OK, ok, it's true. Our stay in Tiwi at Coral Cottages was like paradise. White, sandy beaches almost all to ourselves. Monkeys visiting us daily. Parrots in the distance. Fresh-caught seafood for dinner. Friendly, fat dogs near the office. Mosquitoes.
For starters, it's not that far from Mombasa (where we are again on our way to Nairobi). We caught a matatu to the ferry. Got off ferry and got matatu to Tiwi. Got off matatu and got in taxi. Got taxi to take us to grocery store as cottages are "self-catering" meaning "no restaurant so you get to cook and wash-up." Which was nice, for a change. I didn't realize how much I missed cooking, which I think means being in control of your meals (instead of walking into a restaurant and asking "what's for lunch" and the answer being "chicken and rice or chapati." And, that's it! Only chicken and a starch! Really! I miss cobb salads!). Oh, and then taxi took us to Coral Cottages. They, of course, have cottages right on the beach but we're cheap, remember, so ours was a whole 2 minute walk to the beach. But, it felt secluded. Froody was able to hang out in his underwear at times as no one but the fruit and fish sellers came up to our place. And monkeys.
Yup, on our second day there a fruit seller came by our place and, while I was looking for some veggies, a monkey swooped in and took an avocado I had set aside! Froody chased it up a tree where it ignored him and tucked into the avocado! Then, a bigger monkey (different species) came and stole the avocado from it. Several times during our stay the monkeys would come and visit, jumping from our roof to the trees nextdoor or sitting on the porch to watch us watch them. Twice, one got into the cottage but was easily scared away. Luckily, the manager warned us about that so we've always kept our food in a cubby.
The beach was real nice. The water was perfect- not too hot, but nice and cool. We went snorkeling each day, at first right off the beach where we saw a lot of brittle stars hiding, some sea cucumbers, and a few fish. We just loved being in the clear water and seeing different stuff. But, on day 3 we paid a "guide", Zima, to show us to the rock pools where we were told were tons of fish...and it was true! ****sigh*** it was soooo awesome that Froody wished he had a waterproof housing for his camera. We saw all sorts of species of wrasses and cleaner fish, a couple of nudibranchs, cowries, schools of silvery fish with big black-and-white tails, sea urchins, pipe fish, box fishes in all colors and patterns, moray eels, jumping fish (they hang out on the rocks just above water at low tide and really do jump!), rosey-colored hatchet shaped fish, and powderpuff worms. Just sooo amazing. Part of one rock pool formed a cave into the side of the cliff and we were snorkeling in it with fish below and bats (yes! I kid you not!) flying above. How can you top that???? We both felt like we were in someone's fish tank!
We also managed to wake up early enough (not that hard thanks to all the roosters. Not just at the cottage, but all over Tanzania and Kenya people have chickens. Or, the call to prayer at 5am wakes us up) to catch a sunrise. The beach is so different at low tide as I've never seen before. It's nice to see so many new things!
In the afternoons, we tried our best to stimulate the local economy which was very depressed as there were hardly any tourists. Everyone we talked to said how this year there won't be any tourists, that they won't return until next year. However, we are only two people and there are only so many souvenirs one can buy. I got from the manager that this is the high season and, normally, she is fully booked for the months of August and September. Whereas when we arrived she had three bookings for the whole month of Sept.
OK-just some more pix we took during our stay in Tiwi.
Oh, goody! A video of our cottage!
Sandal Tans!
Shared sunrise with dogs, probably from some other resort somewhere.
Fresh fruit and fresh seafood (biggest squid I ever seen!) for lunch. again.
Froody really liked the parrots. We even went inside their cage for a visit.
If you ever go, you must buy fruit salad and cashews from this guy, the world-famous Mango Man!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
More Pictures!
Well, tomorrow we're on our way to Tiwi, a small and quiet beach about 21 km south of Mombasa. The snorkeling is supposed to be good and we've got a cottage for Ksh3800 for the next three nights (I mean Ksh 3800 x 3). Now, 3800 is a lot to pay for lodging. It's about US$60 which, I know, even the Motel 6 can't beat as our cottage is about 30 seconds from the beach, but remember, we're trying to see the world for US$100 per day. I emphasize trying, cuz we've been going over budget a bit. :-( Worse case, you all get to see us again about a month earlier than originally planned, but we're really hoping that Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Southeast Asia will offset Europe and Kenya. Yeah, Kenya is more expensive than Tanzania.
Oh, the point. I forgot that I wanted to "caption" some more pix as there's probably not going to be any internet in Tiwi, a fact that Froody's not all that excited about. So, on to some pix!
Well, I totally forgot that among all the cool things we've done so far, one of them was a visit to a coffe farm in the cool, green foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro (man, that sounds so exotic. And, I really was there!)Our guide for the day was a 58 yo coffee farmer, Felician. he took us through all the steps of coffee production, starting from the bean and all the way to a cup of coffee a farmer makes for himself and his friends. This is a Tazanian coffee farmer's way to grind coffee. BTW-this was Froody's first two cups of coffee. Ever.
