On Thursday, July 7, our guide and his driver took us to Jozani Forest. It was about 45 minutes away by taxi. The drive to the forest was pretty interesting - dusty dirt roads, lots of cows pulling carts, crowded streets, and merchants selling just about anything.
We arrived to forest about 9:30 and we had a guided tour by a well educated conservationist. I never knew a forest could be so interesting. There were several different eco-systems going on, yet they were all intertwined. The forest was very lush and green - quite pretty.
There were probably four or five other small groups at the forest, and we all fanned out in search of the red colobus monkeys. The different guides all have cell phones. When a group finds the troup of monkeys, the other groups find out quickly. I have a feeling the guides will communicate in a similar way at the game parks. The monkeys were kind enough to pose for lots of photographs.
After we watched the monkeys, we went to the mangrove forest. The mangrove trees grow in brackesh waters, and it resists termites and rotting. It was very popular for construction, but it was over cut, and the parks along the coasts are trying to save the trees.
We got back to our homebase, Stone Town, around 1:30. After a quick lunch, we got on a speedboat and headed for Prison Island, home of the Giant Toroises. (The speedboats are basically rowboats or canues with an outboard motor attached. They are not very fast...)
Prison Island was about a 45 minute boat ride away. The Arab traders kept some of the slaves there before and/or after they were auctioned off at the slave market. After slavery was abolished in 1873, the island was used to quarantine people who were sick.
The Giant Tortoises came from the Seychelles Islands, northeast of Zanzibar. They were being poached for their shells. Many of the tortoises were shipped to Prison Island in an attempt to save them. They are also good for the tourist industry at Stone Town. They seemed pretty happy...
Prison Island also has some other animals. We stumbled across a dik dik, a tiny antelope. Apparently they are rare to see because they are skittish and they are so small. According to Wikipedia, they stand 14 to 17 inches... The one we saw seemed smaller than that.
After we got back from Prison Island, we walked around, had coffee at a little cafe, and then later we headed to the central park square area to enjoy some seafood.
The tortoises were fun. The sign said not to feed them, but the guides at the park gave us spinach to feed them. They were very used to people, and some of the tortoises begged for food. Some of them followed us around begging for food... The tortoises had their approximate age spray painted on their backs. The ages ranged from babies to 185 years! One was 185, and the next oldest one was around 150. I think most of the were in their 40's. They are very social creatures... Always in groups and nuzzling against each other.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
London and Zanzibar
Where did I leave off? Everything is kind of blurry... We got to Heathrow Saturday, the morning of July 3. The American Airlines people in London were very kind, sympathetic and helpful. American Airlines picked up the tab for a nice hotel room, transportation to and from the hotel, and they gave us three generous meal tickets that we could use at the hotel or the airport.
We got settled into the hotel room around 10:00 AM, took showers, then a nap, and then we took the Tube to Leicester Square. We walked all over the place and then sat down at a little outdoor cafe, had delicious "white coffee" and "people watched." It was very crowded, like a mini NYC, but we still liked it. Taking the Tube was pretty cool too.
We had a very good buffet dinner at the hotel. We slept very well, and we were able to sleep in since our flight wasn't leaving until 7:00 PM. We had a buffet breakfast at the hotel, and took the shuttle to the airport. We got our new tickets, walked through the X-ray machines, and had a very nice long lunch at a cool pub.
The plane ride to Dar Es Salaam was long (about 9 hours) but fine. We got to Dar about 6:00 AM. We took a little "hopper flight" from Dar to Zanzibar. It was cool to see the island from the air. We were picked up in Zanzibar by our guide and his driver.
We checked into the Tembo House Hotel, dumped our stuff, and took the Stone Town walking tour with our guide, Bernard. It was a very cool tour. I'll post a ton of pictures when I get home. (I have figured out how to add pictures from my camera to the iPad. However, I can't seem to add pictures from the iPad to the Blog. I already have some really awesome pictures!
During the walking tour, we went to a little cafe and had a couple of somosas, yum! Then, we went back to the hotel to get settled, took a short nap, and then we met Bernard for our next excursion, a spice farm. Driving out of the city and into the countryside was cool. I saw several cows pulling carts on the side of the road. some of the drivers of these carts were very young children! We passed by a few huge markets on the way to the farm.
The farm had just about every spice you could possibly imagine. I hope I can remember half of them. Hmmm - Let's see... Tarragon root, ginger root, turmeric, coriander, vanilla beans, cocoa beans, lemon grass, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves to name a few. We also saw many different fruits including bananas, oranges, mangos, jackfruit, passion fruit, avocado, papaya, and apple custard (stefali).
