn Rand).  A country that values science and art to the fullest.  A country where a young male child can practice gymnastics and ballet while not getting picked on has some true merit.  The contributions to the Maths and Sciences brought by the Russians goes largely unparalleled.  Do you think America would ever be proud of their strong chess competition leagues?  Not a chance.  I wont go into the specifics of the types of achievements but just turn on your iPod and listen to you favorite classical music--I'm willing to bet there is quite a bit of Russian influence within your playlist.  I sometimes wonder about WW2 and the cold war.  Why don't we share our victory with Russia, because without the eastern front there could have been a completely different outcome.  Also I really find it comical about our reaction that caused the disaster at the Bay of Pigs.  But seeing as JFK has been recorded as the Country's worst President, perhaps it was just his doing?  If you haven't already seen Stanley Kubrik's "Doctor Strangelove" do yourselves a favor and watch it.  It does a great job portraying how ridiculous things were during the Cold War.  It was such a great time in history that--for the large part--was a time of peace and scientific innovations marching along at an unprecedented rate.  My heart almost goes out to Russia a little bit.  I mean Russia has NEVER used a single nuclear bomb as a defensive nor offensive instrument.  We used two bombs.  Which country to you think was/is more affair of the other using nuclear warfare?

I would like to take the Trans Siberian/Mongolian Railway through Mongolia to Beijing.  I know that it is a 4 day journey and runs around $500 per traveler.  There are 4 people per train cabin and we remain on the train for the entire 4 days--sometimes given 5-60 minutes to get out at stops and breath some fresh air.  Also, there are no showers.  4 days without showers...ha, that's child's play.  I've done close to that in the heat of an African summer while traveling in a non-air-conditioned bus--I think I can handle the train.  I know that I will need to get my visas for all thee countries--Mongolia and China potentially being much more difficult.  Similarly to Vietnam these countries require the visa to have a stated entry and exit date.  If something happened and I arrived in China a day early, they wouldn't let me in.  Same goes about leaving--one cannot even leave before the stated date.  These rules may have become more relaxed, but either way it is a hard restriction on individuals such as myself who wish to backpack through with no set itinerary.

I would like to see some large cities in China as well as the rural areas.  I have reasons for both but I will try to stay focused on my passage (yeah, I meant the double entendre.

From China the logical path would be downwards to Indochina.  I would like to hit up Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand again (however I would be perfectly fine with skipping over Bangkok).  I've been there a couple times for too many days and there really isn't anything else I would want to see.

From here I would go to a few Thai islands, likely work in a hostel or bungalow cleaning and doing yard work, maintenance for free food and stay.  This sort of arrangement is very common.  I figured a beach may be a good place to unwind for a couple weeks.  I could catch up on emails, follow up on my job prospects, take some preliminary and 1st round interviews via phone, etc.  Maybe freelance some of my consulting, or VBA/model building back in the states for a week to raise some money.

From Thailand I would finish off with the obvious (Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Fuji, etc.)  Maybe onwards to Australia/New Zealand, but I don't have a huge motivation to visit...not yet.

My planning has been pretty basic thus far.  I have been working out the logistics mostly.  I would sell my car prior to leaving and that would probably be one of the last things I had to sell.  I would sell/donate my bed before and just use a blow up mattress until I left.  I would sell all my other large furniture.  I would probably sell my TVs, speakers, and everything else that can easily be repurchased.  It should be fairly easy to determine which items I will keep and put into storage and which items I will sell.  I will assume, just for this exercise, that everything I have now I will have also have/get once I return.  Thus if the item has a positive NPV I will keep it and if it has a negative NPV I will sell/donate it.  I know the fixed costs will be moving truck and storage rental for 12 months.  As the number of items I have increases these costs go up, but only slightly.  When I return I am not sure where I will take a job.  Moving these items, which are currently in storage, to my new location will vary greatly depending on distance and number/size of storage.  Thus, this is simply an unknown risk I will build into my model.  I will assume I will move within 1500 miles, and I will add upside risk if I take a job overseas and downside risk if I move locally.  I will take the current value of an item, let's say a TV for example, and see how much I can sell it for.  I have enough forecasting experience to be able to project (with a fair amount certainty) how much a NEW TV will cost 1-2 years later.  However, if I would likely buy a used TV as that is the current condition of my TV now.  Thus, selling the TV is the rational thing to do.  Hard to attain items would be given a premium, as would discontinued items.  Then there are things like decorations, which I've accumulated over the years.  These have memories attached to them and I quite like them.  Also, these types of items are small, easy to store at a friend's/family's house.  I'm not sure what I will do with my elliptical though?  Shit!  Plates, dishes, pots, pans, silverware?  Not quite sure?  Would be nice to start over with few pieces.  I would like to save the inside greenhouse I made, but it is sort of bulky.  I will sell it if I can capture at least $300 for it, but I think it's worth closer to $400.

OK SORRY, I KNOW THAT WAS ALOT, BUT I REALY NEEDED TO GET THIS OUT:  Things I will bring with me on my trip.  I will bring 2 pants, 2 shorts, 3 t-shirts and 3 long sleeved shirts.  I'll probably bring thermal underwear/long-t and a light fleece.  I will pick up stuff as I need it.  I've been doing this type of thing a lot so I'm fairly certain I know what I'll need.  I will probably bring my current macbook air.  I'll be able to manage, sort, tag, and post-process my RAWs during the long travel rides I will likely have.  I will have movies, music, and ebooks for entertainment as well.  Depending on the feedback from this blog I may continue keep one.  I was actually thinking of making it a bit more dynamic and building in some features that would allow me to generate a small amount of income to help fund the trip.  Some ideas include, "A small monthly fee to subscribe to the blog...if you don't pay you can't read it", "Provide the blog for free but upload completed and pre-selected photos and charge a nominal fee to view the photos", "Or I could just ask for a donation of $0.25 every time someone read anything in my blog".  In efforts to get more people involved in the blog and to make it more of a back-and-forth experience (as opposed to my just lecturing and you just reading) I could have polls or auctions.  For example I could say, "Next week I'm considering going to A.) place a, B.) place b, .....N.) place n.  I could have people pay $1 to be able to vote where I should go.  Or I could have an auction and the single person that bids the most on a given destination will 'win' and I will go there.  The 'winner' could tell me what they want to see in particular

Here are some examples of how I see it playing out:  Maybe my Grandfather, Papa Gibby, has always wanted to see the TGIF in Moscow--and say he always wanted to know the year it was built and by whom.  He could bid $25 and if he bids the highest I would go to Moscow and use my researching skills to find out the details.  I can take detailed photos/videos and any other relevant information.  I would then incorporate that portion into the blog.  It is sort of a mashup of "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?", those 'choose your ending' type books, eBay, Charity, and give you a great chance to Live vicariously via me.  You would be directly impacting the direction of my journey.  The butterfly effect would be enormous.  I am just brainstorming, I would love to hear input.  I like this idea, but I've also been told to just start a blog with many pictures and flood it with adds...but I don't want to do that.

So now that I just ranted on some schemes to raise funds en route I have to touch upon how I will manage to afford the trip before going on it.  I have more than enough money saved in 401k, Traditional/Roth IRAs, and a couple taxable brokerage accounts.  I even have a 519 College Savings Plan for my children who don't even exist yet.  Saving is a drug to me...so even though I can 'afford' to take many years off and travel there is a huge associated cost.  The opportunity cost is the largest.  I would have to sacrifice 1-1.5 years of salary, bonuses, and benefits.  I would have to build a robust dynamic  model to track my budget once I started my trip, but a loose starting point that I think is fair would be $25,000 for myself and $45,000 (if I travel with a partner) for 12 months.  Pretty damn cheap for a year, huh?  I will have to put aside $5,000 for my college loans that I will owe, though I may be able to put them on hold if I say I am 'out of work'....more on this at a later time.

Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Just got off the bus to take a bush toilet break and to snap a few photos of Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance.  Tabby says were less than 100km away.

I just listened to Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror' and it has inspired me so much.  I can't even put into words, but listening to the song while being in Africa has really left its mark on me.

We arrived at our camp around 1:00.  I decided to upgrade and got a bedroom with two twin beds...but I will be sleeping in the room alone.  They had asked $45 dollars but I negotiated down to $20.  The room has its own shower so it was worth it to me.  It's funny because I am paying less than the accommodated people since they paid in advance and in full, I am negotiating when I can and staying in tents when I cannot.  Lunch was at 1:30pm.  Lunch meat and lettuce, salad, and shredded cheese for sandwiches.  We left at 2:20pm and went to a shoprite so we could get snacks for the Serengeti.  I'm so annoyed with how often we have to stop.  These families are the least outdoorsy people ever.  I overhear a few discussing how they will split up tasks while at the market.  For Jesus Sakes...we're being supplied water and 3 meals a day while we're gone...these people are starting to get out of my nerves.  I'm glad my trip is coming to an end.  I have one night here in our campsite just outside Arusha, Ndoro.  Then we have three nights in the Serengeti/Ngorongoro and one last night back here in Ndoro.  We then drive to Nairobi where I will be staying one more night and I fly out to Amsterdam the next evening--late.

Our Campsite in Ndoro, Tanzania

After shoprite we stopped at a shopping mall so a few people could look at some tanzanite.  It was overpriced, but everyone was like "Oh, wow, I have to get it".  I tried to explain to a few why it's not in the best interest of the shop owner to be honest with you and used another product as a comparison--they had carved wooden coasters and were asking $35 for them.  In the Mzuzu Market they would have sold it to me for $5.

It's 4:43 (almost two and a half hour after we left) and we still haven't gotten to where we are supposed to be--a Maasai Museum and a snake park.

6:30 now and we're back on our truck  The snake park and Maasai museum were shockingly really enjoyable.  First the snake park.  We saw a variety of crocs and snakes.  There  was a turtle what that was 100+ years old.  I even got to hold a baby crocodile.  I went ahead of the group while they were staring at dozens of snakes that all looked the same and enjoyed a 22oz of Castle Milk Stout.  It was a nice change of pace from the typical adjunct lager I have been drinking the preceding evenings.

Holding a Baby Croc at a Snake Park near Arusha, Tanzania

Next we went to the attached Maasai Museum, which I found very interesting.  I was asking questions and was really enjoying myself.  A few others asked some questions--they only had a few.  Many of my fellow travelers are brainless brainless sheep.  Debby, Vincent, and Cara where in back and couldn't hear anything the Maasai guide was saying.  I was the only person to tip the guide.  Afterwards, just outside where the museum let out, was a trinket shop.  I had wanted to buy a few items--I had bargained down one of the vendors.  I heard a few of the others telling me we had to leave "now".  I looked for the Germans, the only ones remaining, and we walked out of the shops.  She had said, "we've had such a boring day and when something finally gets interesting we have to go".  I told her I was happy to stay along with her and to "screw the others" but we just decided to head back towards to bus.  As I walked on the bus (probably within 2-3 minutes after the others) a few had commented about me being late--or something that hadn't needed to be said.  I said, I have been bored all day and I find nothing wrong with me staying a few minutes at something that was genuinely interesting.  This pretentious Aussie girl (I'll leave her name out for her sake) makes a snide remark about something irrelevant to the matter.  Something like, "you should have been listening, but you were too busy going ahead and getting your beer".  I wanted to call her a stupid twat, but I didn't.  I was actually getting a beer with Godfrey "OUR TOUR GUIDE" and the one giving us instructions.  He wasn't drinking but he had a Krest with me.  She was just trying to be the pretentious little girl she was.  If you've ever seen South Park think of the College-Know-it-all Hippie...that's her...just not a hippie.  After 1 or 2 years of school and she thinks she knew it all.  I'm sure I thought the same thing, and still do, but to be fair I have her easily beat in the IQ department by no less than 2 standard deviations.