This is the swahili version of fish and chips. The plate above has ugali, a local staple. This particular batch wasn't very good. We had some at a restaurant in Lushoto which was much better.
Our evenings in Moshi were spent on a rooftop "bar" drinking beer (me) or something else (him) watching Mt. Kili and all the birds coming home, from hawks to ibises to egrets to swallows to weavers to hornbills.
After Moshi we went to Lushoto to do some walking around. The Usambara Mountains were beautiful and I didn't really appreciate them until we left, of course. So much beauty that I couldn't process it all until we left. I know I'll have the same things to say over and over and over on this trip. Anyway, we met Jennifer who joined us on a couple of walks, including one to the Irente Viewpoint.
Well, that's all I have time for. Rememer to go to Froody's site and see some of the video we've taken as well as all the other pix he's taken. AND, HE'S ALWAYS UPLOADING, SO COME BACK AND SEE WHAT'S NEW. THE VIDEO WILL BE POSTED IN THE DAYS THEY WERE TAKEN, SO CHECK OUT THE DAYS AGAIN AND AGAIN. :-)
Oh, the point. I forgot that I wanted to "caption" some more pix as there's probably not going to be any internet in Tiwi, a fact that Froody's not all that excited about. So, on to some pix!
Well, I totally forgot that among all the cool things we've done so far, one of them was a visit to a coffe farm in the cool, green foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro (man, that sounds so exotic. And, I really was there!)Our guide for the day was a 58 yo coffee farmer, Felician. he took us through all the steps of coffee production, starting from the bean and all the way to a cup of coffee a farmer makes for himself and his friends. This is a Tazanian coffee farmer's way to grind coffee. BTW-this was Froody's first two cups of coffee. Ever.
This is the swahili version of fish and chips. The plate above has ugali, a local staple. This particular batch wasn't very good. We had some at a restaurant in Lushoto which was much better.
Our evenings in Moshi were spent on a rooftop "bar" drinking beer (me) or something else (him) watching Mt. Kili and all the birds coming home, from hawks to ibises to egrets to swallows to weavers to hornbills.
After Moshi we went to Lushoto to do some walking around. The Usambara Mountains were beautiful and I didn't really appreciate them until we left, of course. So much beauty that I couldn't process it all until we left. I know I'll have the same things to say over and over and over on this trip. Anyway, we met Jennifer who joined us on a couple of walks, including one to the Irente Viewpoint.
Well, that's all I have time for. Rememer to go to Froody's site and see some of the video we've taken as well as all the other pix he's taken. AND, HE'S ALWAYS UPLOADING, SO COME BACK AND SEE WHAT'S NEW. THE VIDEO WILL BE POSTED IN THE DAYS THEY WERE TAKEN, SO CHECK OUT THE DAYS AGAIN AND AGAIN. :-)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Caves, Coconut Wine, and Kenya
After 5 cool days in Lushoto, a village in the Usambara Mountains, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and head into Kenya. I say "bite the bullet" because the guidebook, US travel security site, and a few locals all say that while Kenya is amazing you really need to watch out as muggings are quite common. :-( But, before arriving to our doom we spent a day in Tanga, a quiet but not so little town on the Tanzanian coast and just south of the border. We signed up with the local tourism office for a full day touring the nearby caves and Tongoni ruins.
My favorite part was the caves, mainly because we (Froody, our guide Emelius, and me) got to ride bikes the whole way (8km). It was a chance to actually see some of the area- mangrove trees, Ziggi River (main source of drinking water for Tanga), and villages. It's amazing to me how many people live by subsistance farming and in wood and mud homes with coconut frond roofs. (We learned in Lushoto that most people in Tanzania don't have money but they aren't starving because they are able to farm corn, beans, potato, yams, bananas. Whatever is extra is sold at the market for enough money to buy kerosene, firewood, rice, cooking oil, and clothing.)
Anyway, we made our way to the caves and Emelius shared with us, along with a trio of school boys, some of the interesting structures in the limestone caves. These caves are oceanic in origin, formed over 2 million years ago when Eastern Africa was under water. So, the structures are very old as they aren't really growing anymore. I've never been in such dry caves! Froody thought it was interesting how many structures looked like elephants and lions and the continent of Africa. :-) There was one that "looked like" the statue of liberty and a natural chair. There were also a lot of bats!! I don't think I've ever seen so many bats before! And in the walls were fossil molluscs, so that was neato for me. After the main caves he lead us to a smaller cave to show a stalagtite with a lot of sparkle and structures in the ceiling that looked like a penis ("a big one" to quote Emelius) and a vagina which, he said, when they come together will form a baby 95% of the time. ???? Maybe this was to warn the school boys about s-e-x??
