Nov. 27, 2012 - Cheetah Park, Namibia

Nov. 27, 2012 Cheetah Park, Namibia

We have a long day of driving today.  We woke early and left camp at 6:10 to get to the Etosha Park gates at opening time in hopes of seeing a hunt.

We did see some lions looking like they might catch an antelope.  They gave up and just started playing with each other instead.  Shucks!

THEN before we hit camp we stopped at the cheetah park.  It's a sanctuary for cheetahs that otherwise would have been shot by farmers.  These cheetahs kill their livestock and are a menace.  This park offers and alternative and traps the animals and then keeps them in enclosures so they can live out their lives.

There are 18 or so cheetahs or so at the park. 11 have been captured as adults.  1 of the adults had 4 cubs, they are almost 6 months old.  3 of the cheetahs were captured as babies and have been raised by humans. One of the cubs had a bad leg so it also is being raised by humans.  These 4 are tame enough for people to touch.  And of course, I had to pet them.  They are like  big house cats...big big house cats.  When I started petting their head and ears they would start purring.   There hair feels a bit wiry yet soft.  The cub was very playful.  He thought one of the girls' skirts was a toy and was playing tug of war with her.  It left some teeth marks in her favorite skirt but I think it makes a great story.

That evening we also were able to watch the wild cheetahs be fed.  Donkey was on the menu for the day.  The cheetah park guys loaded us up into the bed of a pick up and drove us right into the enclosures WITH the live wild cats!  They parked in the enclosure and tossed huge chunks of meat towards all the cats.   The cheetahs jumped to catch the meat, ran off and started munching.

The group had a big BBQ that night for dinner. We all bought our own meat and the crew provided all sides and wine.

A couple of us went with the cheetah park guys on a night game drive with a high power flashlight.  Only saw a hyena on this trip.

Scorpions are beginning to show up.  EEkk.

What I have learned:
Predators hunt more in the evenings and mornings.
Cheetahs are one of the only cats that dont have retractable claws.

Nov. 26, 2012 - Etosha, Namibia

Nov. 26, 2012 - Hoba Meteorite and Etosha NP, Namibia

Last night we stayed at a campsite just a few kilometers from the Hoba Meteorite.  The Hoba Meteorite is the largest meteorite still on earth.  It's over 80% iron and weights something like 50 tons.  It's 3m long and 1m thick.  It's pretty darn big.  We stopped at the national monument for a quick look at this huge rock that is said to of hit earth about 80,000 years ago.  It was a $2.50 entry fee.  It was minimal enough to pay to see.  Though it was just a giant chunk of metal on the ground that looked a lot like a rock.

Included in our tour cost is the Etosha National Park game drive.  We arrived at the park and immediately went to a water hole where we saw 4 giraffes having a drink.  The next water hole had more giraffes, kudu and warthogs.  After 3 hours of game driving we arrived at camp in the Etosha park.  We set up camp and because it was cook squad awesome's night to cook we whipped up a nice curry surprise for the truck.  At the campsite there is a water hole that has flood lights on it to show the animals that come to visit at night.  Around 9pm we saw a rhino and baby come to visit the water hole for an evening drink. Pretty darn awesome!

The next few days our campsites will have no power!  BUT then we are in a bed and breakfast for a few nights in Swakopmund.

What I have learned:
Hyenas have the strongest jaw bite per square inch of any animal.  They can crack and digest bones.  Dont sleep with your feet sticking out of the tent a hyena just might walk by and bite it right off.  It's happened.

Nov. 24, 2012 - Namibia

Nov. 24, 2012 - Namibia

We crossed over the border.  Again there was no visa fee to enter.

Exchange rate:  1 USD = 9 Namibian dollars.

I am now listening to Christmas music!  And the weather is no longer so hot.  Its been almost perfect the past few days.  Sunny and warm during the day and just chilly enough at night to snuggle up in the sleeping bag.