After the spice farm tour, we walked to a lovely thatched gazebo, where we were treated to different spiced teas and various tasty fruits.
After we got back from the spice farm, we enjoyed our balcony that overlooks the pool and the beach! We walked around Stone Town, and ended up at a tremendous outdoor cookout that is located in the city square (between the House of Wonders and the boardwalk). There were probably close to 100 vendors serving the day's fresh catch like tuna, mahimahi, snapper, lobster, octopus, squid, prawns and shrimp. (By the way, what is the difference between a prawn and a shrimp?)
After the even our evening stroll, we went the Livingstone Restaurant and had Tusker (Kenyan beer).
Our day started with a breakfast buffet by the sea at our hotel. Bernard met us this morning, and we walked two steps to the Tembo House beach and boarded our dhow, "The Gladiator" and met captain Pondu and his first mate, Salim. We sailed out to a sandbar, snorkeled over coral reefs, sunned on the small sandbar island, played in the sand, combed the beach for seashells and other treasures.
After exploring our private island, we he had lunch on the dhow rooftop. Then we sailed along the beautiful coast of Stone Town. Locals were fishing with handheld lines as a container ship was being unloaded - what a contrast!
This evening we walked to the city square, and delighted in grilled mahimahi kabobs and spicy potato samosas with fruit drink concoction made of passion fruit, lemon, ginger, and freshly squeezed sugarcane.
After dinner, we walked around and were bombarded by local street merchants hawking their wares. My companion finally learned how to properly use a few Swahili words and phrases which included, "hapana" (meaning no thank you), hakuna matata (take it easy; it's all good), and asante (thank you). Saying "I am very satisfied" was strangely effective when being approached by the fish market greeters, who come on stronger than the Walmart variety.
We concluded the day by enjoying a Tusker on the beachfront.
Tomorrow, we are going to Jozani Forest to see some wildlife and then we will take another sail to Prison Island to see the giant tortoises.
We got settled into the hotel room around 10:00 AM, took showers, then a nap, and then we took the Tube to Leicester Square. We walked all over the place and then sat down at a little outdoor cafe, had delicious "white coffee" and "people watched." It was very crowded, like a mini NYC, but we still liked it. Taking the Tube was pretty cool too.
We had a very good buffet dinner at the hotel. We slept very well, and we were able to sleep in since our flight wasn't leaving until 7:00 PM. We had a buffet breakfast at the hotel, and took the shuttle to the airport. We got our new tickets, walked through the X-ray machines, and had a very nice long lunch at a cool pub.
The plane ride to Dar Es Salaam was long (about 9 hours) but fine. We got to Dar about 6:00 AM. We took a little "hopper flight" from Dar to Zanzibar. It was cool to see the island from the air. We were picked up in Zanzibar by our guide and his driver.
We checked into the Tembo House Hotel, dumped our stuff, and took the Stone Town walking tour with our guide, Bernard. It was a very cool tour. I'll post a ton of pictures when I get home. (I have figured out how to add pictures from my camera to the iPad. However, I can't seem to add pictures from the iPad to the Blog. I already have some really awesome pictures!
During the walking tour, we went to a little cafe and had a couple of somosas, yum! Then, we went back to the hotel to get settled, took a short nap, and then we met Bernard for our next excursion, a spice farm. Driving out of the city and into the countryside was cool. I saw several cows pulling carts on the side of the road. some of the drivers of these carts were very young children! We passed by a few huge markets on the way to the farm.
The farm had just about every spice you could possibly imagine. I hope I can remember half of them. Hmmm - Let's see... Tarragon root, ginger root, turmeric, coriander, vanilla beans, cocoa beans, lemon grass, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves to name a few. We also saw many different fruits including bananas, oranges, mangos, jackfruit, passion fruit, avocado, papaya, and apple custard (stefali).
After the spice farm tour, we walked to a lovely thatched gazebo, where we were treated to different spiced teas and various tasty fruits.
After we got back from the spice farm, we enjoyed our balcony that overlooks the pool and the beach! We walked around Stone Town, and ended up at a tremendous outdoor cookout that is located in the city square (between the House of Wonders and the boardwalk). There were probably close to 100 vendors serving the day's fresh catch like tuna, mahimahi, snapper, lobster, octopus, squid, prawns and shrimp. (By the way, what is the difference between a prawn and a shrimp?)
After the even our evening stroll, we went the Livingstone Restaurant and had Tusker (Kenyan beer).
Our day started with a breakfast buffet by the sea at our hotel. Bernard met us this morning, and we walked two steps to the Tembo House beach and boarded our dhow, "The Gladiator" and met captain Pondu and his first mate, Salim. We sailed out to a sandbar, snorkeled over coral reefs, sunned on the small sandbar island, played in the sand, combed the beach for seashells and other treasures.