Anyway, we washed up a bit afterwards and got to check out a small group of black and white colobus monkeys eating just across the stream from us. Then back on our bikes and on our way, stopping long enough to sample some fresh coconut wine. The three of us split a liter in what looked like a family's backyard. Emelius said that the wine was fresh that day. To make it you cut off the tip of a branch on a coconut tree and place a bucket under it to collect the liquid. You climb it and collect it twice a day, recutting the edge each time. You serve it right away, but if you let it sit for one day then it gets very strong with a high alcohol content. You can only keep it for about 3 days, as there is no refridgeration and it goes bad. Emelius asked the woman to bring a bottle of banana beer (which we tried while touring the coffee farm in the foothills of Kilimanjaro among the Chagga people; was good even with the millet "texture" and had an after taste that reminded me of sake) and wanted to know if we wanted to try it. The label said it contained 10% alcohol! So we said no and while he went to settle the bill, Froody and I admitted to each other that after drinking about 330ml of fresh coconut wine we were feeling it a bit. Not drunk, but enough to make you go "whoa".
We had a nice bike ride back and, with an hour and a half before our afternoon tour, Emilius suggested a local pub for lunch and we gladly joined him. Yup, we were the only mzungu ("tourists") there and the "menu" was the owner telling us in kiswahili what was cooking- rice and beans and greens with fish or chicken. We opted for fish and had a tasty lunch. BTW-we are eating really well here! Breakfast is a bit light, mainly bread with jam and butter, coffee or tea, and an egg and/or fruit. Or just the bread and tea. But lunch and dinner we definitely make up for it!
That afternoon we waited a bit while Emilius grumbled about the lateness of the hired car and swahili time. But, eventually the car and driver arrived and we got into the sedan and drove out of town to the ruins about 20km away. It was a bumpy ride and I remembered reading how in TZ only about 20% of the roads are paved. (In fact, our guide said that when we take the bus to Kenya we'll know when we're there because the road will be nice tarmac). Again, drove through some villages and I got to see a couple of men putting the finishing touches on a mudhouse. Don't get me wrong- some are very simple but others look really nice, with separate rooms and a smooth exterior and paint.
The ruins were made in the 14th-15th centuries when the arabs arrived in East Africa to trade, bringing Islam. We saw what was left of a mosque built out of coral. Then we went to a "newer" mosque built by the locals in the 19th century. The interior was probably very nice once, but now it was all in ruins. It did give us a look at how the roof was made, supported by mangrove timber. At the end of the tour we got to eat baobob fruit. I didn't even know the fruit was edible!! It was rather tangy and not bad, but I was still full from lunch so didn't eat as much as our guide would have liked.
Travel Day
I'll say this: traveling has been a bit more stressful than I thought. We just arrived in Kenya yesterday via bus from Tanzania and there was a little snafu at the border. Seems we didn't fill out the correct paperwork so had to fill it in and go to the end of the long line. Fortunately, the man on the bus (who seems to be in charge of the border crossings), dragged us right into the office! However, the customs officer was not going to let that bother him, and he continued to help people at the window for about 5 minutes, all the time the bus-guy is trying to push our passports right under his nose. Of course, he had a schedule to keep and a bus full of people who were done and sitting in a bus w/o air-con. Anyway, we finally got done and found a hotel in Mombasa, right on the coast. Today's agenda is to do some interneting, see Fort Jesus, and get a room in Tiwi. Some of the stress comes from not knowing the language (and we'll "not know the language" for about 9 more months!), not being able to walk around at night (sun sets at 7 here and everyone says it's unsafe after 8), and having to re-learn how much everything costs! 2,000 was an awesome price in TZ (less than $2) but not so much in Kenya (almost $30).
Froody and I seem to get grumpy on travel days for one reason or another. For me, I know I'm tired and being unsure of my new surroundings doesn't help. Also we didn't eat lunch yesterday and had to change money at the border which meant giving our Tanzanian shillings to a guy with a handful of Kenyan shillings and hoping we get a fair rate.
But, now we're here and this part of Mombasa is just like any other big city. We're hoping to get in on a group safari out of Nairobi, do some snorkeling among coral reefs, and bike around Hell's Gate before heading to Egypt.
My favorite part was the caves, mainly because we (Froody, our guide Emelius, and me) got to ride bikes the whole way (8km). It was a chance to actually see some of the area- mangrove trees, Ziggi River (main source of drinking water for Tanga), and villages. It's amazing to me how many people live by subsistance farming and in wood and mud homes with coconut frond roofs. (We learned in Lushoto that most people in Tanzania don't have money but they aren't starving because they are able to farm corn, beans, potato, yams, bananas. Whatever is extra is sold at the market for enough money to buy kerosene, firewood, rice, cooking oil, and clothing.)
Anyway, we made our way to the caves and Emelius shared with us, along with a trio of school boys, some of the interesting structures in the limestone caves. These caves are oceanic in origin, formed over 2 million years ago when Eastern Africa was under water. So, the structures are very old as they aren't really growing anymore. I've never been in such dry caves! Froody thought it was interesting how many structures looked like elephants and lions and the continent of Africa. :-) There was one that "looked like" the statue of liberty and a natural chair. There were also a lot of bats!! I don't think I've ever seen so many bats before! And in the walls were fossil molluscs, so that was neato for me. After the main caves he lead us to a smaller cave to show a stalagtite with a lot of sparkle and structures in the ceiling that looked like a penis ("a big one" to quote Emelius) and a vagina which, he said, when they come together will form a baby 95% of the time. ???? Maybe this was to warn the school boys about s-e-x??