I hope all my family and friends back home had a GREAT thanksgiving.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I spent Thanksgiving in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.  At dinner we Americans made the entire group go around and say what they were thankful for this past year.  I think it's safe to say we had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with all our new Africa friends.

What I have learned:
The front of the truck is far less windy than the back.  I have relocated to the second row even though the back seat provided better sleeping.

Nov. 21-23 - Okavango Delta, Botswana

Nov. 21-23, 2012 - Okavango Delta, Botswana

The group took a 2 night/3 day tour of the Okavango Delta.  We took Makoros into the delta.  A Makoro is a small canoe like boat originally made of wood.  The newer versions however are made of fiber glass.  The water is so shallow that instead of paddles there is a poler at the back of the boat that uses a long stick to push off the bottom.

Alene and I shared a Makoro and our poler, Judge, poled us through the reeds and lily pads of the delta.  With 14 of us we had a long line of boats moving through the water.  At one point we came across and open area where a group of hippos was hanging out.  We also stumbled upon a lone elephant wandering through the reeds eating what he could find.  This was actually a bit scary.  We couldnt make any load sounds to disturb or irritate the elephant else he would charge and we were quite close to the huge animal in flimsy little boat.  However, we made it through okay without any charging elephants.  After about and hour and a half of poling through the reeds along hippo paths, or hippo highways as Judge called them, we arrived at our bush campsite.

When I say bush campsite I mean as remote as it comes.  We took our own tents, cutlery,  plates and cooking utensils.  We also had to carry in our drinking water and boiled delta water to cook and make tea and coffee with.  The polers also dug us a hole as our bathroom.  We were to use the "toilet" the put a small layer of dirt over our you know what to "flush".  I have dont this before on camping/hiking trips but I have not shared a hole with someone in a long long time. Let alone 20 other people.  New experiences!

Once camp was set up we had a little siesta to wait out the hottest part of the day.   During this time we went for a swim in a little swimming hole not too far from camp.   That evening we went on a walking bush safari in search of animals.   It was very warm and we didnt see any animals we hadnt already seen loads of times.  Being on ground level with them though was different.  We also got a little talking to about what to do if we come across and startle different animals.  If it's a buffalo, run and hide and put a tree between you and the buffalo. If it's a elephant, run and hide in the bush.  If its a lion, stop and back away slowly, you dont want to bring out it predatory instincts by running.

That evening our fabulous cooking team made spaghetti and we sat around the campfire talking to each other.

The next morning was a early morning walking safari.  We took the makoro over to another island, unloaded, and hiked through the bush in search for animals.  The highlight of this was seeing a black mamba snake slither across the ground.  Cool. After about 3 hours we headed back to camp for another siesta to wait the heat off.  During this time we got the chance to take a makoro out and try poling it ourselves.  This proved to be much more difficult than it looked.  I'd try to go straight and I'd end up turning into the reeds and off the path.  I'd try to turn and it would take 5 times longer than it should.  Alene laughed at me and dodged reeds the whole time she rode around with me.
This evening we went out on a evening sunset makoro ride with our real polers.  We went out to the hippo pond again and watched them peek their heads out of the water.  After that it was just boating around an watching the sun set across the delta and below the reeds and lilies.  Beautiful.

Afterwards we had a dinner of chili around the campfire again.  The polers that evening though had a singing and dancing show for us.  They sang several songs and danced to a few as well.  I love seeing a little bit of the local culture and I am very glad they showed us theirs. It was quite entertaining.  They did one song where then some of them began dancing around and hopping around the campfire like frogs. Hilarious.  They even got some of the campers up there jumping around.  Another song some of the men stuffed their shirts and danced around like pregnant women.  A good evening.

I skipped the next morning bush walk and slept in.  We poled back to the mainland and the tour company had Coke's waiting for all of us.  Soon it was back to civilization.

I washed some clothes in the sink and then immediately jumped into the swimming pool.