I fear I might develop foot and mouth disease, that is, traveling with all these sheep.  I told that girl, "thanks for looking out for me babe, but as you may need someone to tell you what to do, where to go, and what to think I got myself covered".

The Maasai people are so interesting.  I have asked Godfrey about being able to try a typical Maasai meal and he said it can me arranged, but may cost me a bit.  They eat solely the meat from their chickens/goats (not cows), and the milk/blood from their cattle.  Beef and bloody milk...count me in!

It's just before 7, and we still probably have another 45 minutes until we arrive back to camp.  I just asked Godfrey and he told me, "I don't know, it depends on traffic".

I'll enjoy a meal and watching a movie tonight by myself tonight.

Lushoto, Tanzania: (Day 15) Dec-25-2013

Merry Christmas...I guess?  I'm riding on the truck towards Lushoto through Dar es Salaam.  I am listening to the first bit of music since I set 'voyage' 19 days ago.  First song--John The Revelator, by Gov't Mule.  Such an amazing song and quite appropriate for Christmas.  Today has been the worst Christmas I've ever had, probably.

Knock, knock, knock--my day started when Vincent had knocked on my door at 5 of 6:00am.  He had thought about me while everyone was at breakfast (at 5:30) and I was not there.  I was in fact still sleeping (1st mistake).  I must have pushed my alarms off my bed during the night and slept through their muffled sounds.  I got dressed and repacked my entire sack in under 5 minutes.  I got to breakfast at 6:10 and scarfed down some food (2nd mistake) and by 6:15 I was on my way to reception where we were set to depart at 6:20.  I arrived at reception sharply at 6:20, dropped off my $30 replacement key and loaded onto our shuttle van.

We arrived at the ferry in no time and we made it past security quickly.  Since we were early we had our pick of seats.  Some sat outside on the front deck, I sat beside Vincent and Deb in the front of the middle deck--this way we had more room to put our stuff.  It was a slight pain as many people were using this front aisle to move across the boat.

One of the Jason Bourne movies was on prior to departure, but once the ship had left they changed the programming to the safety video.  I had no clue what was being said since it was in Swahili, but they did have some pictures which helped.  However I am pretty sure some of the pictures were indicating not to play cards, not to spit, and not to kick small children?  Perhaps they should have used more informative pictures?

At this point I started writing in this blog, I had to catch up from yesterday...I'm writing portion of my blog on the truck drive over to Lushoto, Tanzania now and it's about 2:45pm.  Charlie Chaplin is playing on the TVs now.  The family next to me--a married muslim family with 2-3 children--were laughing hysterically.  The irony of a boat filled with muslims traveling on Christmas watching and enjoying Charlie Chaplin made me ponder a bit before returning to my writing/ranting.

I knew the a/c was on but the rate at which I was sweating was increasing and I knew something was up.  Although I haven't had my period in 27 years I was still able to successfully rule out hot flashes.  I self-diagnosed myself as being dehydrated--I had not drank much water the previous day.  I drank some water but became increasingly hot.  Soon enough I began to feel a little headachy...and a bit more...and more.  I got up and went outside and sat on the step in the front deck, which helped only a tad.  I came back to my chair to told Vincent and Debby I wasn't feeling well and that I was going to go out back on the side of the boat and maybe the restroom.  Of the remaining 2 hours I had probably spend ~80 minutes here.

I think it's paramount to state that for the last 2 days  all scuba, snorkeling, and offshore excursions have been canceled due to poor ocean conditions--stormy conditions.  I'll put things this way...the ocean was not nearly as smooth as my way the the ladies ;).  The waves tossed the boat from side to side, huge sprays of water crashed overboard soaking people (and me along the way) from shoulder to toe.  Now this is some feat provided this boat is a multiple level catamaran large enough to carry hundreds and hundreds of passengers--maybe thousands.  I was switching off between crouching down with my head on the metal railing and standing semi-erect (in posture you pervs) staring at the horizon.  I could not manage to stand straight up since I felt too exposed and that feeling somehow made me feel worse.

I managed to keep myself 'semi' calm for 40-60 minutes, but I eventually said, 'FUCK IT' I have nothing to prove and just leaned over and tried to throw up.  I had a few mostly dry-heaves and then moved to the back of the ship for better 'positioning'.  Over the side was a bad idea as we were moving quite fast any projected stomach contents would travel backwards and likely back onto the boat.  I got one good hurl over the back of the boat.  At this point a man dressed in all black and a fez hat handed me a sick bag and pointed me in the direction of the bathroom.  I forced myself to throw up one last time before cleaning my face and rinsing out my mouth.  I stayed by the side of the boat for the remainder of the voyage.  The side-to-side rocking of this ship was unrelenting.  Marcia also joined me--She was feeling increasingly sick, but I don't believe she threw up.  I needed to get back to my seat prior to out embarking since I had my tablet and camera exposed alongside my day-sack.

As we disembarked the new German girl had also said she had thrown up and felt like shit.  People all over the place were throwing up and you couldn't go a minute without the sounds of a person's stomach emptying.  I did some quick thinking and figured it was better to not take another Doxy (malaria prophylaxis) at the risk of further upsetting my stomach.  Next time I travel in such turbulent ocean conditions I will take my motion sickness medicine more than 1 minute prior to departure.

Godfrey Moving Between The Truck's Cabin and Front, en route to Lushoto, Tanzania

We disembarked and found our way to our truck--Tabby had left last night to get the truck ready for us.  I was feeling awful and continued to feel as such for the next 4 or so hours.  I knew I was dehydrated and I had just thrown-up all my morning's food/water.  For the first time ever I was able to use a package containing O.R.S. (oral rehydration salts).  The taste was nasty, so I waisted till the truck had stopped and chugged 200 ml several times until the half liter was gone.  I slowly began to feel better, but this was also thanks to the several stops we made for snacks and the chocolate milk I had.  Our first stop for food was unsuccessful since both places at the mall were closed due to Christmas.  The next place we stopped was open.  We needed to get snacks for the day since we were driving straight through till we got to camp at around 7:30-8pm, depending on road conditions.

Marcia and her Henna, en route to Lushoto, Tanzania

There were not many food options at the shop.  I bought chocolate milk, 3 small packets of Oreos (2 packs which have already been eating), 10 prepackaged plums, a Snickers bar, and some local beef jerky which goes by another name.  All this came out to under 12,000 shillings ($8).  They couldn't make correct change so they rounded to the nearest 200 shillings, which is like 7 us cents.  Kind of makes the States look ridiculous considering we have the penny--and a penny for us is much less than 7 cents for someone living in Tanzania.  Australia has a 5 cent piece, but they have just decided to stop using it.  The EU also rounds to the nearest 5 euro cent as well.  I think it's probably a good idea is to buy as many as pennies as possible and hold onto them and later melt them down and sell the raw metal.  I will have to look into the futures market on zinc (that's that I believe is in the center of the penny).  I believe the penny is copper plated (perhaps electroplated) and not cladded...but I'm not 100% sure.  I do know that cooper makes up much less than 10% of the entire coin by weight (and likely volume).  But I digress.

I have taken a Xanax and a half, which equates to 0.75mg--after 3 hours I feel almost no effects.  I took another 1/4 of a pill so I would max out at 1mg (I later discover is still a relatively low dose).  Since the time to peak plasma is short, AKA a short half-life,  the effective dose will only be a 1/2 mg.  I probably need at least 1 mg to be used as a sleeping aid.  Anything lower just calms me down...like having several beers.  Oh well, lesson learned.

We still have 3-4 hours on this truck.  We've been spoiled in Zanzibar and now we have two long days driving day, back-to-back.  Tomorrow drive from Lushoto to Arusha.  Arusha is a city that is a major meeting spot for travelers and backpackers alike that are en route to/from safari.  I think of it as the Bangkok of Asia and the Amsterdam of Europe.

The day after tomorrow we leave for the Serengeti for a two day night stay within the park followed by a one-night stay at the Ngorongoro Crater.

Oh, about the cost of dinner last night.  The octopus tentacle, blue marlin, and garlic naan was 6,000 shilling (~$4USD).  He had quoted something like 9,000.  I said 6,000 and he laughed.  He said sorry not enough, how about 8,500.  I was not in the mood for this game of back and forth and I also knew someone in my position had the upper hand--I was a buyer of a non-differentiated product within a perfectly-competitive market.  I said 6,000 one last time and walked away.  He said ok ok, 7,000.  I looked over my shoulder and said, thanks for your time, but I gave you my only offer, have a good evening.  Three strides more and he was screaming, "ok, ok, for you 6,000",  I turned back, said, "thank you", and waited as he reheated my meal.  He also gave me some hot chili and a cucumber as a side.  Of course I did this for all the other foods I tried--though I often started at a very very low price just to see the lowest price point at which I could get the supplier to bite.  This was the 'field research' I conducted prior to making my final purchase.

My constant bargaining may come across as cheap, but I assure you it is not.  Tourists get charged more for the same product as do locals and this is simple price gouging.  Also, if I would refrain from negotiating I could easily be spending $3-$5 more per day.  This may seem like a pittance to a common American, but part of the traveling experience is to experience the cultures you visit.  People in many parts of the world simply cannot throw money around because they have so much of it.  If I can't negotiate the price down enough to a budget I have deemed reasonable then I should go without the purchase...it's what the locals would have done.  One last thing, the longer one travels the more important negotiating becomes.

Some Thoughts:

This trip has inspired me to make more of my life.  And I mean that multidimensionally.  I have grown complacent with just existed and have forgotten what it means to really 'live'.  There is so much out there and I just waste so much of my life inside with the TV on, or relaxing.  There is an entire music scene that I'm missing out on.  So many people out there that I haven't yet meet.  I get used to spending my time with my girlfriend and my close friends.  None of this is bad, but it's becoming an issue as I'm not going out and living and experiencing 'life' the way I want to..  I am happy to do these things with my friends, but it has become just TOO east to say, "why don't we just go to the local bar", or "why don't we just hang out here".  I'm really going to force myself to get out and see/do/try more.  I would like to backpack a bit more up the east coast during long weekends.  What's so hard about leaving my home on a sunday evening to driving out to a field with a bottle of wine paired with nice cheese while watching the sunset and listening to nature?  Why have I become complacent to the extent that staying in on a sunday is not just acceptable, but preferred?  There is so much out there and 80% of it is free, or at least super affordable.

Traveling for me is not about seeing things, it's about forcing one to reassess one's values.  What does it mean to be important, happy, valuable...?  What really makes us happy?  Is that sustainable or does it require a significant time investment to keep up with the trends to remain happy.  Case in point--following new technology trends in TV so we can buy brighter, flatter, larger, smarter TVs when they are available.  If we were truly happy with the initial TV then no future TV technological advancement should matter.  BUT IT DOES MATTER...but why?  It's because once we know there is something better and we have the potential to attain it we save and buy it.  Then we are 'happy'.  But are we any happier than when we were after that initial TV purchase?  No we are NOT.  It's the same.  It's that the novelty of the initial TV purchase has been lost as we have switched our focus onto some other gadget, clothing trend, new perfume, new TV series.  During the week we look forward to the weekends because we don't 'enjoy' our work. And on weekends many people enjoy not having to do anything in particular since we just don't have work.  This is not the existence I want.  It's not enough for me.  It's petty and quite frankly it is so sad.  We have become diluted to the point where we attain our happiness through objects we can buy or just pass our time without having to work.  Happiness is a state of life, it's a static feeling we have when we realize how lucky we are to be here on earth and can live life.  You get fired from you job, hakuna matata.  You sleep in and miss your Saturday trip to the Italian, hakuna matata.

