by Red

88 – Soaking in the Swahili Culture

Mon 22nd Feb, Ferry to Mainland Dar, Tanzania
I woke up early and spent a great chunk of the morning walking around Stone Town and taking in the architecture. The streets and alleys were in close proximity of each other, and each one of the buildings had intricately decorated wooden doors, some of them seemingly too grand for the humble houses they lead into.

Then i sorted out my ferry tickets back to the mainland. I decided to stay only 2 days here since I want to reach Lamu before the 26th, and also because it was a bit silly walking about the city with no electricity. Staying in a hotel without light and fan was one thing, but as i was later to discover, visiting musuems and squinting at exhibits because they were not lighted up as they were supposed to be, can get annoying. Hence, i decided i would probably enjoy myself elsewhere along the coast, where hopefully it is not too hot!

Next, as mentioned, i made my way to Beit Al-Ajaib, which is the museum “of wonders”. The entry  was 3500 TSH and well worth it. I realised after Egypt’s museum that i like museums, and can easily spend hours in one. This one was no different. The inside had a large replica of an old Swahili boat, mtwempe (or something), that was reconstructed in the middle of the building. Elsewhere, the Swahili history, culture and travels were recreated as exhibits and informative entries. The first floor was all about the dhow routes, travels up and along the indian ocean, as well as the swahili dress, lifestyle, festivals, food. I especially liked the bit where the link in history between cultures meant that 25% of the Swahili language is of arabic origin, mostly modified, and even some comparisons with Swahili and portugese. Like flag is bendera in swahili, and bandeira in portugese. I add mine mentally to the list: Bendera is flag in malay as well! There’s something to learn from here. Others: Pump is bomba in both Swahili and Portugese, while in malay bomba is fireman/fire brigade. Table is mesa in Swahili and Portugese, and meja in Malay. Fascinating indeed.

The other thing of note are the doors and plaques in the building. Inscribed with the names of God, the doors were really grand and a sight to behold. These wooden doors were carved in exquisite detail on every available space. And since it was not a boring flat door, but layered with arches, there was arabic inscriptions on the inner wall and the underside of the arch as well, which i only noticed when i took photos in the light.

Upstairs on the 2nd floor was an exhibition about Sayidda Salme, a Zanzibari princess who wrote a books about her experiences as a princess living in Zanzibar, and later about letters home, when she moved to Germany with her husband. Her point of view was interesting because it was the first from a local perspective, since all other accounts of the island prior to that were those of European visitors.

The third floor lead to the balcony, upon which i could see brilliant views of the sea, the forodhani garden, and the old fort below. I then made my way to the impressive Ijumaa Mosque, renovated many times in history, most recently with Dubai contribution. Being muslim helped and i remained in the mosque after commual Asar prayers, taking pictures of the mihrab and the interior.

After grabbing some street food for dinner, i wasnt’ sure what it was. Looks like grilled satay meat in hot potato soup, but it tastes delicious (1000 TSH), i picked up my bag and made my way to the ferry terminal (tix was 20 USD). This time though, the VIP lounge had air con on, and dimly lighted. I slept well on the couch, even though i was blighted by the noisy tv blaring over the speakers directly above me. It was a night boat, we got in at 8pm, i got comfortable and slept, probably the boat left around 9.30pm, and somehow we reached mainland only at 6am. How this was possible, the boat here took 3.5 hours for the same distance, i never knew.

in Africa / Tanzania 2 comments
 by Red

87 – Zanzibar (the places just gets more and more exotic!)

Sun 21st Feb, Haven Guesthouse, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Zanzibar, the name brings to mind other similarly mythical sounding places like Timbuktu (that exists too!). The island however, was just a four hour boat ride away now. In ancient times, the Zanzibar kingdom was ruled by the Omani king, who shifted his capital here. It was also on the dhow trading route along the Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to Arabia, to India, to Indonesia and around peninsula Malaysia, all the way up to China. They traded everything from spices, slaves and   jewellery.

Upon boarding the Flying Horse, i was ushered to the VIP section. Not bad, all foreigners by default get sent here, where you get to sit in armchairs, as opposed to the regimented seats down below. Unfortunately, they must have forgotten to turn up the aircon, so the VIPs basically were trying not to suffocate throughout. It was also crowded, locals got themselves comfortable and lay down on every bit of available floor.