At 3pm, 3 of us on the trip went on an optional scenic flight over the delta. This was an $85 dollar expense but well worth it.  We took a little four seater plane up.  They let me have the front seat.  We got to see a birds eye view of hippos, zebras, elephants, buffalo, antelope, giraffes, wildebeests, and a fish eagle soared right by our plane! I captured some great shots of the delta.  The pilot explained that most of the land we saw below us would be covered with water as soon as rainy season arrived. I definitely have to visit Victoria Falls and the Delta again during a rainy season.

That night our group opted for a buffet dinner instead of cooking.  It was nice to take the night off from cooking and cleaning.

After dinner and a few games of pool with the group 4 of us decided to check out a local night club.  This actually ended up being a lot of fun.  We arrived around 11 and almost no one was there.  By the time we left at 3 the place was packed.  Dont worry family, I made it back safely without incident.  :-)

What I have learned:
 Pooping in a hole is very...interesting, but ya gotta doo what ya gotta doo.
The delta is over 18,000 square kilometers.
I'm going to have to come back during rainy season to get the full effect of Africa.

Nov. 20, 2012 - Maun, Botswana

It's hot.

Yesterday we left Zambia and crossed over to Botswana.

Visa Fee: 0USD
Exchange Rate: 8Pula = 1 USD

It's hot.  Really really hot.

Tomorrow we leave for a 2 night trip into the Okavango Delta via a Mokoro (dug out canoe type boat).

Nov. 18, 2012 - Victoria Falls, Zambia

Nov. 18, 2012 - Victoria Falls

Last night we went on a dinner cruise on the upper Zambezi river.  We got to see an amazing sight.  A herd of elephants swam from an island to the mainland across the river.  They would go up and down in the water and stick just their trunks up for air.

Today we went to the World Heritage Site for Victoria Falls and walked around to see the falls from different angles.  On the way back Alene and I got chased by a baboon.  We saw the baboon ahead of us in the path.  I mentioned to everyone that we should pick up a stick in case it comes after us.  So I picked up a stick but no one else did.  He moved over to the side of the path and when we tried to pass Liz go by but he got up and started after Alene and I.  We began to back away quickly.  Apparently I wasnt using the stick properly because Alene stole MY STICK and started waving it around at the baboon.  Fortunately, it worked and the baboon backed up, but was still blocking our path.  I would like to point out that I had told everyone to grab a stick and when it came down to it....Alene STOLE MY STICK!!!! haha!

A man finally came to save us and ran the baboon off.  We gave him 20000 Kwacha for his help.  The best $4 I have ever spent.

Tonight we ate at an African restaurant where I ventured out and had crocodile for dinner! Yum!

What I have learned:
Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world by volume.  There is a very drastic difference in the amount of water flowing over the edge between dry season and rainy season.

Nov. 17, 2012 - I survived

Nov. 17, 2012 - Livingstone, Zambia (I survived)

Well. Im still alive.  I made it through 3 days of nothing but pure adrenaline rush.  That first day was whitewater rafting the Zambezi.  Yesterday was swimming in devil's pool.  Today was ziplining, bungee jumping and gorge swinging.

The Devil's pool is a nature pool of water at the very edge of Victoria Falls.  That in itself sounds scary enough.  But getting in makes it even scarier.  The tour starts at the Royal Livingstone Hotel.  A high class hotel just upstream of the falls.  A 5 min boat ride takes you to Livingstone Island in the middle of the falls.  On the island we walked to a few different view points to see the water falling over the edge.  Then we stripped down to our swimsuits and had to swim across a section of the river with a mild current.  It was no more than 100ft from the falls' edge.  There was a safety rope just in case you couldnt swim against the current.  After the swim we walked across a bit of rock that stuck u above the water.  This rock went all the way to the edge.  Just before the edge however you had to stop and jump about 5 ft out from the edge to land in the devil's pool. OH MY GOODNESS!  Alene volunteered to go first.  She is much braver than I am. The pool itself was pretty deep but if u jumped to far u would hit the current and most likely be swept off, if you didnt jump far enough you would hit rocks.  So with a big smile on her face Alene jumped into Devil's pool.  I was next and terrified but I managed a satisfactory jump into the pool.  The other 5 followed.  Once in we all lined up against the rock keeping the pool blocked.  Keep in mind though that there was still a moderate current and water was still going off the edge of the very pool we were swimming around in.  One by one the guide held our feet so we could peek our heads over the edge and look down.  This was the MOST TERRIFYING thing I have ever done.  Absolutely nothing can compare to the feeling that came over me while in that pool.  The fear could be read on my face by everyone else and Alene and Tom very nicely let me in front of them to crawl out and back onto the rocks. Thanks guys!  It was a once in a lifetime experience and Im glad I didnt but I dont think I ever need to do that again.