Hakuna Matata is a an old Swahili phrase, as many know from "Lion King", which essentially means don't worry.  But more so it means something like be peaceful, life's good, calm yourself, no worries, etc..  Next time you are in the market for a new TV, ask yourself, why?  Did you not want the last one you bought but simply couldn't afford the larger one and now you can?  In  that case you shouldn't have bought that initial one if it wouldn't have made you happy.  If you're buying a new one because you can 'afford' it and just 'want' a bigger one then I think you should do some real soul-searching.  Are you no longer happy with what you have?  Do you think you will be happier with a larger one?  Do you consider how much money was wasted in buying that first TV?  Did you know the highest paid people in Southern Africa (barring South Africa) make $1,000 - $1,500 USD a month?  AND are happier than any of us.  We are so well-off we actually die of 'old age'...a concept unheard of in Africa.  Aids and Malaria are the #1 and #2 killers, respectively, in Africa.  We are lucky enough to die from heart disease, and cancer.  With the exception of patients who have heart disease for reasons other than 'old age' (like people who choose to have it by not eating healthy and/or exercising) we actually die from getting old.  In Africa they have disease, drought, can barely feed their families every day (and often don't), yet they are among the happiest people I've ever seen.  Not to be racists but ever notice how African Americans scream and shout during Graduation ceremonies and in the movies?  Yes this is completely uncivilized, but it's oftentimes the 'american white demographic' who get angry--the African Americans are the ones enjoying themselves to the fullest.  We shove charity in their face and we think we're helping and teaching them--perhaps we should actually look inside of ourselves and ask what we can learn from them.

I have used the TV example to illustrate a point, but the same can be said about new designer clothing, houses, cars, etc..  You know how often my own mother tells me my clothing is 'out of fashion'.  I know she means well and I love her to death for it.  But she is not alone, this is how most people see 'our' world.  My clothing is out-dated?  According to whom?  Some TV show, overpaid model or celebrity?  The entire concept of fashion disgusts me.  If something fits, is presentable, comfortable, functional, what is the purpose of fashion?  The western world derives it's purpose of life through buying things---especially in the US.  If something is in fashion one season and completely 'lame' 2 years later doesn't that reflect on the pettiness of the person making the 'fashion' rules.  If fashion is not objectively measurable and is always changing the ONLY driver of such aforementioned fashion dynamics is people's willingness to absorb what other people tell them.  These people soak it up and believe it and are convinced that in order to be happy they need to then buy or practice these new 'fashions'.  Fashions change because corporate designers need to replenish their products with new inventory, otherwise they face entering a perfectly competitive market, which would bring their average retail selling price down--drastically.  Thus, designers come up with new ideas--oftentimes what they actually are is of no importance, it's just important that they are different.  Using ALOT of money they push these new designs through huge marketing investments (e.g. TV commercials, creative and very strategic product placements, and licensing agreements).  They need to convince you that their brand is valuable and popular.  Now they can charge you 5 times the cost of what it actually costs to produce their clothing.  You think it's more valuable because you paid more, you're a fool if you really believe that.  If they are a publicly traded company, and many of the design houses are, read their annual SEC reports.  You'll learn many luxury brands outsource their actual fabrication to the same factories that make the clothing for Gap and other lower priced brands.  However your $220 pair of Theory pants did cost ALOT more money than those $50 pair of gap pants.  But here is the fucking kicker.  Of the $220 you paid for those pants, $70 just goes to pay for the marketing they had to buy to build their brand name.  Gap maybe spent $5 on marketing.  So now how you have a $45 (Gap) versus $ (Designer).  Since Gap is a larger company they benefit from economies of scale so their cost of material is cheaper as is their labor compared to a smaller company such as Theory.  So you are convinced the theory pants are over 4 times ($220/$50) 'better' than those pair of Gap pants but in actuality the pants are at best 2 times 'better'.  And compared to Banana Republic the Theory pants are only marginally better, with minimally-superior fabric--but maybe the fabric/stitching is 10-20 dollars more expensive, but you end up paying $100 + more because you 'believe' its 'much' better and thus it will make you more happy?

I aspire to live in a the smallest house possible.  I find house purchases an interesting concept.  I understand if money is of no concern, but if that were the case I would want to 'give' my money to my family and friends because I love them and they deserve it ALMOST as much as anyone else.  Not all the money, but wages are fucked up in my country and people doing very hard work are underpaid while you have near-brain-dead morons (think today's music scene, TV reality shows, and athletes) that make ungodly amounts of money for something EVERYONE can do.  And at least 10,000 can do almost as well but don't have the same luck

Ok, I'm done ranting because I'm just getting worked up and probably irritating many people, but I DO hope you think about the next purchase you make.  Please ask yourself, "why am I buying this, do I need or want this.  Do I have anything else that is similar to this and if so why do want this one over that?"

Even if you have the money to buy it, it's not a matter of affordability--it is the parasitic nature of having to buy to be happy and feel fulfilled in life.  I really do pity these people.

ONE LAST IMPORTANT NOTE:  I am not targeting any one person here, I am speaking about western culture (American, more specifically) at an abstract level so there is no reason to take offense.  It's 5:05 now and I'm going to chill a bit.

We didn't arrive at our camp in Lushoto until 8:00.  I upgraded to a hotel room for only $10, hard to pass up.  In this room I had a shower...though I had to take a cold shower.  We have wifi here but I have to sit outside near the bar in order to get signal.

We ate a late dinner--9:30pm--and finished at 10:30.  I cleaned the dishes and put them away, it's been a while since I've helped out.  For dinner we had grilled chicken, sausage, potatoes, grilled veggies, and gravy.  It was quite the feast.  Now I'm sitting outside writing and talking with the new German couple.  It's about 11:15 and I'm about to get to bed.  Goodnight!

Stone Town, Zanzibar: (Day 14) Dec-24-2013

Debby Makes A Silly Face During Our Ride to Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

I woke up early, again--7:00.  I sat beach-side waiting for breakfast to open at 7:30.  After re-packing my bag and settling my tab with reception I joined the others on the bus.  We were on our way to Stone Town by and were trying to be on the road by 10:00am.  After a 1-2 hour ride we should be able to check in at our rooms and take tour of Stone Town.

Hotel in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

We got dropped off at our hotels and about half of us decided to take the Stone Tour tour.  We met in front of our hotel only 5 minutes after getting to our rooms.  The hotel was very interesting.  It was built on a hill and there were these long catwalks that went every-which way--all supported by tall wooden stilts.  Our hotel was on the beach, though I never went down to the water.  The pathways were quite extensive, going from my room to the bar/restaurant and back again took no less than 10 or 15 minutes and involved a series of 60-80 steps, each way.  My room had a/c, a fan, many power outlets, a clean bathroom, a king sized clean bed, a TV, and a patio deck.  This was by far the nicest place I've stayed in over the last 3 weeks.  The rooms were $63 dollars apiece, but Nomad gets a 'heavily reduced' rate.

The Market in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

The tour started after a short ride from our hotel, The Ocean Side Hotel, when we were dropped off around the corner from the fish market.  The smell was unavoidable.  The first thing that I had noticed was the how everyone was dressed.  Long story short, very religious (Muslim).

Fish Market in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

The people didn't seem as eager to see us, however the others in the group didn't seem to notice/agree.  Perhaps I got this feeling because we were largely ignored--the locals were just conducting business at the market and seemed to have no interest in tourists.

A Beautiful Door in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

We walked through the market and through some famous parts in Stone Town--The slave trade building, the only 2 churches in the city, and a few other places I can't recall.

What I enjoyed the most was getting the cultural aspects of day-to-day life, not so much the buildings that were somehow related to something of historical significance.

I never really enjoy these things.  Even in Cambodia, when I was at S-21 and the Killing-Fields--learning about the events affected me more to me than my presence at the empty school building that had been used as a prison.  Same could be said when I was in Israel.  We ended our tour at the famous restaurant Africa House.  Many of us discussed our evening plans on the balcony.  The group was planning on coming back in the evening to watch the sunset from here.

Just Outside Slave Trade Building in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

Back at the hotel I watched some national geographic on the TV.  It was a show on Africa and the host was some British guy.  He was trying to make his adventures sound dangerous by calling out the 'poor construction' the house he was staying at and said that a lion could very easily rip it apart and eat him.  I can't stand these types of shows--the types that market themselves as educational but really only offer a sliver of educational value.  They are just like their reality TV counterpart--over dramatized smut packaged as something else.  The producers are more interested in their Nelson ratings than of the content.  I slept at a campsite along the South Luangwa NP where lions, only a week earlier, had wondered into.  I felt safe...the second night at least.  The show was about how lions in the area of Southern Tanzania had turned its focus on hunting human.

At my hotel, while watching TV, I also tried to shop on Amazon.  The internet was so slow that it took 2 hours to place one order.  I felt bad for missing Christmas and New Years with Kelly because she was not happy about being alone for the holidays (and boy did she make sure to emphasize that every moment should could)--so I had wanted to get her something sweet.  I got her a gift package with 4 types of marshmallow peeps (chocolate mouse, gingerbread, and chocolate chip cookie...).  I hope she saves me a few since I've never seen anything other than the original sugar-coated marshmallow type.  I also got her some black currant syrup--she loves that stuff when mixed with hard cider.

On the Balcony of Africa House in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

I hadn't eaten a large breakfast, but had skipped lunch and was now starving.  I had no time to get a snack so I ordered a beer for the calories alone.  I drank it quickly and met the group at 5:45 to catch a taxi to Africa House for the sunset.  Our taxi never arrived and most of the others just sat back waiting.  A couple had said, "This is Africa, mate" and they just figured it would come eventually.  SO ANNOYING!  I went out and asked one of the security guards at our hotel if they could take us.  He said $20....I negotiated him down to $8 and he seemed to comply.  I hoped into a car, along with 3 others.  The others in our group followed suit...I am Scott, herder of the sheep.

Africa House in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

Our driver spoke almost no English.  As we arrived at our destination he tried to ask for more money.  There was some type of argument but I shoved the money in his direction and told our small group to just leave and that the language barrier alone made any communication fruitless.  They agreed and we quickly exited the van.  We had a drink at Africa House and the rest of the group came about 15 minutes later.  The sunset was disappointing as the cloud coverage prevented a clear view.

I smoked hookah with Vincent and Debbie and then left for the food market, by the water, with Divya and Cara.  This market was the the highlight of my trip...by far!  This market was like a food market like you find in South East Asia...my favorite place in the world.  Venders lined the area with all types of food stalls.  There were 4 or 5 main types of vendors, and vendors of the same type didn't differ from one another too much.  There was the fruit vendor, meat vendor, candy vendor, pizza vendor and sugar cane juice vendor.

Night Food Market in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

The fruit vendors had dozens and dozens of different types of whole fruit.  You could buy pieces or entire fruits.  We had some jack fruit, which is a very unique tasting fruit.  It's a resembles a combination of pineapple and banana with an almost rubbery texture.  We also tried a fruit that resembled the taste and color of sweet potato, but had the texture of a baked potato--really weird.

Night  Market in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

Meat vendors had so much variety.  They had dozens of skewers (chicken, chicken masala, lobster, shrimp, prawn, beef, tuna, blue marlin, barracuda, octopus, squid, etc.)  They had entire octopus tentacles the size of large pickles (I had one, it was very tasty, but very chewy).  I also had a blue marlin skewer (one of my new favorite fish), and a barracuda.  They had crab claws and whole crabs, casaba, grilled bananas, garlic naan, coconut chapati, and so much else.  I also tried the chapati, naan, and chicken at one of the vendors stalls.

Night  Market in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

The Pizza vendors sold these 'Zanzibar' pizzas that were like crepe-sandwiches.  They started with a ball of dough the size of a golf ball and stretched it out into a very thin pizza crust.  They had a lot of filling options and then to complete the masterpiece they folded the 'pizza' edges onto itself and put it onto the grill.  Cara ordered this, I had a few pieces--delicious!

Zanzibar Pizza in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

The sugar cane vendors served a drink which was made right in front of us.  They took an entire sugar cane and passed it through a hand powered press, which caused the plant to shed its juice.  The juice was collected into a large bowl which had a large ice cube in it.  This juice was then drank raw.  Divya ordered a small cup for 500 shillings ($0.33) and we took three straws.  It was very natural tasting--similar to pineapple juice.