We reached Stone Town’s harbour at around 4pm, and it was completely different from mainland. The streets of Stone Town were narrow cobblestoned alleyways. Zanzibar town is built for tourism, but it retains an old world charm. I made my way to the guest houses south of stone town. The Haven Guesthouse was 18000 TSH, pretty costly, as per all hotels in Tanzania i’ve noticed. Also, there was no electricity on the whole island. Three months ago, the underground cable was cut and they only expected it to be fully repaired in maybe a week’s time. Hence, any place without their own generator (like my hotel) would be in complete darkness at night. I was a bit silly and should have gone for a slightly more expensive place with electricity, but it all worked out, because i could leave my luggage at the hotel the next day for 8 hrs for no charge.

The Stone Town itself wasn’t exactly a large place. It was evening so i just made my way to Forodhani gardens, a open air park by the sea. Locals and tourists alike were there, soaking in the atmosphere and the windy surrounds. Stalls were set up selling everything from BBQ barracuda, zanzibar pizza, sugar cane. I must have taken too much sugar cane, for i ended up with a mild case of the runs. Immodium is the best single piece of medication. It was pretty much relaxation at its best, youths were jumping 2m into the sea,

After dinner, i made my way back to the hotel. There wasn’t much to do without electricity, so i just figured it would be better to sleep early and then wake up early. Malaria’s a risk here at the coast, so i hid underneath my mosquito net all night. It was terribly hot though, since the ceiling fan was not working. I tried everything, i woke up in the middle of the night, took a shower, stuck a wet towel atop my head, all useless until i just left the window open to let in some fresh air, and in the process probably dozens of mosquitoes as well.

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 by Red

86 – The Streets of Dar Es Salaam

Sat 20th Feb, Kibodya Hotel, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam is the unofficial capital of Tanzania. The administrative capital is in boring Dodoma, but Dar is where everyone else comes to for everything else. Today’s agenda was simple. Go to the northeast of the city centre to soak in the Asian quarter around India and Mosque street, try to get connected online, and pick up ferry tickets to Zanzibar.

But first, i moved to a cheaper room in the hotel. Less jazzy, no mosquito net, no aircon, and i see cockroaches. What a big difference. The tv is there though, and the hot shower was working, so i’m set.

Wandering the streets of Dar, i noticed the locals are multi-ethnic. Sure, there were the east africans i’ve seen elsewhere over the past 3 weeks, but here were also ladies clad in indian saris, masai dressed tribal people, kanga clad ladies, kids with arabic features.This, as well as all the towns along the coast, were the result of centuries worth of trade along the Indian ocean, intermarriage and migration. The Swahili coast is where i will be spending the next week or so, and this is going to be very interesting.

As for the buildings, they were grand structures, and each proudly stated which year they were constructed.

I cannot find an Internet joint anywhere, the few shown in the 2008 revision of LP have all closed. I finally found one, the post office. Old machines, with no working flash drive slots (i didnt bother asking if i could plug in my laptop). But there are wireless connections elsewhere, i found out later, and i think everywhere you could get connected by paying a subscription fee.

Next i walked down to Sokoine Drive, parallel to the sea, where the rain of touts immediately fell upon me, asking me to buy from their ferry ticket shop. I ignored them and looked for the Flying Horse office, the cheaper option taking 4 hours, instead of the many faster 1.5 hour ferries. The Flying Horse (20 USD, locals pay less) departs from Dar daily at 1230 pm (arrive early so you don’t get squashed). Despite ignoring the touts, i still got conned. I paid 25 USD (LP says 25!) instead of 20 USD. When i asked why the ticket was handwritten 20 USD, i was told 5 USD was port tax. This was true, but it was inclusive! That will teach me not to completely trust guidebooks.

Dinner was self-catered. By now, i am so well equipped i could do a pasta dinner with cream of mushroom. One last thing, the coast is hot and humid. I am drenched with sweat the whole day, and i don’t know what to do with my shirt. I’ll keep on wearing them since changing into new ones will mean that new shirt will need washing again.