Anyway, we washed up a bit afterwards and got to check out a small group of black and white colobus monkeys eating just across the stream from us. Then back on our bikes and on our way, stopping long enough to sample some fresh coconut wine. The three of us split a liter in what looked like a family's backyard. Emelius said that the wine was fresh that day. To make it you cut off the tip of a branch on a coconut tree and place a bucket under it to collect the liquid. You climb it and collect it twice a day, recutting the edge each time. You serve it right away, but if you let it sit for one day then it gets very strong with a high alcohol content. You can only keep it for about 3 days, as there is no refridgeration and it goes bad. Emelius asked the woman to bring a bottle of banana beer (which we tried while touring the coffee farm in the foothills of Kilimanjaro among the Chagga people; was good even with the millet "texture" and had an after taste that reminded me of sake) and wanted to know if we wanted to try it. The label said it contained 10% alcohol! So we said no and while he went to settle the bill, Froody and I admitted to each other that after drinking about 330ml of fresh coconut wine we were feeling it a bit. Not drunk, but enough to make you go "whoa".
We had a nice bike ride back and, with an hour and a half before our afternoon tour, Emilius suggested a local pub for lunch and we gladly joined him. Yup, we were the only mzungu ("tourists") there and the "menu" was the owner telling us in kiswahili what was cooking- rice and beans and greens with fish or chicken. We opted for fish and had a tasty lunch. BTW-we are eating really well here! Breakfast is a bit light, mainly bread with jam and butter, coffee or tea, and an egg and/or fruit. Or just the bread and tea. But lunch and dinner we definitely make up for it!
That afternoon we waited a bit while Emilius grumbled about the lateness of the hired car and swahili time. But, eventually the car and driver arrived and we got into the sedan and drove out of town to the ruins about 20km away. It was a bumpy ride and I remembered reading how in TZ only about 20% of the roads are paved. (In fact, our guide said that when we take the bus to Kenya we'll know when we're there because the road will be nice tarmac). Again, drove through some villages and I got to see a couple of men putting the finishing touches on a mudhouse. Don't get me wrong- some are very simple but others look really nice, with separate rooms and a smooth exterior and paint.
The ruins were made in the 14th-15th centuries when the arabs arrived in East Africa to trade, bringing Islam. We saw what was left of a mosque built out of coral. Then we went to a "newer" mosque built by the locals in the 19th century. The interior was probably very nice once, but now it was all in ruins. It did give us a look at how the roof was made, supported by mangrove timber. At the end of the tour we got to eat baobob fruit. I didn't even know the fruit was edible!! It was rather tangy and not bad, but I was still full from lunch so didn't eat as much as our guide would have liked.
Travel Day
I'll say this: traveling has been a bit more stressful than I thought. We just arrived in Kenya yesterday via bus from Tanzania and there was a little snafu at the border. Seems we didn't fill out the correct paperwork so had to fill it in and go to the end of the long line. Fortunately, the man on the bus (who seems to be in charge of the border crossings), dragged us right into the office! However, the customs officer was not going to let that bother him, and he continued to help people at the window for about 5 minutes, all the time the bus-guy is trying to push our passports right under his nose. Of course, he had a schedule to keep and a bus full of people who were done and sitting in a bus w/o air-con. Anyway, we finally got done and found a hotel in Mombasa, right on the coast. Today's agenda is to do some interneting, see Fort Jesus, and get a room in Tiwi. Some of the stress comes from not knowing the language (and we'll "not know the language" for about 9 more months!), not being able to walk around at night (sun sets at 7 here and everyone says it's unsafe after 8), and having to re-learn how much everything costs! 2,000 was an awesome price in TZ (less than $2) but not so much in Kenya (almost $30).
Froody and I seem to get grumpy on travel days for one reason or another. For me, I know I'm tired and being unsure of my new surroundings doesn't help. Also we didn't eat lunch yesterday and had to change money at the border which meant giving our Tanzanian shillings to a guy with a handful of Kenyan shillings and hoping we get a fair rate.
But, now we're here and this part of Mombasa is just like any other big city. We're hoping to get in on a group safari out of Nairobi, do some snorkeling among coral reefs, and bike around Hell's Gate before heading to Egypt.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Feelings Update
OK, safari is over and we've been on our own in Tanzania for about a week now. We feel a bit better about being here. We know enough Swahili to say hello to all we meet and reply to their hellos. We know numbers. Most everyone we interact with knows English. It's still hard when you leave the hostel and get all sorts of people who want to sell you something, and sometimes no just doesn't work. :-( And, we've been ripped off because we are seen as rich tourists and we even got robbed! The snatching took place at the Patisserie in Arusha, a very popular tourist snackery. Because of this we let our guard down and someone walked off with a small canvas bag drapped over my chair while I was in the restroom and Froody was on the compy. Oh, well. Luckily they didn't get my daybag with some of our emergency stash in it and all they got was toilet paper, shampoo, and conditioner.