Juicing a Sugar Cane in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

The candy vendors had a bunch of candies I had never heard of.  They didn't have any solid chocolates, maybe becuase the heat would cause them to melt?  I bought two things, both were similar to kit kat bars...just more wafer and less chocolate.

Sugar Cane Juice in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

We sat down and enjoyed our meals.  Dozens of stray cats cover the area--they were so cute.  Most of them were white/red, but a few were grey.  They really made me miss Dexter.  I have been having such a great time, but every time I am doing something new I wish I was able to share my experience with Kelly.

I watched some boys jump into the ocean off of the platform about 15 feet up.  It was quite a feat watching these guys get back onto shore.

At the Night Market in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

We walked to Africa House to pick up Debby and Vincent, who were just finishing up their dinners.  We were looking for a cab back to our hotel--we needed space for 5 people.  We asked someone on the street and he said he'll find a ride--then he sprinted away looking for someone/thing?  After a minute we saw him sprint across us to the other part of town...it was about 10:00pm at this point.  He came back in his friend's car about 3 minutes later.  We told him $8 and he complied.  We were driving in a direction that was not familiar and some of us were confused.  I said "maybe he's planning on taking us somewhere else".  I thought I had said it quietly but he said, "this is Zanzibar, not Nairobi, it's safe here...no worries, I take care of you".

There were empty beer bottles in the back seat of the SUV we were in.  It was clear that this was his friend's car and that neither of them were 'taxi' drivers.  They took us to the "Island View Hotel".  We had told him we needed "Ocean View" and he asked the hotel guards where that was (it was just down the road).  When we arrived at the hotel we gave him 12000 shilling (which is $8 if you use the standard 1500/$1USD rate).  He argued with us saying it's 1650 shilling for the dollar.  I knew he was trying to screw us so I just told him, "Ok, that's fine, how about I give you $10 and you give us 3300 shilling"?  I was essentially using him as a bank with amazing currency conversion rates.  He said "Ok".  Divya took out $10 and was about to give it to him when I told her to keep the money until he had the 3300 in change.  He came back from the van and said "give me the $10" and after some back and forth he said I keep the 3300 as a tip.  We went back and forth for a while and he was getting upset.  I told him he did not deserve a tip and that he was a thief.  He essentially told me that we'll run into each-other again and that I will be sorry...clearly and empty threat...but still!  Divya finally gave up and got back 3000 shilling, so we did end up paying $8, which is a MORE than reasonable cost for the 5-8 minute car ride.

When I was back at my room I realized I had lost my key and had to purchase a new one at reception.  $30...Shit!.  The replacement keys didn't have numbers on them so Sadie (the guy at the front desk) had to walk back with me to my room and test out a few dozen different keys.  On the walk back, which was at least 5 minutes, I asked about his day.  He had told me his best friend's mother had just died and that his friend couldn't afford a plane ticket back to Dar es Salaam to go home.  Once I got back to my room I washed my face and then met Cara, Vincent, and Debby at the restaurant's bar for a drink.  I  had a Krest, which is a Coca-Cola branded soft drink similar to Sprite but a bit more sour...I really liked it.

In bed I watched the latest Harold and Kumar movie.  I finally went to bed a bit after midnight.  What a day!

Enjoying Some Octopus at Night Market in Stone Town, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar: (Day 13) Dec-23-2013

I couldn't sleep in--woke up at 6:00.  Breakfast with Debbie, Vincent, and the two women from Costa Rica.  The others had gone snorkeling--I opted out.  I had gotten cut up pretty nasty by my flippers in Kande Beach, Malawi and my sores were just starting to heal...only mildly infected at this point--don't worry Mom, I made sure to pick the scab with my filthy hands and to clean it out using the tab water and rubbing dirt on it to keep it healthy ;).

Much of the Group Goes Snorkeling for the Day, Nungwi, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

I took a nice walk along the beach and whenever someone came up to me to sell something I used the most successful strategy--I looked directly at them and said, "I am so sorry, but I do not speak English very well, have a good day".  I made sure to say it very clearly, thus if they were keen to it they would pick up on the complete sarcasm, but none of them did--they just followed with, "oh, what you speak, Italian, Spanish, hey you what you speak?"  I just continued walking and they would finally leave me alone...more quickly than if I just ignored them.

Massai Attempt to Sell Good on the Beach, Nungwi, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

It's 6:50 pm now and I'm sitting on the beach-side deck sipping a Caipirinha--quite a tasty drink.

Earlier today I sat out a bit and watched people para-sail while I listened to my book-on-tape.  It was around 3 when I ate lunch with Godfrey and Tabby.  It was nice talking with them--I'm starting to get a better understanding of the lifestyle here in Africa.  Even though they are not from East Africa talking with them still helped me to understand South/East 'Africa' more.  We talked about schooling in Zimbabwe and cost of living.  I had asked how much their phones, car insurance, school, etc. cost.  Godfrey said he had purchased his phone for $300--I recalled there is no subsidy here like as in the entire US market.  Tabby said his auto insurance was $50 which was for 4 months.  If he had wanted to get a more comprehensive insurance policy it would cost more like $100-$150 per 4 months.

Godfrey was telling me he was contemplating a trip to NYC.  We discussed how I thought trips to/from Africa were expensive and he disagreed.  He thought you could travel between the two continents for under $1000 USD.  He searched the web on his phone (VERY slow wifi at the hotel) and showed me a listing that read out, "75% of all African airfare".  It was a paid Ad on Google's front page.  People in Africa do NOT have the same experience with the internet as the rest of the world.  Their internet comprehension is equivalent to that of an 80 year old's who is just learning how to log-in for the first time.

I have been in Africa for over two weeks now and feel my understanding of things are getting better, but still not complete--any trip shorter than 3 weeks would prove fruitless, unless one is just coming for 'sights'.

I sat out poolside and talked w/ Debby on our opposing/similar views on Africa--she had brought the subject up.  I had an 'epiphany'  during our conversation--the only way I can drop my 'negative' views on the African people is to accept the following; The African people are not a people that need help nor should their lives be judged through lens of by western/eastern society's standards.  I am mostly thinking about their short life expectancy, reluctance to use modern (and available) medicine,  lazy lifestyles, refusal to practice 'family planning', etc.  For all that know me you know that I am somewhat of an idealist and it is in my nature to believe that everyone is 'capable' of pursuing their dreams with enough effort and forethought.  So when I see this 'African' lifestyle I get frustrated because they are not accomplishing a set of standards that I HAVE SET.  I have viewed these standards as static, universal, and truly virtuous--that's Ayn Rand's influence (for the better and the worse).  Even in the largest of cities I notice charity offices for all the types of aid relief.  Free HIV testing (and treatment in many places), free condoms, and advisers for everything you can imagine.  These resources are largely unused and the African lifestyles has  grown accustomed to 'hand-me-outs'.  It is so ingrained in the culture that they see white people as $$.

Most of the Africans I have met are genuinely nice, but many of people (much less in smaller villages) expect something from 'us'.  This made me mad because of the 'set of standards' I have developed were not being practiced, despite all the African aid.  I have come to terms with the notion that these People are their own people and that they deserve the lives they have chosen.  I don't mean anyone deserves to suffer or be sick...but overall they deserve and have earned much of their current lifestyle.  I would say that all aid should be stopped, but there are economic benefits for western organizations to provide this aid.  I always wondered why there were white range rovers in front of almost every "Charitable" organizations here--it's because of all the $$/profit involved.  Consider "The Salvation Army"--they receive inventory for free yet they SELL the clothing in bulk to African distributors, which in turn sell them at markets to people.  Even the poorest of Africans are not getting these clothing for free.

Hopefully you can piece together my 'epiphany' from this frenetic jumble of ideas, but I have to eat breakfast and get a move one.  I will most likely not re-read this and will just continue with the rest of my day when I get another chance to write...probably on my ride to Stone Town in a couple hours.

I had a 'Zanzibar' Massage at 5:00.  This was a combination of a Swedish and Deep Tissue Massage.  A long story short--it was the most uncomfortable/relaxing thing of the day.  There was  one large room sectioned off from the outside by a curtain...so as you can imagine, no a/c.  There were three women working here and none of them spoke a word of English.  I showered beforehand so I would get all the sand off me but somehow the massage managed to be somewhat exfoliating--sand was just everywhere, as too where the flies.  The girl was unfriendly from the start.  Halfway through the massage I think I caught her trying to read into my pocket and take my money...some bills were exposed.  When I had noticed what had happened I tucked the bills deeper in my pocket.  As I lie on the table beads of sweat just pooled and dripped down all parts of my body.  Within a short period of time the flies and the beads of sweat were indistinguishable from one another.  Once my body acclimated to the sweat I began to notice the flies more easily.  While she was working on one limb I was twitching the others to rid myself of the flies.  It was  hardest when they landed on my face/eyes and I couldn't move my arms enough to shake them.  All-in-all it was a worthwhile experience though very uncomfortable.

I had 2 $20 USD bills and handed them to the lady and asked for change.  She seemed confused but after asking the woman 'in charge' she figured out she needed to get change at reception.  She came back from reception and said "they no take" as she showed me to 1 of the bills, which had a small tear in the center of it.  I said, "Ok, no problem" as I reached in my pocket and handed her another $20 bill.  5 minutes later she came back with 2 $10 bills.  I am not sure if she was trying to force a $5 tip or that reception just didn't have the change.  I am inclined to believe that she's just a moron.  I said, "Ok, that's fine and walked away with a $10 bill in my hand.  I had decided to tip her $5USD even thought she provided sub-par service--she needed that money more than I.

Restaurant in Nungwi, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

I relaxed, showered again, and went out for a happy hour drink for 7,000 shillings.  Cara, Stephanie, Divya, and I went to the restaurant next to us, Laungi Laungi, for dinner.  I had ordered a beer, king-fish, and A calamari/onion/mushroom salad.  The food was pretty good and cheaper than the restaurant at our hotel.  For both lunch and dinner I had grilled veggies in place of chips (fries).

Dinner in Nungwi, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

They had gone for a drink at a bar afterwards and hung out with a wedding party.  There was a wedding at our hotel's beach.  Tabby had some of their wedding cake.  I went back to talk to Kelly instead.  I watched the movie "Choke" afterwards and went to bed just after midnight.

A thought on African life expectancy and savings:

Average life expectancy in these parts of Africa is around 40 years.  I imagine this largely influences  certain aspects of the people's mentality and how they live their lives.  It's much harder to experience the impacts of one's life when that individual dies much sooner than people in a 'more civilized' part of the world.  Also, maybe if Africans lived longer they would think about how they will survive after they are capable of working.  Would they actually save their money instead of buying things like cell phones?  Despite these things, rationality is not a key element in much of daily life here.  It is largely a tribal society believing in healers/witch doctors where people blindly do as they are told-not necessarily what is correct or reasonable.

Goodnight, for now.

Enormous Lobster Caught in the Indian Ocean, Just Off Shore in Nungwi, Tanzania (Zanzibar)

Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar: (Day 12) Dec-22-2013

I stayed up late last night talking with Stephanie.  We discussed African culture--how many of the women do most of the work while the men just remain lazy.  Women are not treated well here.  There seems to be NO forward progress, or aspirations for that matter, to better one's life with respect to gender roles and/or standards of living. Maybe it's because people here don't know of that possibility...but there always this aura of helplessness.

Waiting to Board a Ship to Downtown Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Stephanie had spent a while (I think 6 months) in Kenya working in a hospital.  While in Kenya she stayed with a foster family.  The mother of the house--Stephanie calls her Mamma Kenya--was 'rich' by African standards.  They did not have electricity or water, but she did own a few cattle.  The average wage in Zambia is under $1 USD a day.  I imagine it's not too different in the East African countries.