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 by Red

85 – Saying Hi to Mount Kilimajaro

Fri 19th Feb, Kibodya Hotel, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

And so the story goes, at 2am on this Fri morning, a sleepy traveler boarded the bus bound for Dar Es Salaam. He read that the journey takes 12 to 14 hours, therefore reaching Dar at 4pm or so, perfect in that there is enough of daylight left to hunt for suitable lodging and get oriented with the city. (2am)

The road from Nairobi to the border was bumpy, but since it was dark, the traveler could not make out the terrain outside. Instead, he did his best to make himself comfortable and get some much needed sleep. This was next to impossible since he was jolted awake each time the bus passed over a particularly high hump. So it was with much good fortune, he thought, when the bus stopped suddenly. He could finally get his desired rest. (4am)

It was light when he woke up. The bus was stationary, and there was a commotion outside. The traveler peered from bhind his window curtain and saw to his surprise, numerous trucks and buses on the road in front of and behind his bus. All were not moving. He was to later discover that the road was blocked. Continuous rains over the past few days meant that the sandy road was now mud, and a huge container lorry had sunked in and blocked the entire path. Other smaller lorries had tried to navigate around and similarly got themselves into trouble. No one was going anywhere. (7am)

The traveler thought to himself “Let them sort it out” and proceeded to read his book back on the bus. He had spent enough of his traveling life on long distance buses and nothing fazed him anymore. Eventually a giant JCB tractor came along and pulled the lorry out of the way. Getting the tractor to the scene was an effort in itself. Cars and buses and lorries had to make way for the tractor. It was like playing those block puzzles where you had to shift the blocks around limited space to form a picture. (9am)

The bus chugged along the bumpy road (why such a well-trodden route was not tarmacked the traveler could not understand) to the border.  The immigrations officers started to ask the traveler questions about his constant ping-ponging between countries, but let him through all the same. (10am).
It was bad road all the way after that, but the scenery was spectacular. Like the traveler mentioned elsewhere before, Tanzania has the best clouds. And along the way, the bus route took the traveler to Arusha, skirting the regal Mount Meru in the process. And beyond that, to the town of Moshi, where the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, loomed in the background, its summit hidden completely by clouds. The traveler was contented to see this spectacular mountain up close (a lack of time and budget prevented him from attempting to summit the peak). (3pm)

The bus company, Kampala Coach, included a meal with it’s ticket price. The traveler stopped for dinner at 6pm, by which time he was utterly famished. He suspected that the dinner was actually lunch, but we only arrived in the evening. It was more travelling by night, and the traveler kept himself occupied with his copy of Newsweek. (7pm)

On reaching Dar Es Salaam, the passengers were dropped off at Ubungo bus terminal, an inconvenient 8km from the city centre. It was 12am. Not wanting to travel anywhere on foot by dark after previous unsavoury experience, the traveler engaged the assistance of a Kampala Coach mechanic to hail a cab. The price was exorbitant, he bargained it down from 150000 to 10000 TSH, and instructed the driver to Kibodya Hotel. (12am)

Accomodation is always more expensive here in Tanzania, he thought to himself as he forked over the 24000 TSH for the nicer rooms, since the basic rooms were full. He had a tv and airconditioning, both unnecessary since his laptop and the fully blasted ceiling fan are able substitutes. He would change to the cheaper 16500 TSH rooms when they are available tomorrow. (2am)

Photos below are from previous day

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 by Red

84 – The Masai, and More Safaris

Thu 18th Feb, New Kenya Lodge, Nairobi, Kenya

We went out in search of more game in the morning, promptly spotting a couple of cheetahs (mother and kid) frolicking on the long grass. It was a toss us between the leopard and the cheetahs but i think the cheetahs win, that was the highlight for me.

On the whole, it was a very good safari experience, having been grouped with a pleasant bunch of people, as well as a great guide and cook.

On the way back, we stopped at the Masai village (1000 KSH if you opt to go). Here’s where you get a villager to show you around the village, and the Masai way of life. It’s very much catered to the tourist, but you do get to see them in their colourful red garb, dances by the men and then women (where you can join in) and see them demonstrate how they make a fire. You get to visit a Masai home, and of course go to the trinkets and handicraft back area where you can buy souvenirs. Other stuff include being introduced to various plants like the sandpaper leaf which as per its name is rough and used for smoothening surfaces, a mosquito replling leaf, and a leaf tha gives the red pigment used in Masai clothing.

Back in Nairobi, got my Kampala Coach tickets to Dar Es Salaam (leaving around 2am, the bus comes from Uganda and continues to Dar, 2900 KSH, includes one meal). I stayed half the night at New Kenyan (asked and got half price 300 KSH for half night).