Today Kirsty and I had opted to do the Big Air Combo at the Bungee bridge.  The Zambezi river is the natural border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.  The bridge connects the two countries.  For $160 I got to zipline across the river from Zambia to Zimbabwe, bungee off the bridge, and then gorge swing from the bridge.  Kirsty and I started with zipline.  Easy.  I had done zipling before.  Then was the bungee jump.  They changed my harness and wrapped towels around my shins and then around the towels they tied a rope.  The rope was then tied onto the bungee cord.  Again a feeling of terror came over me as I inched my way to the edge of platform.  I seriously considered backing out. I didnt really have to jump off a bridge 111 (over 330 ft) meters above a powerful and swift river.  But my pride won out and I made it to the edge with my toes hanging off.  The bungee guy did a count down from 5.  At 1 I spread my arms and jumped into the horizon.  The speed and fear prevented me from screaming on the way down.  It wasnt until the first rebound that I managed to let out a scream.  By this time however it was a scream of enjoyment and not of terror.  Minus the slight discomfort of the rope around my shins the jump was a complete success and rush! After the jump a bungee guy comes out to get you and haul you back up to the catwalk on the bridge.  This too was a bit scary.  You, of course, can see straight through to the water below.

BUT I wasnt done yet.  I still had the gorge swing left.  They once again changed my harness and clipped me into the swing ropes.  The ropes were heavy and pulled me towards the same platform that I had just bungee jumped from.  This jump had a 3 count countdown.  I jumped. Again I couldnt scream.  On the swing back I managed another scream of enjoyment.  YEsssss!!

What a crazy crazy few days.  Im exhausted and my adrenaline reserves are spent.  Very worth it! Most of all Im still alive. I survived!

What I have learned:
Jumping off a bridge is a terrifying and exhilarating experience.

Nov. 16, 2012 - Livingstone, Zambia (Victoria Falls)

Nov. 16, 2012 - Livingstone, Zambia

Visa Fee: 50USD
Conversion rate: 1 USD = 5000 Zambian Kwacha

From Croc valley we drove to Lusaka.  The capital of Zambia.  On the way we got to stop along the Zambia/Mozambique border line and walk across (sneak into) Mozambique for a toilet stop.

  In Lusaka we stayed one night and had a little going away party for our driver and a welcome party for our new driver Tim.  We cooked up T-bones, fried taters, and grilled bananas.  Much fun was had by all that night as we played pool and danced to the 80's and 90's music videos on the TV.

In addition to a new driver, we are on a new truck. One that I dont really like.  The seat set up limits the space available to move around and there are no good sleeping spots anymore. :-(

From Lusaka we had a 8 hour drive to Livingstone.  We stopped for groceries and the ATM then headed off to camp.  Camp actually happens to be a man's house situated in the city with plenty of land for overlanders to pitch their tents.  Its a very nice place to be.  Walkable to restaurants and the grocery store.

We now have 9 people on our tour.

We will be in Livingstone for 4 nights.   I am thankful for that because it means I dont have to take down or put up a tent for 3 whole nights.  AND there is soooo much to do in this city.