Boarding a Ship to Downtown Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Today has already been a long day and it's not even 10:00 am.  I woke up at 5:30 and we were on the truck by 6:15.  We only had a short ride but had to walk 15 minutes or so in blistering heat to catch a shuttle boat.  We were waiting in the holding area for an hour before we were able to board to boat.  I felt like a cow, caged in a large holding space, waiting to be herded onto a ship.  It was complete chaos.  There were several decks of passengers and the main deck had a few dozen automobiles.  The ship took us over to the main business district of Dar es Salaam.  It was a short--maybe 15 minute--ride.  Most of the people on this ship were locals commuting for work.  Prior to boarding, in the holding area, the men and women were divided..men on the left hand side while the women took the right.  Many women were in burkas or saris and both men and women had very serious looks on their faces.  This city does not come off as friendly as the other towns we've been to so far.

Our Tour Group Waiting to Board our Ship to Down Town Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Once we arrived in the business district of Dar es Salaam we had to walk another 30-45 minutes.  This was quite a task given that even at 8:00 am the heat was unbearable!  Also, we were lugging all of our baggage.  We had stripped down our belongings and only took with us what we thought we needed for our three nights in Zanzibar.  I left my overnight bag on the truck and stuffed my day-pack to its limits.

Fishing Boats in the Indian Ocean, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

We got to where we were going to catch the 2-hr ferry to Zanzibar and still had a bit of time.  Since the building was air-conditioned--the first a/c I've had in over 2 weeks--most of the tour group stayed inside and relaxed.  However Cara and I ventured out into the city.  We both bought water--my 6L water jug was only 2,500 shilling ($1.67 USD).  I filled my 3L bladder in my pack, and my extra 1/2L jug that I carry in my bag's side pocket.  My bag must weight 20-30 lbs now.

I am wearing my hat, Under Armour t-shirt, North Face pants, and my Clark boots (no socks), Timex analog watch w/ built in alarm clock, and a pair of Exofficio boxer briefs.  I have brought along a bathing suite, thongs, one more tight fitting t-shirt for the beach, a long-sleeved technical shirt, and two thick merino wool socks.  In addition to my clothing I have my 1st aid kit (which I've been using quite a bit), various meds, toiletries, Camera (+ extra lens and batteries), tablet/keyboard, external power pack and USB cable, a GPS tracking unit (I've been using this to track my entire trip), folding knife, sunglasses, bug-spray, sun tan lotion, headlamp, passport (w/ yellow fever cert), money-belt, fleece jacket, rain poncho, Sea-to-Summit quick-drying towel, and a few other items.

The process of boarding the ferry to Zanzibar was fucking crazy.  We must have waited in line for 30 minutes before we were able to get through security.  The line was chaotic, people scrambling to pass others.  There was no shade and I felt defeated...no point fighting it any more.  I let the sweat just drip off me as I continued to drink.  Whether or not today has been the hottest day yet is hard to say for certain.  We are directly in heat, and have been so all morning long, and everyone is carrying pounds and pounds of baggage.

We dropped the 3 Swedes off yesterday afternoon and are picking up 3 new recruits today.  I believe 2 have already joined us, but I'm not sure when/how they met up with us--Stephanie had pointed them out in line just prior to our passing through security.  We pick up the last person once we are in Zanzibar.

Before security when I was in line to show my ferry ticket there was a woman sitting and nursing her child.  Her shirt was completely off and she showed no modesty, despite the 100+ people that were within 20 feet of her.  Other women held their babies across their backs, wrapped in cloth.  Most of the children were covered by the fabric, but some were fully exposed to the sun's intense rays.  I can't even begin to imagine how hot it must have been for a child to be have their body completely wrapped up and under a restricting blanket--absolutely no ventilation whatsoever.

This ferry is shockingly very nice.  There are 4 sun-decks and a middle, air-conditioned, deck.  I choose the middle deck.  There are 6 Samsung TVs hanging throughout the cabin playing some American movie--probably with a title sounding something like "Heist", or something of that nature.

It's 10:20 now and we should arrive in Zanzibar around noon.  We have a ride waiting for us to take us to the northern park of Zanzibar, where we will remain for the next 2 nights.  We can opt for a spice tour, which is somewhere along our ride up north.  If not enough people decide to do it we will have to all go to the hotel and then later take a taxi back for the spice tour--though I'm sure most people will want to take the tour.

SOME THOUGHTS:  I've gotten used to the horrible body odor that is pervasive in Africa.  I've learned that African cuisine is mostly rice, beans, potatoes, and occasionally chicken.  Africa is not the place to go to to eat exotic foods, at least not east Africa.  It is as plain as you can get.  Some food for thought--why is it that in Africa the cuisine is so basic, while in most other 3rd-world regions the cuisine is much more sophisticated?  Everything about Africa is just stunted...corrupt governments (that the people elect), inefficient (lacking) work ethic, and an embarrassing lack of education (despite that most nations offer free education through age 18).  As I look around, even the 'well to do' people just appear leaps and bounds behind the rest of the world.  A man to the left of me is trying to change the battery on his phone and he is struggling on figuring out which side is up...success after only 3 minutes.  A man behind me hunts and pecks on his computer like it's his first time typing on a keyboard.  Seeing as it's his computer I doubt that is the case.  Back in Chipata, Malawi one of the lodge workers could not figure out how to even type in the password to grant me access to use the internet.  He spent 30  seconds typing in 4 letters and the screen had a warning massage on it that he had needed to click "accept" before he could type.  He was typing not realizing the characters were not being recorded.  It's a shame large corporations can't come here and build factories for unskilled labor.  It would be such cheap labor, plus it would help the ridiculously high unemployment rate.

Nutmeg, On our Spice Tour, Zanzibar

Jackfruit, Spice Tour, Zanzibar

A man to the right of me seems to have had polio--I help him button his shirt as had been struggling for a while.

Back in Dar es Salaam--while we were walking to catch the ferry--I saw a young man who had club feet.  He was walking on the complete outsides of his feet.  His soles were completely exposed as he walked.  He did manage to get by though.

After we arrived in Zanzibar we had to take a private van to where our beach resort was--Amaan Bungalows in Nungwi Beach.  This was in the north, and about a 1.5 hour drive from where we were.  6 of us wanted to take the spice tour so we had gotten off about about an hour from our hotel and left out bags with the group--they would drop our stuff off at reception.

Urucu Fruit, On our Spice Tour, Zanzibar

Using Red Pigment an Urucu, Spice Tour, Zanzibar

I am really shocked that the majority of the trip decided against the spice tour--maybe it was because it had already been such a long day and they wanted to enjoy the weather?

The spice tour was very fun, though a bit too long if you ask me.  Although none of the spices originated from Zanzibar they are grown for the tourists, which is fine by me.  They had everything I could think of; cinnamon, clove, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper, and the list goes on and on!  There were bananas, mangoes, avocados, pineapples, coconuts, grapefruit, jackfruit, coffee beans, and 4 or 5 other fruits that I've never heard of before.

Climbing a Tree, Spice Tour, Zanzibar

We had a guide walking us around the plantation and another guy who climbed the trees to get us samples.  He showed us the plant that Indians use for henna and the flowering tree that is used in Chanel no. 5.  He pointed out a red flowing tree that had these interesting-looking shells that when cracked open exposed fiery-red bb-sized fruits.  He smashed the fruits and put the resulting liquid on his lips, head, and hair.  He was indicating the use of the red pigment from the fruit.  Women used it for lipstick, Indians for there 'dot', and the Masai use it to die their hair red.

Preparing Coconut, Spice Tour, Zanzibar

At the end of the tour a man climbed a humongous coconut tree while singing a joyful song.  He brought down 3 coconuts for us to taste.  He then took out his knife and carved away the shell of the coconut and exposed the milk for us to drink.  After we drank the milk he carved away a bit more, created a makeshift spoon, and let us eat the gooey flesh of the coconut.

I like coconut when it has been dried, not when it's fresh.  Oh, before I forget, we were able to taste coffee beans directly from the tree.  They were in a soft red shell...nothing like I had imagined.  The gooey surroundings of the coffee bean tasted great, but the un-dried bean was nothing to write home about.--maybe blog home about though!

Tasting, Spice Tour, Zanzibar

Afterwards, we tasted the fruit that was grown on the plantation and were able to buy some of their local spices...go figure.

Hotel's Main Deck, Zanzibar

I purchased a cardamom and vanilla tea.  I have yet to test it out, but for $2 USD it wasn't much of an investment on my end.

We finally got to our hotel around 4:00 and after dealing with the inefficiencies of Africa I was in my room 45 minutes later.  I have 3 twin beds, air conditioning, a mini-fridge, and a shower.  I have large windows on one entire side of my room--the wall that faces the beach.

I walked in the water for a sec, jumped in the pool and swam for a while.

My Room in Zanzibar

I inquired about snorkeling and getting a massage.  Our group met at the hotel's main restaurant at 7:00.  Our food finally came just before 8:30.  I had ordered an avocado and prawn salad along with a chicken red curry masala.  Both were quite good, though expensive by African standards.  The dinner was 31,000 Tanzanian Shillings, or around $21 USD.

Avocado and Prawn Salad, Zanzibar

I went to bed around 9:30, just after going down to the beach to watch a few hermit crabs come up and scurry about the sand.  It was a riot seeing how fast they could run with their little claws above their heads.  I watched the movie, "Kickass" then went to bed.  A very long day.

Enjoying the Spice Tour, Zanzibar

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: (Day 11) Dec-21-2013

A Very Poor Night's Sleep in Mikumi, Tanzania

Last night was probably the worst ever...the sleeping part at least.  It was so hot yet I had so sleep inside my sleeping bag because the mosquitos were everywhere.  I was sweating outside, imagine how I felt inside a place with poor ventilation and inside an insulated sleeping bag.  What made things even worse was that I had a black mosquito net wrapped around my face and neck.  I applied my 12 hour 'bug spray' lotion on my face, neck, and arms liberally.  After the heat became too much to bare I finally took my arms outside of the bag.  I took my mosquito net off my face every so often to cool down, but this didn't work.  I was so uncomfortable--sweating, too hot to even consider sleeping.  I just wanted it to end.  Somehow I finally got to sleep around 2, though I was well awake before 4.  2 hours of sleep--it will have to do.  Cara was kind enough to invite Stephanie and me to sleep in her room.  Stephanie took the other bed and I took the ground.

The accommodated (people in rooms) had an included breakfast, while us 4 campers had to resort to bread and cereal...again!  I sat with Sonia and Hans and skipped breakfast.  Unfortunately by the time I made it back to the bus Godfrey and Tabby had already packed away the lunch material for the day...we had to pack our own lunches today since it would be a long day on the bus.  FUCK!  No breakfast and no lunch today...this will be rough.

Driving Through Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

After 30 minutes or so we stopped to refill on Petrol.  I went into the gas station and picked up the only food that I saw.  3 Dairy Milk bars (2 small, 1 large), a Snickers bar,  and a small pack of cashew nuts.  Within 15 minutes I had eaten two of the smaller Dairy Milks, the Snickers Bar, and the cashews...not my proudest moment.

I took some Xanax (.75mg) and within an hour I was asleep.  I drifted off and on (most on) for the next 6 hours.  I was awoken from the immense noise emanating from the streets.  We had made it to Dar es Salaam.  It was ~1:00pm.  We had to drop Ann Marie, Hans, and Sonia off at their hotel--they were leaving the tour here.  We were going to pick up 3 or 4 new people tomorrow at the lodge that we are staying at here in Dar es Salaam.  They will be with us through Nairobi.

Driving Through Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

It took several hours to traverse the city's less than enjoyable traffic.  We did, however, manage to sneak in a 30 minute stroll in the city while Godfrey bought the ferry tickets to Zanzibar.  I believe that Zanzibar will have wireless internet...WOW, what a luxury!