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 by Red

83 – Game Drive

Wed 17th Feb, Masai Mara NP, Kenya

Today we spent the entire day out in the park. Suffice to say, i caught all of the big five (Leopard, Buffalo, Lion, Elephant, Rhino). The highlight would have to be a leopard going through a carcass atop a tree. This entry is best described in pictures.

The park was large, but everywhere you turned, there were other safari vehicles. However, there was plenty of wildlife to go around, so it wasn’t crowded.

Here’s a rundown of all the animals seen: Thomson Gazelle, Common Zebra, Masai Giraffe, Ostrich,
Impala, Topi, Elephant, Wilderbeest, Yellow-billed Stork, Hartlebeast, Buffalo, Crown Crane (uganda’s national bird), Waterbuck, Leopard and carcass on tree, Black Rhino (endangered), Hamerkop & its nest, Warthog, Vervet Monkey, Vultures, Hippopotamus, Crocodile, Cheetahs on carcass, Mongoose, Gnu, Dik Dik.
 

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 by Red

82 – On A Safari We Will Go

Tue 16th Feb, Masai Mara NP, Kenya
The pickup was at 830am, and i realised that i’m going with Kairi tours instead, since New Kenya does not have any safari groups setting off today. There were seven people in total, a Finn together with two kids, a couple of Brit girls, a Japanese girl, and myself. All come from various tour companies. There must be some arrangement in place where anyone anytime can go on safari by getting various companies to group them together. Finally, the other two people in the van were the driver cum guide, and the cook.

The itinenary is as such. Day 1: Drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara NP, spend late evening on a game drive. Day 2: Game drive all day, we travel to the Mara river where the annual wilderbeest migration takes place. Day 3: Game drive in the morning, connect back to Nairobi.

This itinerary forms the basis of most safari tours. For the companies to keep costs low, they enter on Day 1 afternoon and leave on Day 3 afternoon. As park fees are valid over a 24 hour period, entering in the afternoon means they pay for 2 days of park fees. Also, accomodation is located just outside the park, near Mara village, in a stretch with many lodges. This way, tour companies avoid expensive park accomodation fees, yet tourists are still able to stay in comfortable lodging instead of having to pitch tents in the park camping areas.

On the way, we pass by a similar open-top minivan like ours, stuck in the mud on the road to the NP. It had been raining earlier and the road was in pretty bad shape. Reached the Lodge at about 5pm. I expected a budget safari where we need to pitch tents, but this was a nice pleasant surprise. There were permanent safari tents, with adjoining western toilets and hot water (they say, i didn’t have any during the three days i was there).

Ok, the afternoon game drive. Masai Mara is pretty huge, there wasnt’ much time so we went in to have a taste of the park. Wildlife was abundant everywhere, even in the drizzle. There were Thomson gazelles, impalas, plus we caught a couple of male lions and some african elephants. John our guide was excellent in that he constantly manouvered the van to get us the best camera angles.

Dinner was excellent, the cook George brought all the foodstuff from Nairobi, bought a sack of coal for cooking along the way, and made everything from scratch. I’ll be well fed over the next three days i’m sure, i was having double portions since there was so much leftover food (food for 7, of which 2 were small girls and i was the only guy!)

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 by Red

81 – Fast food & photos

Mon 15th Feb, New Kenya Lodge, Nairobi, Kenya

For want of a catchy title, ive decided to go with Fast Food & Photos, which was as exciting as the day got. Started the day in the internet cafe (you can get cheap ones at 30 KSH per hour, but the speed deteriorates as more people use up the bandwitdth, so it makes sense to go early when there’s no one). Next up was lunch, which was another quarter chicken and chips combo (150 KSH). The “Fast Food” chip shops are in abundance around town. This i must admit is a very unhealthy option for lunch, but it is one of the cheapest and most convenient you can get besides self catering. And the locals are evidence that this diet isn’t actually the healthiest around.

Next, i set out to find a cheap camera. A second hand camera without the cables and battery was around 150000 TSH, last i checked in Mwanza, Tanzania. And here, the New Kenya staff recommended Ebrahim Centre to get a cheap camera. I headed towards the electronics shop, and after some deliberation, got myself a Sony Cybershot older model 10.2 mega pixel camera for 8350 KSH, plus a 1 GB memory card for another 1500 KSH. Pretty basic functions, but that is all i need for now.