Yesterday, 5 of us went on the whitewater Zambezi river trip.  We left our campground at 7am to head towards the river.   We picked up two other folks along the way.  We had to hike down the gorge to the river.  A steep but easy walk down.   In our boat there was the 5 of us, the 2 guys we picked up along the way and our guide.  Rafting down with us were 2 safety kayakers, one in front and one behind, a safety raft with 3 guys and our food and water, and a photo kayaker.  We set up right on the edge of rapid #1.  There will be 25 rapids in all.  We passed under the bungi jump bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe.  The immediately hit rapid #2...where we got stuck for what seemed like over a minute.  We lost one guy to the rapids when we first hit (he was picked up by the safety kayak) but the rest of us we stuck in the boat on this rapid getting tossed about.  After the initial shock we realized our guide was having a great time whooping and hollering and once we figured out that was normal we too had fun! The raft got sloshed about and just when we thought we would be clear of the rapid the water would sweep the raft right back into the rapid.  It was thrilling!  There were many rapids where a person here or there got tossed and had to be picked up by the kayak.  There was one where just the left side of the boat got tossed, hah.  At this time Alene and I were the only ones that had not been tossed outta the raft.  It seems I spoke too soon when I pointed this out because soon after that the ENTIRE raft was flipped and even the guide got put in the water. He managed though to climb on top of the upside down raft.  The kayaks and safety raft eventually rounded us all up.  Included in our rafting trip was the opportunity to boogie board through some of the rapids.  After having done this I see just how crazy this is.  It was one of those things that you get excited for, but then when you see just how big the rapid is that youre about ride through on a piece of styrofoam and you know there is no turning back you about pee your pants.  I RODE THROUGH A CLASS 5 RAPID ON A PIECE OF SYROFOAM!!!!!!  Not to mention, as soon as I got into the water everyone spotted a crocodile on the side of the river. Uggh. Im glad I did it, but I do not need to ever do that again. EVER.   We had lunch on a calm slow part of the river, ham sandwich, apple and banana.  Then we prepared again for more big rapids.  The day was super fun and the rapids where intense.  On rapid 23 however I got tossed and swept under the raft.  I scrammbled towards the edge of the boat and the surface testing just how long I could hold my breath.  I reached the surface and gasped for air hoping the rapid was over.  It was not.  Another huge wave of water hit me and pushed me down.  Again I had to wonder just how long I would be able to hold my breath.  I kicked hard, hoping the surface and life where close.  It seemed like forever but I finally made it to the top and after a few more smaller rapids I was in the clear and a safety kayak picked me up so I could relax, catch my breath, and cough up all the water in my lungs.  Relief!  After finally getting back into the raft I found out my friends where VERY worried about me because I had gone under the water for so long and they couldnt see me.  They didnt know that I was just under the raft, under their feet.   Needless to say, I was done with the river after that.  I had had all the fun I needed for the day. Only 2 rapids left and we pulled on shore.  They had sodas and sandwiches waiting for us.  Then the cable car descended and took us to the top of the gorge.

Today I am super sore.  All my muscles hurt from 4 hours of paddling and swimming.  But what a great experience.  A total rush and great day!

Today we take a tour of the Livingstone island and for high tea.  High tea is british thing where you get tea and and cakes and light snacks.  Here we will also jump into Devil's pool.  A pool situated on the very edge of Victoria Falls where you can look over the edge to the bottom.  Sounds like another adrenaline rush!

I have commented verbally to bungi jumping from the river bridge.  Im a bit nervous.  But since the bungi line snapped earlier this year I know all the equiptment is new and I shouldnt worry too much.  Hopefully I will let you all know how that goes soon.

What I have learned:  The Zambezi river is one of the best whitewater rafting rivers in the world.  It's terrifying to think you may never reach the surface in stong whitewater current.