It's gotta be among the hottest days here in Africa--we are closer to the equator so that makes sense.  Must be 100+ degrees and ultra-humid.

I have been thinking a lot about the logistics of when I take my RTW trip in the coming years.  Certain things are going to be a challenge.  Some things I've been considering are--how to get 12 months of Rxs, dealing with my 'stuff' back at home, finding a job and health insurance pending my arrival back home, etc.

It's about 3:15pm now and we're still driving.  Since we left at 6:00am sharp this morning 9 hours on this hot non-air conditioned bus is a nuisance.

Bungalow at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

I talked with Paul (the Aussie) a bit.  He was telling me that he had taken a year off to travel with his, now, wife.  We discussed all the places he visited.  He told me their original plans were to go for 2 years but after a year they had grown a bit tired of living out of a bag.  Both he, and his wife Erika, are Psychiatrists...along with Cara.  They seem to travel a bunch with their children.  They've been to Vietnam, Borneo, India, Egypt, and a few other places--all with their children.  This is the lifestyle I am striving for.

Hopefully we can get to our campsite before 4:30 so that we can enjoy the cooler sun prior to its setting.  I think an upgrade is in order for me tonight.  Last night it was $50/room which I thought was a bit much, so I opted out.  However the showers were very nice, even if the water had little/no pressure and there were no lights.

Inside Bungalow at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Arrived around 4:30pm.  I upgraded to a small bungalow for $8.  It is mostly just a wooden cabin with a thatched roof.  The only materials used are wood--holes in the wall for windows, gaps in the constructions of the entire cabin.  There is enough room for a small a animal to sneak under my door.  It's a bit hot so I'm leaving the door open.  We have wooden fences around our lodges.  We're about 40 feet from the Indian Ocean.  I didn't have a chance to go in today, but will once I'm in Zanzibar.

When I arrived I did laundry...all my clothing was dirty.  I laid my clothing on my cabin roof to dry.  Dinner sucked...again.  It feels like I'm in college again.  Godfrey is really getting out of my nerves.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but some of the other people felt similarly.

We have to wake up early to leave by 6:00am sharp tomorrow.  We catch the ferry to Zanzibar at 9:30am tomorrow.  Sorry for the short entry, it's 11:30pm and I'm tired.

Cheers!

Drying Clothes Atop My Bungalow at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Mikumi, Tanzania: (Day 10) Dec-20-2013

I woke up at 5:45, breakfast at 7:00, on the road by 7:15am.  Today we have ~280 km (5-6 hours) to drive to get to Mikumi.  We are using Mikumi as a stop-over on our way to Dar es Salaam, which we will drive to tomorrow.  We have the option of taking an afternoon game drive in the Mikumi National Park.  Price is still up in the air as it will depend on the number of people that decide to go.  We are told probably between $80-$100 a person, which covers the park entrance fee + the car/driver.  The game drive should last for 3-4 hours.

When I woke up I noticed my tent was a bit damp, not wet, just damp.  It hadn't rained but by the amount of due it seemed like it could have.  Packing up the tent is such a dirty task.  The 12 metal poles required to erect the tent are heavily rusted so taking them down and packing them just leaves my hands filthy--my newly-cleaned pants now look like they've been worn for the past week.  I was happy I didn't unpack the fly--one less thing to worry about this morning.  As for the tent...folding it up and rolling it to fit into the soaked canvas bag was a chore.  It is a tight fit and the fact that it was pretty saturated with water just made the entire ordeal more of a pain...a filthy pain.

Even When it Does Not Rain the Grass is Always Covered with Dew--Making Packing Up Our Tents A Very Dirty Task.  Iringa, Tanzania

I got to chat with Kelly for a few minutes today.  I walked around the campsite for 15 minutes trying to find the best signal--in most places I had none.  I found two GSM networks, one of them showed some signal when I walked to the area behind from where the truck had parked..1 bar.  I took 5 more paces, 2 bars.  I moved to a clearing where the trees were a bit more sparse, 2/3 bars.  I found a rock that was ~8 inches tall, 3/4 bars.  It's hard to believe that having my phone 8 inches higher really made that much of a difference, but I wasn't about to argue with what my phone was reading out.

This was by far the best, most successful, experience I've had with Skype to date.  The delay was minimal, quality was above average, and we only suffered 1 dropped call--which was promptly remedied.

We are on our way to the Iringa City Center so that a few people can access an ATM, then we leave for Mikumi National Park, where we will be spending our night.  Last night was a cool evening, but it is evident that last-night will not be a trend...except for when we get to the Crater, which is ~1500m above sea-level.

The workers at our campsite last night were Maasai.  They did not use electricity--Peter (the Aussie) was telling me that one guy took over 5 minutes trying to locate his cabin in the dark.  It had to have been near complete darkness and without the use of a flashlight Peter thought this guy was just guessing.

En route this morning we are pulled over again for a routine inspection.  They check to see if we have a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, insurance, etc.--just the government trying to collect some more money.

I had been talking to Godfrey and he was saying that in Southern Africa it is easy to access a shopping center where you can expect ice-cream and other frill products.  He said that in Eastern Africa, "you never know".

I am really enjoying my book, Dark Star Safari, a story about the author's travels from Cairo to Cape Town.  He is currently heading south on a dreadful road to Nairobi.  I'm getting anxious to hear about his travels after he arrives in Nairobi as that is the part that I will be able to relate to.  I still haven't had the chance to watch any of the videos I brought along--I try during the nights, but it's often too hot so I just try to go to sleep.

We stopped in Iringa for ATMs.  Cara, Debby, Vincent, Sonia, and I were discussing how we were a bit upset that we stop in these large cities, yet never actually get to see them.  I ask Tabby if I can get dropped of in Dar es Salaam tomorrow and said that I will catch a cab back to camp.  We discuss this and it seems it's not an option.  Godfrey chimes in--I'm liking him less and less.  He's been very grumpy the last several days.  Actually, last night he told Stephanie, "I will teach you how to set up your tent yourself" and treated her like a child.  He made her feel bad that she had Debby help her.  Also, he told us at dinner while in Northern Malawi, "stop asking me things that are in your itinerary and just listen".  We have asked things like, "when are we leaving in the morning" and "will we be able to do ___ in ____?".

Debbie, Vincent, and Cara were on-board with being dropped off in Dar es Salaam, but we were told the traffic was too bad and that we couldn't do it.  They said they are sticking to the itinerary...but the FUCKING itinerary states we are going to Dar es Salaam.  Then for 1/3 of a page the itinerary talks about Dar es Salaam...why would there be such detail when we never actually get to go?

We arrived at our camp in Mikumi around 2:15.  We had lunch, hot dogs, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and bread.  We went on a game drive--$56 a person.  16 of use went--we took 3 4x4s.  It was a 20 minute drive into the park.  When we got there it was chaos.  We waited for half an hour while our driver was getting tickets.  After 30 minutes of nothing, I went in to check the status.  The front claimed starting 'today' they are only accepting credit cards.  They asked if we had any.  I said no and they told me to ask the others.  I pretended to go back and ask the others and return saying, "Yup, none of use have any credit cards, if you won't accept our cash, we'll just go somewhere else".  I'm not sure this worked, but somehow, 15 minutes later, we were allowed in.  This country, and to a large extent the entire continent, is pathetically inefficient.

Mikumi National Park, Mikumi, Tanzania

Known as Fast Food by the Lions...can you see the 'M'?

Finally, at 4:00pm we entered the park.  Our drive started slow, spotting a few impala, zebras, and the like.  We came across some warthogs chasing each-other--boy are they energetic little fuckers.  Next we came across some wildebeest--they were actually much larger than I had anticipated.  I would love to eat one of them!  We also saw three buffalo.

Male Impalas Playing, Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

I was able to snap a few photos of close-ups of their faces, boy are they interesting animals.  I also took a few pictures of one taking a crap...AWESOME!  A zebra feeding from its mother, another impala taking a pee...this is an interesting game drive.

Park fees were $30 apiece so I guess the $26 per person went to the vehicle/driver.

Warthog, Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

We came across 5 or 6 lions (about half male and half female).  They were resting in the heat and had taken to some shade beneath a few trees.  We were not able to get a close enough view as they were off of the main path and our driver told us he would get a heavy fine from the park ranger if he went off-road.  After the park ranger had driven past we finally took a few 'less than legal' routes closer to the lions.  We were there for a short time and then our driver asked, "are you done? we need to leave."  I had taken some pretty impressive photos, even with my slow f6.4 zoom lens.

A Hippo Turning Over in the Water, Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

On our way back to our camp site/hotel Debby, Vincent, Cara, and I discussed the possibility of going into 'town' tonight.  We really want to explore the "African" culture.  Long story short, we did not end up going out at night.  I am trying not to let these issues get to me though...African culture is...how do I put it...lacking!  Their food is whatever they can eat...from casaba plant to fried chicken, to mango/grape soda.  I will try to discuss this later in more depth.  I have been able to contrast the African American culture to that of Southern and Eastern African culture.  I am happy to say that the feelings I have about [the majority] of African Americans are not true about the Africans here.  So my hating the fact that Blacks in American can't pronounce the word "ask" and the fact that much of our crime is a result of violent drug-addicted black criminals does not make me racists.  I say this becuase it's the Black 'American' culture that is this way...NOT blacks!  However, it has become apparent that Blacks seems to feel entitled to charity and their work effort/work and efficiency/effectiveness is ungodly low.

Today, behind the bar, there were 3 people while 4 people were sitting down on the coach talking (and watching TV).  These people were all 'employees' of the hotel.  Let me ask you, "why does it take 3 Africans to open a fucking bottle of beer for a guest".  This is a small hotel with 20 guests (if not less).  They have to employee so many of these people becuase they are unable to do the work of a 6 year old white child.  I am not being racist, this is the sorry truth.  Cara thinks some of it is due to their cognitive deficets, possibly caused by malnutrition during childbirth and early developmental periods.

We are naive to think race is only skin deep.  In all other parts of the world, "India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico, USA, Latin America, Greater Asia, and the Middle East" parents protect and raise their children.  In Africa the children raise themselves.  Once a child is too large to be carried on the mother's back I have yet to see a child with their mother.  I have seen 3 year olds running across busy streets, playing in fields alone with older children, and walking alone in certain areas.  There is no parenting here.  I wonder that if foreign aid was stopped whether the entire continent would just die off?  I'm not suggesting that happen, but it's sad that an entire people exist with no self-motivation, no future, essentially no civalized family structure.  Just look at how easily they dropped their old customs/culture and embraced christianity.  The only culture and historical meaning they had in life has now receded into the darkness of their forgotten pasts.

I see no future here.  The country is rich in minerals, and minerals only!

A Lion Smiles for the Camera, Mikumi National Park, Tanzania

Iringa, Tanzania: (Day 9) Dec-19-2013

I can't believe I've been gone for nearly two weeks--It's gone by quickly.  I could not sleep well last night--I woke up at 3:30.  My efforts to go back to sleep were unsuccessful.  I finally just got out of bed and took a shower at 4:30--with the help of my handy headlamp of course.  Bugs were kinda intense on my walk to the shower-house so I doubled back to grab a shirt--my H&M v-neck if you must know.

There were no lights in the shower-house,or anywhere else on camp for that matter.  I later found out that the electricity was turned off over night until 5:00am when it was then turned back on.  The shower-house was almost completely dark, only lit up by the waning moon.  I saw some moving shadows along the walls and took another step into the bathroom, still not in the shower yet.  I flipped my torch light from the diffuse flood setting to the stronger spotlight setting.  I scanned the shower and it looked devoid of life, mostly.  There was a beetle the size of a silver dollar scurrying along the ground and it freaked the hell out of me.  I shoed it out of the shower--trying to avoid contact with the damn bugger--while taking a leap into the shower while wearing my "Orthoheal" thongs.