I booked myself on the New Kenyan Lodge run safari, which sets off tomorrow for Masai Mara National Park. This was a 3 day trip (300 USD). According to the staff doing the hardsell, the travel was by one of those open top vans, and accomodation was in their own safari lodges at or near the park, which looked pretty decent in the photos. There were 5 others setting off as well, with pickups at the other hotels, apparently. With my new camera, i could at least get some shots of animals. =)

The rest of the evening was spent chatting with various travel people in the place, Peter from Switzerland who gave me helpful Dubai metro travel maps, a Polish guy who’s name i can’t recall now, Charlie the S.Korean plus the many Japanese guys. On a side, i probably got to watch my budget a bit; it is spiralling out of control with the safari and camera purchase.

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 by Red

80 – Time out in Nairobi

Sun 14th Feb, New Kenya Lodge, Nairobi, Kenya

At around 7am, i made my way to the New Kenya Lodge. This was home, i’ve been here when i was in Kenya, and the familiarity meant i could drop my guard and just relax. Today i would spend time just relaxing, i wanted to get a cheap replacement camera, but it was a Sunday and many of the shops in the city were closed.

Instead, i surfed the net for safari options, stocked up on LOTs of stuff (noodles, drinking chocolate, bread, shampoo). I also see many of the familiar faces still here. The Jap duo just came in this morning, after a week and a half in Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu. Justin and his dog were still here, they were supposed to leave in the morning to Dar Es Salaam, but he ran into problems with the coach company, got into an argument when they didn’t allow the dog (after reassuring him when he bought the ticket it would not be a problem). Instead he would leave tomorrow morning on a matatu to Arusha, halfway to Dar. The French guy with funky hair who works with some Agricultural firm was still here, and horny Pakistani old man was still around as well. Plus all the regular staff here, and i was comfortable.

Still contemplating whether to bother with a safari trip or just take it slow along the coast. I’ll stay another day and see what develops.

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 by Red

79 – Mwanza to Nairobi: Aftermath

Sat 13th Feb, On a bus to Nairobi

From Kahama to Mwanza. I took the TML bus, a four hour trip to Mwanza. I was asleep 80% of the time, but the time i was awake, we passed through town after town. Africans i realise can really balance anything, and i mean anything on their heads. The street vendors come up when the bus stop in town, carrying atop their heads anything from bananas, peanuts, fish and other assortment of stuff. Elsewhere i’ve also seen on their heads firewood, cloth, even a pickaxe!

Reached Mwanza at about 10am. After the events of yesterday i was a bit cautious. Slapped the hand of a pickpocket who halfway unzipped my pouch when i got off the dalla-dalla, i walked around the town centre looking for onward bus travel companies. It wasn’t such a big town, so i decided i might as well get to Nairobi, where all the amenities are there and i can relax. I couldn’t find the Scandanavian Express ticket office so i went for Akamba Coach. The bus leaves at 1pm (30000 TSH, 13 hrs) so i had a couple of hours to walk around and grab some lunch. There is a high concentration of Indians in this town, migrants who have set up businesses here.

From Mwanza to Nairobi. Again, more bus journeys, but this time the route took me pass the western edge of the Serengiti, so i was treated to a free mini safari. The scenery was spectacular as always, and i must declared that Tanzania has the best clouds i’ve ever seen. Oodles of fluffy clouds sitting on top of each other. As for animals, there were baboons, zebras and various birdlife.

At the border crossing, the Kenyan border official asked how long i’d be staying, he must be curious as to why this tourist is criss-crossing so many countries in such a short span of time. I had a lot of Tanzanian shillings on me, but the exchange rate at the border wasn’t good. One money changer guy tried to use sleigh-of-hand to swipe 10000 TSH from me, i just got pissed off by all these conmen, thieves and general jackasses, i shouted at them and stomped off. I’m trying hard not to be pissed at the general east african population, telling myself the actions of a few should not determine how i react to everyone, but it’s really taking some effort at the moment.
There was one guy from Burundi, now an Australian citizen, after he fled there as a refugee and gained citizenship after 3 years. He came back to visit family and his sister in Tanzania, and was on the way back home via Nairobi. Nice guy, and i didn’t have the heart to tell him “Hey you, i got robbed by your countrymen yesterday!” Like i read somewhere, no one is interested to listen to your sob stories. “Half the people in the world don’t care about your problems, and the other half are probably glad you have them.”

I reached Nairobi at 4am, together with Acchi, a Jap guy who was on the bus with me, we decided to stay at the bus office till daylight. The hotel was less than 200m away, but there was no way i was going to walk there in the dark this time.

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