Nov. 11, 2012 - Crocodile Valley, Zambia

I woke up this morning to the news that my Texas A&M Aggies beat #1 Alabama.  BEST news ever!!!! I am so happy and so proud to be an Aggie.

Heeeeeelllloooooooo SEC. :-)

On another note, Alene and I have started a work out plan.   We have done it twice now!

We are at a campsite just across a river from a national park/game reserve.  It is amazing to just sit on the bank of the river and watch/listen to the hippos in the water, to see the crocs swim around and the elephants come down for a drink.

Here the wildlife comes to you.  It's just heaven.

What I have learned:  You have to leave 5-6ft of space between tents so that elephants and other animals can walk through without damaging the tents or you.

Nov. 8, 2012 - Lake Malawi

Nov. 8, 2012 - Lake Malawi

Malawi:
Visa - None
Entrance fee: 0USD
Conversion rate: 290 Kwacha = 1USD

We spent 3 nights at Kande Beach on lake Malawi.  The lake is huge and covers the entire eastern border of Malawi.  The lake is known for the amount of small colorful fish called cicleds.  There are species of fish in the lake that cant be found anywhere else in the entire world.

On the way to the campsite we stopped through a market that had some super crazy clothes.  I suppose they know that all the overland trucks have a dress up party when they hit Lake Malawi because they have purposely altered the clothes to look absolutely ridiculous.  If you have ever heard me talk about the "Annual Goodwill Party" we had in Lexington then you know the premise of the party.  Everyone puts their name in a hat, everyone draws a name, then for $5 dollars everyone dresses the person they drew in a funny outfit.  I ended up in a one piece jumper that had a tail sewn onto it. All the outfits were epic in hilarity.

The first night we just chilled a bit.  The 2nd day on Kande beach Alene and I went on a SCUBA dive to see these cicled fish.  The dive was just under an hour and only cost 45USD.  In the water we saw not only the colorful fish but a sunken car and a couple of boats as well.  That was followed by more hanging out on the beach.

That night we had planned for a big cook out with chicken and steaks and veggies.  Just before dinner we exchanged outfits...it was difficult to keep who we had drawn from the hat a secret for so long. Everyone threw on their new clothes and we had dinner in costume.  The 3 other overland trucks also played along and partied with us that night.  Somehow I managed to stay up until 4:30am talking and hanging out with the other travelers.

Needless to say I slept the entire morning away and finally emerged at 12:30. Just in time to join everyone on our truck for lunch at the cafe. Lunch was followed again by even more water and beach! AWESOME!  This night we opted to go out to the local villge and have a family cook a traditional dinner for us.  It was about a 10 minute walk from camp to the home of the family cooking for us.  The guy, named Mel Gibson, rolled our a mat for all 7 of us to sit on.  We had brought our own dishes, silverware and cups.  The starter was sweet potatoe soup. Delicious. The meal consisted of rice beans and stewed greens with Ugali.  Ugali is a local bread made from casava.  They love their salt!  The beans and greans were a bit salty but when mixed with the rice it was quite tasty.  The Ugali, unfortunately, was almost uneatable.  The Ugali of Kenya and Tanzania was much more tasty as it was made from maize meal rather than casava.  During the meal our group was visited by some super huge creepy spiders.  Liz told us they were camel spiders.  They sent us jumping to our feet and almost running on 2 different occasions.  Spiders....eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww.  After dinner the children of the village showed us the local dances and sang a few songs.  They then invited us to learn the dance.  Hahhaa.  Good times. After dinner I returned to the campsite and immediately went to the tent for bed.

I should note, just for my memories sake when I am reading this 20 years down the road, that I came down with a bit of stomach trouble.  But that seems to be the norm when on long travels.


What I have learned:
Camel spiders are ultra creepy.  The creepy is magnified when you are sitting on the ground in a local African village in complete darkness.

Travelers diarreha is just as bad as it sounds.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa, which ill venture to say makes it one of the poorest countries in all the world.

If you ask for a T-bone steak in Africa the filet part of it will have been cut out.