But I can't say enough about how nice almost everyone is. OK, not everyone, but a real decent chunk are. And, even though it's the dry season and everyone lives on a dusty road EVERYONE starts the day in clean, fresh clothes. Rarely do I see anyone in dirty, tatty clothing. Each morning shopkeepers or the hired help are busy sweeping the store fronts (with short, back-bending brooms) and every hotel room we've been in has been spotless.
But, sometimes, when we change cities, it happens all over again, that feeling of having bitten off way more than I can chew. Last night, after arriving in the mountain village of Lushoto, I was like, "Boy, all my previous travel experience has not. prepared. me. for. this." But, as my mother would probably say, "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger." So, my soul should be in great shape by the end of this trip!
But I can't say enough about how nice almost everyone is. OK, not everyone, but a real decent chunk are. And, even though it's the dry season and everyone lives on a dusty road EVERYONE starts the day in clean, fresh clothes. Rarely do I see anyone in dirty, tatty clothing. Each morning shopkeepers or the hired help are busy sweeping the store fronts (with short, back-bending brooms) and every hotel room we've been in has been spotless.
But, sometimes, when we change cities, it happens all over again, that feeling of having bitten off way more than I can chew. Last night, after arriving in the mountain village of Lushoto, I was like, "Boy, all my previous travel experience has not. prepared. me. for. this." But, as my mother would probably say, "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger." So, my soul should be in great shape by the end of this trip!
Safari 5!
We had a great safari experience. Once we finally got underway. I know that Froody did a detailed blog on what we did and what we saw, so I'm just going to summarize it and point out a few pix and vids. To sum up, we had 7 days of not doing much other than eating, sitting, and seeing wildlife. It took us a while to get over the feeling that we were in a huge zoo. In fact, I'm not sure I ever got over that feeling. Well, maybe a little when we stopped to watch a herd (yes a HERD) of some 30-40 African elephants, females and calfs. That's a whole lotta animal to see in one place. It really helped show how unending the seregenti can really be. Walter, our guide, was very knowledgeable and Peter, our cook, made sure all our meals were tasty and hot. Some things I learned are: 1. Giant animals like giraffes and elephants can hide very quickly by stepping behind a bush (yes, there is an entire elephant in that pic)2. If you see one lion there's probably several more around hiding in the tall grass 3. Always have the binoculars on you, even in camp 4. African winters means chilly nights! 5. Elephants are Froody's favorite animals.
OK- when most people talk about the "Big 5" on safari they mean 1.Lions 2.Elephants 3.Rhinos 4.Leopards and 5.Water buffalo. Basically, the main macho-dangerous-type of animals that make great trophies back in the day of the big white hunter. Apparently they're still a big draw today on people's wildlife checklist and, to Walter's credit, we did see each of the 5, even the elusive black rhino (hey, some people don't even get this lucky! yes, it's that dark smudge in the middle. if you click the link and zoom in you can make out the horn :-))! Well, I want you all to know that there is another big 5- the big 5 pounds you gain on safari! My clothes still fit, thank goodness, but they do a good job of feeding you on a safari! This is true of all the companies we saw. The food is tasty, you aren't allowed out of the car (unless you set up a walking safari) and you aren't allowed out of the campsite.
Anyway, now the safari is done and we're still amazed by all that we saw during those days. Man, I wish the internet was faster, because then I'd point out more pix: lions eating water buffalo and gazelle, morning and evening at the hippo pool, marsh eagles with fluffy white babies, giraffes, rock hyraxes, and more!
OK- when most people talk about the "Big 5" on safari they mean 1.Lions 2.Elephants 3.Rhinos 4.Leopards and 5.Water buffalo. Basically, the main macho-dangerous-type of animals that make great trophies back in the day of the big white hunter. Apparently they're still a big draw today on people's wildlife checklist and, to Walter's credit, we did see each of the 5, even the elusive black rhino (hey, some people don't even get this lucky! yes, it's that dark smudge in the middle. if you click the link and zoom in you can make out the horn :-))! Well, I want you all to know that there is another big 5- the big 5 pounds you gain on safari! My clothes still fit, thank goodness, but they do a good job of feeding you on a safari! This is true of all the companies we saw. The food is tasty, you aren't allowed out of the car (unless you set up a walking safari) and you aren't allowed out of the campsite.