The water was cold.  There was nowhere to place my shirt, towel, or soap, and the shower nozzle fell off--as the nozzle fell to the ground so did my hopes in getting any pleasure from this obligatory bathing ritual I must perform--for the sake of everyone else.  There I was in a dingy and dark shower when a recurring thought popped into my head, "Scott, why on Earth do you put yourself through this?  Yes, you are doused in bug spray, have been sweating profusely for 40 of the last 48 hours, and continue to wear clothing that has weathered all of Africa's grime, but it is worth it"?

Expression Used in Africa (see definition below)

T.I.A. - This is Africa

In Africa, there's a saying "TIA" meaning "This Is Africa" - the terms is typically used when tourists from western countries visit Africa and experience power shut downs, old technology etc.

I ended up showering...shockingly the water got colder the longer I showered--it was as though even the heavenly shower gods were preventing me from enjoying my shower.  I've gotten so accustomed to the horrible BO from all the Africans that I didn't even notice the smells in that bathroom.  I brushed my teeth and plugged in my tablet to charge...though it really wouldn't charge for a while as the electricity still hadn't been switched on.

Back in my room I packed by headlamp.  Packed for the 12+hr day of driving and then loaded the truck with my stuff.  Godfrey was up prepping breakfast and lunch--it was ~5:10 at this point.  I took my camera and walked towards the beach for some sunrise pictures.  It was nice being alone for once.  This tour is a bit different than all of the other tours I've taken in that I get very little alone time here.  So much of our time is traveling on the bus and prepping meals together.  It's really the only way to do Africa though.  This is probably the only part of the world where traveling alone is close to impossible (maybe not impossible, but it would surely suck pretty badly).

Sunrise over Lake Malawi, Chitimba, Malawi

Watching the Sunrise Over the Norther Part of Lake Malawi, Chitimba, Malawi

I had a small bowel of corn flakes and a piece of bread with peanut butter.  I had cut up a banana on the bread and peanut butter, obviously!  We all had to pack our lunches for the day as we weren't stopping...to much ground to cover today for that luxury.  In addition to traveling 650 km on poorly paved roads we will be going through immigration to leave Malawi and enter Tanzania.  Our clocks move ahead an hour while in Tanzania and Kenya so now I am 8 hours ahead of my friends and family back home in the States.

A Dugout Canoe, Chitimba, Malawi

Tonight we are staying at Kisolanza Farm in Iringa, Tanzania.  We're told there will be no electricity of any sort and to expect the worst from Tanzanian accommodations--welcome to East Africa.  Godfrey warns us that the Maasai won't eat fish, chicken, fruit, or vegetables and that they will only eat beef, goat, and cow blood.  We are eating at a nearby Maasai Restaurant tonight--Sounds awesome, I can't wait!

Right now,we're driving through the rift valley, passing a small fishing village in Northern Malawi.  There are several dozen small paddle boats in the lake just floating there with nobody in them.  I am told the boats are there to dry out the fish.

When we got to the Malawi/Tanzania border we had to get out of the truck to stamp out of the country.  The smell of BO was just as bad as everywhere else in Africa.  Though being in such a confined place just made it more noticeable.  The overall process was unnaturally slow and inefficient.  After I had my passport stamped and was making my way back to the bus I was called back by the women who had stamped my passport.  She thought she had made a mistake, but everything was ok.

Getting into Tanzania was a different story.  There was a mess of cars trying to get in, all in a jumble following what looked like a single file line.  The heat was unbearable and now that we were stopped, which meant no breeze, it was a sauna inside.  Beads of sweat shortly turned into buckets.  We all gave Godfrey our money for visas and our passports.  He had taken all of our documents in to the immigration office to speed up the process, but over an hour passed before we got any word.  Finally we got our passports back and we crossed into Tanzania, but just a bit.  The power is out at the immigration office and they need to photocopy some documents pertaining to our truck so we are waiting for them to start a generator to operate the copy machine.

I am sitting in the back of the bus today and have had the sun on me all morning.  What a great day--the longest day--to be stuck in back.  Everyone is eating snacks (sweet fruit, candy, and sodas) and our garbage is directly behind me--The flies are molesting me.

We are still waiting and it seems like we'll never get there tonight.  We probably still have another 9 hours of driving?  Tabby got pulled over for speeding this morning.  He was going 60 km/h while the speed limit was 50 km/h.  After a short period we stopped for a 10 minute break to pick up some snacks.  Hans suggested that we all pitch in and throw a dollar or two to help pay for the ticket as Nomad wouldn't pay for it and $30 is quite a bit of money for Tabby.  Most of us did and Tabby was very grateful.

We're finally on the road again, 11:40am.  That was way too long of a break!  We were told all of Malawi was also out of power.  10 of us had to use the restrooms so Tabby gave us a few thousand Tanzanian shilling.  Some guy in front of the bathrooms was charging 100 shilling per person.  We paid them 1,000 and he still wanted more.  People here did not speak English, not like in Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe--though that may change as we make our way to larger cities.  They were squat toilets...Fun!

While waiting on the bus I talked with Peter, the Aussie.  He was telling me about the Australia army during world war 1 and the Vietnam War.  It's surprising how little we, Americans, learn about other countries of the world during our formal schooling.  In place of learning about other countries, customs, and nationalities we get to learn about Native Americans about 3 or 4 times over.  Also, why the fuck did we have to relearn the customs of pilgrims during the week of thanksgiving every damn year?

Most people on my tour had learned about The Maasai peoples in school.  We NEVER even discussed Africa.

We stopped after a bit to change our $USD to Tanzanian Shilling.  A guy game on our truck and offered the following rates:  1,500 shilling per $1USD for small bills and 1,580 shilling per $1USD for $50 and $100 bills.  We have to be pretty far behind schedule and I really dont want to have to set up a tent late tonight when it's dark.

Oh, quick note, the guy who was charging us to use the toilets had tried to sell us Tanzanian SIM cards just 15 minutes prior. Lame!

It's 6:00pm and I've been listening to Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux.  A travel writer tells the story of his journey from Cairo to Cape Town, overland.  I like it as his observations are inline with mine, that is, not PC.  I spend 20 minutes trying to swat flies in the back of the truck...something to keep my mind busy.  I nabbed half a dozen.  After being on the road for the last 11 hours I'm beginning to get a bit irritable.

Tanzania seems to have better cell phone coverage, more houses have satellite dishes, and the houses/towns appear to be closer together.  However, the facilities at some of the stops we've made were been miserable--Just filthy!  The road is not horrendous, but it's a rough ride none-the-less.  Also, it's about the width of 1.5 lanes so we have to completely stop and pull over as oncoming traffic approaches.  There are also more cars/trucks on the road.  My initial impression of Tanzania is not too good, but I'm hoping to change that.

I have been really moved by the kindness many Africans have shown.  They appear to be very hard working, even if they work mindlessly and ineffectively.  It's also become apparent that no amount of $ will help the problems Africa endures.  Excuse my frankness but is it a possibility that the Africa we see today is the best, or close to, the best Africa can/will ever be?  I believe it was the Zambian King who publicly condemned the use of condoms.

Dinner in Kisolanza Farm in Iringa, Tanzania

We arrive at camp around 8:00, 13 hours after leaving camp this morning.  There are no more upgrades available so we pitch our tents.  We have it down to a science and it takes only 5 minutes.  We all left our rain-flies off as the skies look clear--beautiful, actually.  We meet for dinner at the restaurant at the camp site.  There is no electricity anywhere within the lodge--candles light the interior while coal space heaters provide the heat.  The Temperature is actually quite cool, a nice change of pace.  I don't think this will last as Tabby said it's always like this here.  It must be due to our altitude.

Dinner was nothing like I (or the Dutch couple) had expected.  We had sweetish meatballs, baked beans, corn on the cob, and some veggies.  We also had soup and bread. I ordered a beer

Dinner in Kisolanza Farm in Iringa, Tanzania

and a brownie for the road...I am eating that now.

It's sad but Africa has no real culture.  They have only what the whites have given them.  Half of me thinks it's pathetic, but the other half feels so sorry.  I'm torn as to which way to feel.  One thing I know for sure is that Africa would be MUCH better off if they were actively ruled (i.e. colonized) by the western world.  HIV, disease, famine, education, corruption, etc....there are so many reasons in support of colonization.  I think deep down the Africans would support it, at least in part.  The African 'elected' governments are extremely devious and steal foreign aid for there personal use all the f'ing time.

Ok, it's 10:20 and I'm tired.  Tomorrow we get to sleep in till 6:30, breakfast at 7:00.  We have a game drive tomorrow afternoon but I'm not sure if I'm going to go.  The price is still unknown but if it's more than $60 I will have to consider if it's worth it.  I still have 3 days in the Serengeti for game drives coming up.

Goodnight!

The Night Sky, Iringa, Tanzania

Chitimba, Malawi: (Day 8) Dec-18-2013

Woke up at 5:40am, spent 20 minutes packing my bags.  I packed using my torch as all power was still off for the night.  Brushed my teeth...also by headlamp.  I felt gross from a nightfall of dancing, sweating, and then sleeping in my own filth.  At dinner, the entire group had been talking about the strong storm we had that night.  They all had said they were woken up and that some of their rooms had water blowing directly in.  Sophie and Noah said that it was the strongest storm they have ever heard and that at one time they thought their cabin was going to collapse and that they were going to die.  I slept through the entire night so I can't comment.

We were on the road by 6:30 and have ~350 km of roads to cover today--about 7 to 8 hours of driving.  We stopped at a market along the way, but were only given 10 minutes to shop.  I could have easily spent an hour there.  I bought one more of the of the things I had gotten before, this time a larger one.  I will have to wrap them up and send them back in a duffel bag as my 2nd piece of checked luggage.

Scenery Through the Rift Valley, Along Chilumba Bay Northern Malawi

We later stopped at Mzuzu, where the two Costa Rican ladies had to settle the issue with their visas.  We had also stopped at a Shoprite.  I bought a few Coke Lites and a package of oranges for a total of $5 (~2000 kwacha).   On my way back to the truck I was accosted by locals trying to sell me stuff, which has become the norm.  I asked one of them how much 3 bracelets were and he said 1500 kwacha (or about $4).  I told him 1$ USD and he said no.  I walked away, despite his efforts to negotiate, and stepped onto the bus.  From the window he continued to negotiate.  I told him I had 550 kwacha and that's all.  After his numerous efforts to glean more money from me proved fruitless he finally consented.  They also asked for empty bottles.  There is a 25 kwacha deposit they get back for glass bottles but they get nothing for plastic bottles.  They use plastic bottled to hold water they have to pump from wells.   I was happy to give them the empty bottles I had on the bus.  The Fat Fuck...oops, I mean, "FF" was a complete bitch (go figure) when I asked if she had any empties.  She replied, "I already paid my deposit on this".  God forbid this bitch looses out on 25 kwacha (~$0.06 USD) and can't afford to fund her addiction to 7-Up and potato chips...I mean she does go through enough of that just to be classified as a starved pig.  I wish I could just punch her in her snout...

Chitimba Camp, Malawi

OK, DEEP BREATHING......better now, but she's still a FF.

We're back on the road and it 10:30--on our way to Chitimba, Malawi, which is along the northern tip of Lake Malawi.  The lake is ~600 km long.  We arrived at camp just before 2 and it was very hot.  We ate lunch, which was only bread, butter, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Market Outside Chitimba Camp, Malawi

I took a walk into town to a local market with Sonia, Ann Marie, and Cara.  It was very poor.  They were selling secondhand clothing, afro picks, tobacco, peanuts, and various other products.  It was in a field and all the products were on the ground.  They were also selling hair straightener that was premixed and in a large plastic barrel.  Sonia and Cara were saying how non-profit companies send donated clothing to Africa where corrupt organizations then sell the clothing for a profit.  Apparently that is how much of the donated clothing is distributed here in Africa.