Nov. 3, 2012 - Road to Mbeya, Tanzania

Nov. 3, 2012 - Road to Mbeya, Tanzania

Today was all driving.  We left the campsite at 7:15 and stopped short of our intended campsite and stayed in a hostel around 6pm.  It was always going to be a long drive but all the road construction and the truck weight station added over 3 hours to our drive time.

Fortunately, some of the drive had some nice scenery. We passed through a Baobab tree forest.  Those are the trees with great big thick trunks and branches but arent super tall like you would expect for such a big trunk.

I also got to experience just how well things work in Africa.  There was a truck weight station through one town.  Since we are technically a truck we had to stop and wait in line even though its been transformed into a passenger vehicle.  Our driver did try to bypass the line but was told to turn around and get back to the end.  After about an hour of waiting our driver calls on me to do him a favor.  He gave me the truck papers/identification etc and asked me to walk to the front of the truck line, go into the office, and ask the official if we could go ahead and pass since we are just a passenger vehicle.  I grabbed Alene as my buddy and we walked allllllll the way to the front and walked into the office.  I politely asked the official if we could please pass through.  He asked where we were going.  I told him, then he said just go ahead and go through.  Hmmmmffff, that was easy.  So we walked alllllll the way back to our truck, I told Henry the news and we bypassed the huge line at the weight station.  I later found out Henry chose me for this job because of my tendency to smile a lot.  :-)  Guess these pearly whites are useful for other things than simply chewing.

We finally arrived.  The cooking team set up to cook but had to do so in the dark bc the power was out. That created a huge challenge for them as they were preparing food with only headlamps.  But they did manage to put together a nice meal despite the difficulties.

After dinner I immediately went to bed.  Long day.

What I have learned:
Africans are on African time.  Patience is essential.
There are people that have "squatted" on government land.  When roads come through the govenment goes through and puts X's on buildings that have been put up too close.  They eventually will be torn down with no compensation to the owner.  

My reading list so far:
The five people you meet in heaven
The count of monte cristo
Treasure Island
When we were orphans - I have 10 pages left, but its been the best one yet.
Traveling reminds me that I do thoroughly enjoy reading.  It has given me plenty of time to remember this.

Nov. 1, 2012 - Zanzibar, Tanzania

Nov. 1, 2012 - Zanzibar, Tanzania

We left for Zanzibar on Oct. 28 for a 4 night stay.  We left as a group of 10 and only 7 of us have returned to continue on with the trip.  

The trip started with a tuktuk ride (a small 3 wheeled vehicle that serves as a taxi) to a small ferry across the water way within Dar Es Salaam.  The tuktuk crossed with us and then took us to the large ferry that crossed to Zanzibar, a 2 1/2 hour ride.

As soon as we arrived, a local guide, Daniel, helped us through immigration (yes, even though it is still Tanzania, then took us on a short tour around Stone Town and then to a spice farm tour.  The farm grows all kinds of fruits and spices.  We saw cinnamon, lemongrass, vanilla, ginger, and many more.  We also got a to try a custard apple, a star fruit, a jack fruit, a really strange variety of grapefruit, a mandarin orange, and a few different kinds of tea.

After the tour it was an hour drive to Nungwi, the north and best beaches on the island.  There the 3 other ladies and I got a nice room at Safina Bungalows for $15/night with breakfast.  It was just a 2 minute walk to the beach.  We immediately through on our swimsuits and went for a short plunge in the ocean.  I have to say Zanzibar has been one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited.     It has white white sand beaches and small coral cliffs that meet up with the sand and then the ocean.  When the tide is high you cant even pass along the beach without having to swim but when the tide is low you can walk almost the length of a football field out into the sand before you meet the ocean.  The mornings around 9 where when the tide was the lowest and you could walk out and sit on a sand bar surrounded by water or go pick up star fish in knee deep water.