Anyway, now the safari is done and we're still amazed by all that we saw during those days. Man, I wish the internet was faster, because then I'd point out more pix: lions eating water buffalo and gazelle, morning and evening at the hippo pool, marsh eagles with fluffy white babies, giraffes, rock hyraxes, and more!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Dar to Arusha
From Dar to Arusha
According to the guidebook and bus office, the ride from Dar es Salaam to Arusha is about 10 hours, so e left Sunday mornng at 8:30, expecting to arrive around 7pm in Arusha here we ould someho fnd a taxi to take us to our hotel- Sakina Camp. Then, our safari guide ould pick us up at our hotel. Sounds easy enough, right?
ell, about two hours outside of Dar the bus broke don. Somethiing as up ith the gears and the bus driver sad t ould be at least 2 hours for the part to get there from town and another half hour to fx it. At least he managed to limp into a gas station that was next to a restaurant and toilets! Froody and had drnks and food at the restaurant, used the toilets a couple of tmes, and had no choice but to ait patiently as the 2 hours turned nto 3 hours turned into 5 hours before the bus as fixed! So, it was about midnight when e arrived in Arusha (arrgh! Don't walk around town after dark!!) and not only us but every tourist as a bit concerned about gettng taxs and places to sleep. Fortunaqtely a oman from Maryland as returnng to Arusha to visitr some famly and she and her brothers (some big men!) got Froody and I and a couple of Brits a taxi to take us to a hotel. Sadly, not our cheap hostel/campsite but a really nice hotel here one of the Brits had a reservation and he had managed to call ahead and tell them about hs late arrival (something we tred to do but failed, as the phone numbers we had ddn't ork). So, e got a private double but paid about 3x more money than e had planned, but didn't care b/c no we could sleep! And, breakfast was included!
Only problem was that now we had to alert the safar company that e eren't at Sakina CAmp but at the Arusha Cron! Man, this trip, especially now, has made it clear that we could really use a cell phone. :-( Luckly, Monday morning, the receptionst let us use his phone, after e alked don a block to buy a phone card, to call the emergency number to our safari company and let them kno where we were.
*sorry for bad typing, but still on same compy. Also, no pix as Froody is still uploading them. Try checking his site for a ton of pix!
According to the guidebook and bus office, the ride from Dar es Salaam to Arusha is about 10 hours, so e left Sunday mornng at 8:30, expecting to arrive around 7pm in Arusha here we ould someho fnd a taxi to take us to our hotel- Sakina Camp. Then, our safari guide ould pick us up at our hotel. Sounds easy enough, right?
ell, about two hours outside of Dar the bus broke don. Somethiing as up ith the gears and the bus driver sad t ould be at least 2 hours for the part to get there from town and another half hour to fx it. At least he managed to limp into a gas station that was next to a restaurant and toilets! Froody and had drnks and food at the restaurant, used the toilets a couple of tmes, and had no choice but to ait patiently as the 2 hours turned nto 3 hours turned into 5 hours before the bus as fixed! So, it was about midnight when e arrived in Arusha (arrgh! Don't walk around town after dark!!) and not only us but every tourist as a bit concerned about gettng taxs and places to sleep. Fortunaqtely a oman from Maryland as returnng to Arusha to visitr some famly and she and her brothers (some big men!) got Froody and I and a couple of Brits a taxi to take us to a hotel. Sadly, not our cheap hostel/campsite but a really nice hotel here one of the Brits had a reservation and he had managed to call ahead and tell them about hs late arrival (something we tred to do but failed, as the phone numbers we had ddn't ork). So, e got a private double but paid about 3x more money than e had planned, but didn't care b/c no we could sleep! And, breakfast was included!
Only problem was that now we had to alert the safar company that e eren't at Sakina CAmp but at the Arusha Cron! Man, this trip, especially now, has made it clear that we could really use a cell phone. :-( Luckly, Monday morning, the receptionst let us use his phone, after e alked don a block to buy a phone card, to call the emergency number to our safari company and let them kno where we were.
*sorry for bad typing, but still on same compy. Also, no pix as Froody is still uploading them. Try checking his site for a ton of pix!
Dar es Salaam
*there will be typos in this post, as am using publc compy wth bad keyboard*:-)
Arrved n Dar es Salaam on a Friday afternoon. We sat next to a young man ho, of course, lves in Tanzania. He was very nice and taught us a few phrases in Swahili- ho are you? and I am fine. And,just like he said, very one e've sad ths to has been very happy to see that e aer trying to learn their language. Predictably, ther englsh is ay better than our Swahili, and I think t6hat Tanzanian people are very friendly naturally,k but they really appreciated our efforts to speak Swalhil.
Had no problem fndng a taxi. In fact, the taxi driver found us! He even let us stop at an ATM b/c we had no Tanzanian shillngs ith whch to pay him. Found out later he overcharged us (Tsh25,000! ~ US$20) by about Tsh10,000, but was nothing compared to hat another tourist was charged for the same distance- Tsh 60,000 so I gtuess we ere lucky.
Our hotel as just what the tripadvisor sais: no frills but clean and ith AC. AFter settlng in we alked about town, down our dirt alley, said 'no' poltely to many "touts" selling us taxi rdes, safais, and foods. Got out more money as the hotel anted us to pay in cash only and bought water. E got 6L for 1000 (our best deal yet), but we only had 10,000 bills, so the guy behind the counter had to leave the store to break the bill and give us our change. Then, exhausted from our red-eye flght and all the strangeness of a third orld country, e took a nap.