Tobacco and Peanuts, Chitimba Camp, Malawi

On our walk we had children clambering towards us and grabbing our hands.  Many had those large bellies those African children on TV have--they get that from malnutrition.  One of the older boys (maybe 14 year old?) had said his father recently died from AIDs.  This is very common here.  AIDS is the largest killer here.  It's sad as many of the children already have AIDs and probably don't even know it.  You can see the symptoms very clearly.  The ratio of children to adults is unbelievably large.  The adults here don't live long lives and the children are largely unsupervised.  There is so much that the Africans can do to improve their lives, but they just don't do it.  Maybe they are just not intelligent enough to learn?  Cara thinks that most of them just don't have the cranial capacity.  I am tending to believe that to be the case.  AIDS does lead to dementia and malnutrition also has grave effects.  Also, malnutrition during pregnancy seems to have a significant impact here as well.  I can go into detail later, but it's VERY EVIDENT that MONEY is NOT the bottleneck for improvement in conditions in Africa.

Cara and I Walk Back to Camp With Local Children, Chitimba, Malawi

Ad for "Pot" Outside Camp, Chitimba, Malawi

On the way back to the camp site Cara and I decided to try to local cuisine and paid a local $5 to cook up some type of fried fish and chips from the casaba plant.  He delivered it to our camp a few hours later, it was ok.  Thankfully Godfrey cooked up a feast.  He made some type of vanilla-fruit pudding, which was also quite good.  It's 8:45 and YES I am still sweating.  I upgraded to a dorm for the night.  I have 4 beds but I am the only one in my room.  It was only $5.  I still don't have electricity, a fan, bathroom, or shower...but I don't have to pitch and then pack up a tent.

Tomorrow we eat breakfast at 5:30 and then have to pack our own lunch--since we have a long day of driving and will not be stopping for lunch.  Our trip is 650 km and will take all day.  Standards in Eastern Africa (e.g. Kenya & Tanzania) are even more basic so we need to lower our expectations.

The beach was beautiful today at the lodge, but it was a bit windy by the time I got back from the market.  I just walked the shore a bit.  I chatted with Beth, Cara, and Sophie a bit about Colleges in Australia and some of their drinking games.  Everyone else has hit the sack so I'm going to go to bed and sweat while maybe watching a movie?

Our Accommodations in Chitimba, Malawi

My dorm, as well as all the other rooms, have metal--maybe tin--roofs.  Throughout the evening I heard large plantains falling from the nearby trees.  This, coupled with the smacking of branches, made for a very musical evening.  Furthermore, there are monkeys that jump from roof to roof that really makes the noises quite interesting in here.

I'm happy that I have 5 windows that open because the breeze is nice, even though if it is still a sauna in here.

Oh, one thing....Every place here in Malawi has ONE type of beer--Carlsberg.  It seems that they have a brewery and/or bottling operation in Malawi.  How Random?

Enjoying a Carlsberg on the Beach, Chitimba, Malawi

Kande Beach, Malawi: (Day 7) Dec-17-2013

Dawnk-yuh-val, which means thank you in Danish.  A word I just learned from Debby.  Yesterday was an amazing day.  We had spent the entire day at Kande Beach, Malawi.  Breakfast was served at 8:00am, a delightful change of pace compared to the typical 5:30am serving time.  Unfortunately I was up at 5:00 anyways.  Breakfast was extra delightful as we had eggs in addition to the cereal and bread--I ate mine sunny side up.

A Small Island in Lake Malawi at Kande Beach, Malawi

After breakfast  I went snorkeling with 5 others in our group.  I was given a mask, snorkel, and flippers--which left my skin raw and which I'm sure will be very painful once they start to scab over.  We were shuttled to a small island just over 800m from shore.  This 1/2 mile trip was provided via an inflatable raft with an engine on the back.  We had to walk out a good 200 feet into the water as the beach was incredibly shallow.  After this shallow introduction to the water the depth dropped significantly.  We were dropped at the island and then left there with no clear directions on where to go, not to go, or when/where to meet up.

As is typical for me when I snorkeling I panic a bit when first in the water.  The restricted breathing replicates the horrible sensation of having an asthma attack.  Coupled with the leaky goggles, poorly fitting flippers, and crashing waters against the rocky island entering my snorkel, my experience was an intense one.  I calmed myself down busing some self-reassuring techniques.  I decided I would at least swim around the island, while others had decided to jump off the cliffs on the island.  It took a bit more time than I had anticipated to swim around--the current and waves were much more intense on the far side of the island.  Haha, "Far Side of the Island"--I imagine this would be the resulting album if Dave Gilmore and Jimmy Buffet formed a band, maybe the "Pink Parrots".  Ha, if you are not laughing to that then there is something supper seriously wrong with you.

I saw some colorful fish, small mind you, but still interesting to view.  Given it is a freshwater lake I had not formed too many expectations.  I would say it was worth it, simply for the experience just to get in the water, but not for the viewing.  For only $15 for as long as we wanted, it was quite a bargain.  I have never seen so much fish poop in my life.  I actually thought they were white worms, until Sophia educated me proper!  After circling the island I was ready to call it a quits.  I would have had to wait at least another 45 minutes for the raft to return as he was currently taking the Aussie family of 4 SCUBA diving.  I decided to swim back to shore.  800m, which is exactly 1/2 a mile.  What I did NOT take into account was the cross current.  Having taken this into account I would have realized the total distance required to swim in-order to return to shore was actually closer to 1000m.  I swam back and mid-way lost a fin...I  told you they didn't fit well, right?  I waited for the fin to surface, but after 30 second of treading water it hadn't surfaced.  I decided to abandon it figuring it would be washed to shore...eventually.  Swimming with one fin made things incredibly difficult due to the asymmetrical nature of kicking with my foot and my fin.  All in all I made it back to shore ~30? minutes after leaving the island.  I was proud of myself as this was, by far, the longest and farthest I have swam, without breaks, and with no life jacket.  Oh yeah, had I mentioned that we signed no releases, received no life preserves, nor were we provided with any information other than, "get in the raft" and "ok, jump out now".

Playing Dutch Yahtzee at Kande Beach, Malawi

Once back at shore I played some Yahtzee and ate some lunch.  Afterwards I went into the village, which required me to leave the gated premises of the Kande Beach Lodge.  I had asked for Goerge and waited at his cousin's 'stand' for him to return with the custom item I had purchased for Kelly.  It was nice to have watched him make it from scratch, cutting, chiseling, sanding, polishing, etc.  He then taught me a game called, "The Boa Game" which is a popular game around the area.  The game was very similar to Mancala--a game I bought from the discovery store in Beachwood place when I was young.  It's a fun game, I'll teach anyone who wants to learn when I'm back 'home'.

Bao Game, Kande Beach, Malawi

He beat me 2 out of 3 games.  Afterwards I told him I wasn't interested in purchasing the game and he didn't push it.  I noticed he was wearing the same shirt and shorts as the day before and that he had fractured his large toenail on his right foot.  We sat on the ground in his village playing the game and there were a few chickens nearby...other passersby stopped to say hello and then continued walking.  This beach is visited relatively often by overland trucks, but the village is set back a mile or so from the lodges.  Most people don't leave the gated premises so the villagers have limited interactions with the tourists.  When we were sitting on the ground I noticed his pants were torn in the crotch and I felt very bad.

Many people in Malawi have asked for 'trade' and not just money in exchange for their products.  They ask for old shirts, socks, etc..

George Holding a Key-chain He Had Made for Me, Kande Beach, Malawi

I socialized a bit more with some of the people on my tour as well as a couple people from the overland truck that had just arrived, from Acacia tours.  So far on my journey I've met an Intrepid Tour, G Adventure Tour, and an Acacia Tour.  I had looked into all three of these tours.  Nomad spent one extra night in the Serengeti, was a few days longer, and had a few shorter days of driving.  Also, Nomad ensured their trucks had no more than 18 passengers, while the others had up to 24.  These are the reasons for my choosing Nomad.  However it seems the people on the other tours were younger, more outgoing, and less "by the books".  An Aussie girl from the Acacia Tour was telling us how they took a cab while in Nairobi and went to a local fish market and ate there.  I know our guide would advise us to stay at our hotel and eat there and everyone in our tour (the sheeple) would eagerly comply.  Last night when Debby, Vincent, and I went out to the village for a local house party one of the Aussie mothers (the one I DO like) had said, "why go out there, it is just a bother when you have a bar here".  She clearly doesn't grasp the idea of 'living' and 'experiencing' the African culture.

Sailing in Lake Malawi, Kande Beach, Malawi

Anyways,  from 3-4:30 I went sailing with Cara.  No one else had wanted to get up from their hammocks and I was happy she had agreed to come along.  Sailing alone could get a bit boring.  I rented a catamaran for $10/hr and took it out.  It was a lot of fun, though the boat was a low quality one and the rudders didn't function at 100% (I would say 70%, which was good enough).  I taught her how to sail and she caught on quickly.  We talked about the others on the trip and we both agreed how our trip is a bit 'to scheduled and formal" and that we both had wanted a bit more adventure.  We sailed as far as a mile out from shore and then headed back in--which was a bit difficult with the current wind conditions.

Cooking BBQ Chicken, Kande Beach, Malawi

Once back at shore I showered and got ready for the evening.  Talked with my mother for an hour and had BBQ chicken for dinner.  Debbie had been invited to a local bar that evening by one of the villagers she had purchased a game from.  She invited a few of us to join in, only I agreed.  After talking with Kelly for 20 minutes or so, I grabbed a beer, changed into short-sleeves and applied some bug-spray.  By 8:45pm we were on the way out of the gated area and into the village.

We were led by the same guy that showed us around the village the previous day.  All three of us, Vincent, Debbie, and myself, were a bit uncertain as to how our night would unfold.  We walked for about 15 minutes through brush and a narrow path in the dark until we arrived at a house party.

NOW LET ME SAY THIS!  If I had witnessed anything even close to this scene in America I would be backstopping faster than I have in my life and I would NEVER look back.  Imagine a broken-down house with an unlit yard and 3 large blaring speakers on the ground close to the patio.  There was a D.J. playing Rap music and half a dozen young men dancing in the center of a crowd.  One of the guys we walked with had said there were between 100 and 150 there.  There were anywhere from 40-60 children and I would guess 70% of the crowd was under 24 (~90% under 30).

The purpose of the party was to help raise money for an upcoming wedding.  The wedding was on Dec-21-2013.  People paid 100 Kwacha ($0.25) to request a song and once it was played only they could dance on the dance-floor, but they were able to invite anyone they wanted.  A couple of people had put in some money for us to dance with the children so the three of us (VERY white people) were dancing in the middle of a circle comprised of ~100 local African Villagers.  We were accompanied with quite a few dozen children of all ages...some as small as 3 years old.  Most were fighting over who could hold our hands while we danced.  I had kids, boys and girls, climbing on my back and grabbing my hands and arms to dance with me.  It was amazing to see how happy/excited they were to see us.  After one of the songs I had given a small boy a high-five and then another 10 kids close by had come up to me giving me high-fives.

One thing I noticed immediately while walking up to the house was the overwhelming smell of body odor.  Some older guys (18-24 yrs old) were dancing with their shirts off and jumping all over the place.  There were two guys who were sagging their pants, a few more were sporting afro-picks.  Many had their shirts off and I was temped to follow suit--it was hot--but I kept it on.  After about an hour of dancing with the children and talking with some of the local guys we left.  We walked to the beach with some drums and played the drums along the waterfront for a while.  The others had ordered some local beers, but I was dosing off and went to bed around 10:45.  I passed out right away.

I had noticed that many of the young adults (mostly boys) were keeping the children in line.  It was very dark and I couldn't make out any of the faces from a distance farther than 5 feet.  It was quite the experience, possibly the best one on my trip so far.  Debbie had agreed.

Standing Next to a Hand Carved Malawi Chair in Kande Beach, Malawi