The second day was filled with nothing but sitting on the beach enjoying the sun and waves.  We did get a guy to open us 4 coconuts to drink for 10,000 shillings.  He had to go out and get the coconuts and then return to open them.  I layered myself with 50spf but still managed to turn into a bit of a lobster, I blame the doxycycline.  Over a month in Africa and I finally get a sunburn....later than I thought it would be before getting burned.  I also got a henna design on my foot.  I love it.   It think its convinced me to go ahead and get that tattoo Ive been saying I would get if I ever did go on this crazy around the world trip.

Every morning for breakfast we had a plate of fruit, two rolls, a scrambled egg, and all the coffee or tea you could drink.

On day 3 Alene and I went on 2 dives with Spanish Divers.  2 50minute dives put us out $110, not too shabby.  The diving was fantastic too.  The reefs where full of life.  We saw 6 sea turtles, a lion fish, a small sting ray, a ghost pipe fish (our dive master says this is VERY rare, he was very excited), and many, many other colorful fish.  I also found Nemo!  Our dive boat was a handmade sailboat called a dhow (or dao) with a motor.  It reminded us of a pirate boat and thus we gave each other pirate names and talked pirate while on the boat.  Alene was "Peg Leg" and I was "Captain Hand Hook".  There was a lot of yo-ho-ho, matey, shiver me timbers, and prepare the cannons being yelled on the boat ride.  :-) The rest of our group went on a snokel trip in a similar boat.
Day 4 was another full day on the beach.  It ended with a $10 sunset tour along the coast.  We started at 4:30 and sailed on a dhow up the coast, stopped for a while to snorkel on a reef and then sailed further north turned around and arrived back to our beach just after the sun fell below the horizon.
Day 5 we walked along to the beach in the morning and then met up with our transport back to Stone Town.  There we walked through the market and then tiny alleys of the town.  We had lunch on the shore and then went to catch the ferry back to the mainland.  Once we arrived back our tuktuks took us to a different campsite.  Our driver and truck where there.  Come to find out the beach next to our original campsite had had a "scuffle" and it was no longer safe to stay there.  Henry told us they saw a petrobomb (a bottle full of gas lit on fire)  go flying and all the overland trucks immediately packed up and headed out.  This is the same place, mind you, that used a gun shot to get people out of the water when it was time for everyone to go home.

I still cant get over how amazing the beaches in Zanzibar are.  Just beautiful.  If ever you get the chance to go, take it.

Other noteworthy items:
* I kicked a sea urchin and ended up with spines in my foot, slightly painful but no worse than a thorn
* I actually wore makeup one night out in Zanzibar
* As we were on our way to Dar Es Salaam the truck broke down in the middle of the road for about an hour while our driver quickly repaired it
* As we were pulling into the campsite our truck caught a power line and and pulled over a telephone pole/dead tree onto a car.
* Alene found a fully intact sand dollar
*  I bought 2 paintings
* We met a local guy named Hasan, who played volleyball with us and hung out for a while, was great to get to talk to a local whom I could ask lots of questions.
* We lost yet another of our ladies on the trip to return home and to work.  I wish you well Sarah! It was great having you.  Hope to see you in Germany.  We also lost the 2 english boys to home and work, they knew how to have a good time.

What I have learned:
* I will never get used to the smell of horrible BO.
* Black people dont get sunburned - im jealous.
* Zanzibar is mostly muslim and most of those who arent are not from the island.
* They dont celebrate halloween in Zanzibar.
* In Africa, it is perfectly acceptable to pull over and pee on the side of the road by a bush.
* Using the side of the road is actually preferable to some of the squatty potties we have come across.
* Along the same lines, ALWAYS carry your own toilet paper.
Sara Sjuts! The sarong and pillow have been clutch!!! The sarong has functioned as a bathroom door while on the side of the road, a blanket, a dress, a scarf, a sunshade, and a cover up when wearing shorts in public.  The pillow goes without saying, it makes sleeping much more enjoyable. Thanks again!