Woke up and decded to try a nearby restaurant for dinner. Luckily, not only was it recommended by the guidebook but it as on the hotel map as ell. It as very close so Froody and I decided to walk it, agan tellng all ho asked that we didn't need a taxi. When e got in and the waiter asked us for our order, I just said, basically, that "I'll hjave hat he's havng," hich turned out to be hole grilled fsh and chapati bread (did not eat the small garnish/salad of fresh veg, as every ebsite advises not to eat any produce if you didn't peel it or if it's uncooked). Froody ordered chcken masala hch arrved about 20min after my fish and was good but not as tasty as my fish. I messily told the aiter that the food as good, and he smled for the first time and sad "thank you" in Swahili.
Dinner over, e hurried back to the hotel, literally, as everyone from the guidebook, internet, young man, and taxi driver all told us that hile Dar is very safe durng the day DO NOT WALK ABOUT AT NIGHT. I will admt to you all that when e ere n bed that nght, lights off, Froody next to me, I broke down and started crying. I as so tired and Tanzania is so very different from everything I've ever experienced, even more so than Mexico, that I was overhelmed. In fact, for the frst couple of days e both had the "What-the-heck-did-we-get-ourselves-into?" syndrome. Luckily, the cure as fast approaching- our safari on MOnday.
Arrved n Dar es Salaam on a Friday afternoon. We sat next to a young man ho, of course, lves in Tanzania. He was very nice and taught us a few phrases in Swahili- ho are you? and I am fine. And,just like he said, very one e've sad ths to has been very happy to see that e aer trying to learn their language. Predictably, ther englsh is ay better than our Swahili, and I think t6hat Tanzanian people are very friendly naturally,k but they really appreciated our efforts to speak Swalhil.
Had no problem fndng a taxi. In fact, the taxi driver found us! He even let us stop at an ATM b/c we had no Tanzanian shillngs ith whch to pay him. Found out later he overcharged us (Tsh25,000! ~ US$20) by about Tsh10,000, but was nothing compared to hat another tourist was charged for the same distance- Tsh 60,000 so I gtuess we ere lucky.
Our hotel as just what the tripadvisor sais: no frills but clean and ith AC. AFter settlng in we alked about town, down our dirt alley, said 'no' poltely to many "touts" selling us taxi rdes, safais, and foods. Got out more money as the hotel anted us to pay in cash only and bought water. E got 6L for 1000 (our best deal yet), but we only had 10,000 bills, so the guy behind the counter had to leave the store to break the bill and give us our change. Then, exhausted from our red-eye flght and all the strangeness of a third orld country, e took a nap.
Woke up and decded to try a nearby restaurant for dinner. Luckily, not only was it recommended by the guidebook but it as on the hotel map as ell. It as very close so Froody and I decided to walk it, agan tellng all ho asked that we didn't need a taxi. When e got in and the waiter asked us for our order, I just said, basically, that "I'll hjave hat he's havng," hich turned out to be hole grilled fsh and chapati bread (did not eat the small garnish/salad of fresh veg, as every ebsite advises not to eat any produce if you didn't peel it or if it's uncooked). Froody ordered chcken masala hch arrved about 20min after my fish and was good but not as tasty as my fish. I messily told the aiter that the food as good, and he smled for the first time and sad "thank you" in Swahili.
Dinner over, e hurried back to the hotel, literally, as everyone from the guidebook, internet, young man, and taxi driver all told us that hile Dar is very safe durng the day DO NOT WALK ABOUT AT NIGHT. I will admt to you all that when e ere n bed that nght, lights off, Froody next to me, I broke down and started crying. I as so tired and Tanzania is so very different from everything I've ever experienced, even more so than Mexico, that I was overhelmed. In fact, for the frst couple of days e both had the "What-the-heck-did-we-get-ourselves-into?" syndrome. Luckily, the cure as fast approaching- our safari on MOnday.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Munich to Dar
*sorry, no pix links today slow internet*
What can I say about Munich? It really is all we've seen of Germany, and really it's Bavaria which is like another country in and of itself with a long history and its own language.
Tim has said he's sorry to leave Muenchen so soon and I agree. Having no idea what to expect we were taken aback by how much there is to see here. The people are friendly, proud, yet relaxed. Tristian and Andy both warned us that there was nothing to do and no nightlife in Munich and I'm glad to find that they were right. :-) However, we had no problem filling up our short time here: checking out the rathaus (new town hall), climbing the tower in St. Peterkirche, strolling through viturelien markt, touring neuschwanstein castle, and, of course, wandering around the city admiring the architecture and various cultural differences. In the evenings we found ourselves in fairly nice restaurants eating tasty food. However, it wasn't until last night and this afternoon that we finally tasted real "german" food. Turns out, Bavarians love pizza and italian food and there are plenty of asian restaurants as well.
We lucked out in meeting with Max, a local we found via couchsurfing.com. He was kind enough to squeeze us in his busy schedule: in between school and girlfriend time. Though we could only meet for half an hour, he related much on the history of Bavaria as well as, what he called, a very important piece of Munich- Oedeonplatz. He told us about four very influential Bavarian kings, the promise made between King Maximillian I and Holy Mary, and the story behind the pretzel.
Today, our final full day, was spent doing more last minute errands. We ended our day at the English Garden, the largest city park in Germany and ate an early dinner by the Chinese Pagoda, a gift from China during the world's fair 100 years ago.
Again, there is sooo much to see and do here! The summer opera season opens soon. Surfers to see at the English garden. Churches and museums, too. I was glad and a little surprised to hear Tim say that he would rather return to Munich than Paris.
Airport
So, this evening we arrived at the airport about 3.75 hours before boarding, but what are you gonna do. The internet said check-in began 3 hours before take-off and ended 1 hour before take-off. We encountered our first hiccup- no return flight. The lady at the counter had to call her supervisor and they both wanted to know why we have no visa and no return flight. Tim told them we understood that we could purchase a visa at the airport in Dar es Salaam and that our plan was to take a bus to Malawi and Mozambique. They asked if we had already booked a bus ticket and, naturally, we haven't. Well, they let us on anyway and made us check our bags through as they were 1-2 kilos over their limit and they said it was a very full flight. Overall, they were very nice about the whole thing and I am resolved not to do any I-told-you-so's to Tim.
On our way to the gate we bumped into a beach volleyball exhibition. Yes. Right in the airport. And we couldn't walk around the beach volleyball court because there was another one right next to it!!
Being a hot day, we were pretty sticky and stinky so after going through passport check we looked for some wipes, so we can feel refreshed and not offend our flight neighbors too much.
Now we're sitting at the gate, which is pretty quiet considering we'll be boarding in about 45 minutes. Oh, this is a fab airport. Very clean and very big and no having to drag your luggage to security and we even kept our shoes on!
Landed in Qatar at 6am and it was already 93F. Boy, was I glad that we weren't traveling in Qatar. Checked out there small but modern airport, complete with his/hers prayer rooms. Took a bus to our plane and then we were off to Dar es Salaam.
What can I say about Munich? It really is all we've seen of Germany, and really it's Bavaria which is like another country in and of itself with a long history and its own language.
Tim has said he's sorry to leave Muenchen so soon and I agree. Having no idea what to expect we were taken aback by how much there is to see here. The people are friendly, proud, yet relaxed. Tristian and Andy both warned us that there was nothing to do and no nightlife in Munich and I'm glad to find that they were right. :-) However, we had no problem filling up our short time here: checking out the rathaus (new town hall), climbing the tower in St. Peterkirche, strolling through viturelien markt, touring neuschwanstein castle, and, of course, wandering around the city admiring the architecture and various cultural differences. In the evenings we found ourselves in fairly nice restaurants eating tasty food. However, it wasn't until last night and this afternoon that we finally tasted real "german" food. Turns out, Bavarians love pizza and italian food and there are plenty of asian restaurants as well.
We lucked out in meeting with Max, a local we found via couchsurfing.com. He was kind enough to squeeze us in his busy schedule: in between school and girlfriend time. Though we could only meet for half an hour, he related much on the history of Bavaria as well as, what he called, a very important piece of Munich- Oedeonplatz. He told us about four very influential Bavarian kings, the promise made between King Maximillian I and Holy Mary, and the story behind the pretzel.
Today, our final full day, was spent doing more last minute errands. We ended our day at the English Garden, the largest city park in Germany and ate an early dinner by the Chinese Pagoda, a gift from China during the world's fair 100 years ago.
Again, there is sooo much to see and do here! The summer opera season opens soon. Surfers to see at the English garden. Churches and museums, too. I was glad and a little surprised to hear Tim say that he would rather return to Munich than Paris.
Airport
So, this evening we arrived at the airport about 3.75 hours before boarding, but what are you gonna do. The internet said check-in began 3 hours before take-off and ended 1 hour before take-off. We encountered our first hiccup- no return flight. The lady at the counter had to call her supervisor and they both wanted to know why we have no visa and no return flight. Tim told them we understood that we could purchase a visa at the airport in Dar es Salaam and that our plan was to take a bus to Malawi and Mozambique. They asked if we had already booked a bus ticket and, naturally, we haven't. Well, they let us on anyway and made us check our bags through as they were 1-2 kilos over their limit and they said it was a very full flight. Overall, they were very nice about the whole thing and I am resolved not to do any I-told-you-so's to Tim.
On our way to the gate we bumped into a beach volleyball exhibition. Yes. Right in the airport. And we couldn't walk around the beach volleyball court because there was another one right next to it!!
Being a hot day, we were pretty sticky and stinky so after going through passport check we looked for some wipes, so we can feel refreshed and not offend our flight neighbors too much.
Now we're sitting at the gate, which is pretty quiet considering we'll be boarding in about 45 minutes. Oh, this is a fab airport. Very clean and very big and no having to drag your luggage to security and we even kept our shoes on!
Landed in Qatar at 6am and it was already 93F. Boy, was I glad that we weren't traveling in Qatar. Checked out there small but modern airport, complete with his/hers prayer rooms. Took a bus to our plane and then we were off to Dar es Salaam.
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