After exploring our private island, we he had lunch on the dhow rooftop. Then we sailed along the beautiful coast of Stone Town. Locals were fishing with handheld lines as a container ship was being unloaded - what a contrast!
This evening we walked to the city square, and delighted in grilled mahimahi kabobs and spicy potato samosas with fruit drink concoction made of passion fruit, lemon, ginger, and freshly squeezed sugarcane.
After dinner, we walked around and were bombarded by local street merchants hawking their wares. My companion finally learned how to properly use a few Swahili words and phrases which included, "hapana" (meaning no thank you), hakuna matata (take it easy; it's all good), and asante (thank you). Saying "I am very satisfied" was strangely effective when being approached by the fish market greeters, who come on stronger than the Walmart variety.
We concluded the day by enjoying a Tusker on the beachfront.
Tomorrow, we are going to Jozani Forest to see some wildlife and then we will take another sail to Prison Island to see the giant tortoises.
Monday, July 4, 2011
TIA...A: This Is American Airlines
I knew traveling in Tanzania and Kenya could be challenging. After all, it is TIA - "This Is Africa." I didn't expect traveling would be so difficult in the US...
July 1:
We got to the Charlotte Airport in plenty of time to leave on time. I hadn't flown since the new security measures would put in place, so I didn't quite know what to expect. My friend had a hip replacement years ago, so his metal hinge sets off some bells and whistles. He is starting to get used to getting padded down. (Not all of the airport check points have the X-ray machines in place. Some still use metal detectors.)
We were scheduled to depart at 17:35. For this of you who don't know military time, that is 5:35 PM. (I am still getting used go military time.) The departure time was changed to 6:10. I went up to the counter and asked the lady what time we would be getting in to Chicago. I was concerned because we had a connecting flight to London... She said that we would have to hustle, but she didn't seem too concerned about it.
We are traveling light so we can carry on our bags. The lady at the counter announced that many people would have to "valet check" their bags because they were too large. She glared at me. (I think she was a school teacher in her previous life because she had that "mean teacher look.")
I went back to the counter and asked her if I needed to valet check two bags. I explained that they fit in measuring bin right next to her. She said that didn't matter because we were taking a smaller American Eagle plane. (The flight number had changed.) I said that we did't have time to check our bags; we had to "hustle" to catch our flight to London. (She reminded me of the Soup Nazi from "Seinfeld.") There was no way that she was going to let me get on that Plane without checking my bag.
We got to Chicago around 7:00. Our flight to London was scheduled to leave at 8:05. Because the stars were not aligned properly, our seats were near the very back of the plane. We happened to be sitting next to an off duty flight attendant who was very nice. She told us not to worry, but we would need to hustle. She asked me what airline we were flying to London. She seemed to assume that we would be flying American Airlines. When I said British Airways, she gave me a disappointing look. She said that we would have to take a train to get to the international terminal. I asked her where we were supposed go catch the train. She showed me a little map in the back of the American Airlines magazine. That map proved not to be helpful...
We finally got off the plane, but it took way too long to our bags back. While my friend waited for the bags, I tried to find where we were going to catch the train. There was nobody from American Airlines to meet us. There were no visible signs. Of course, there were signs for taxis, busses, hotel shuttles... I didn't see anything about a train to an international terminal.
I went to an "Information Counter" to ask about the train. The woman there said, "I don't know where it is." Never mind that it was an "INFORMATION" counter. She pointed to a map on a board... I waved down a TSA guy and he said, "Go down there all the way, take a right, down the escalator, out the door, across the street, up the escalator catch the train." by now it was about 8:00. We were not going to make the flight...
We finally got our bags, eventually found the train, got to the international terminal, and the British Airways counter was all dark when we got there. We went back to the domestic terminals, found the American Airlines information desk, waited in line with all of the other disgruntled travelers who also missed their connections and I was on the verge of bursting into tears right there... We had an 8 hour layover in London, so there was a chance that we could get there for our next flight...
It was finally our turn at the ticket counter. The man at the counter was very young, but sympathetic and he did try to help. He realized that we would need to get to London in a timely fashion to catch our other flights. He found a later flight to London, but we would "have to hustle" and fly standby. We got there on time, but the flight was full. The people at the gate said that we could go back to the American Airlines counter or pick up a phone and call to reschedule. The woman on the phone said that we could fly to London the next night at 6:00. I questioned the connecting flight to Dar. It was clear that we weren't going to make that. I also let her know that I would be missing my flight to Zanzibar. She questioned, "Do you have trip insurance?" I said, "Nope, and I certainly did think that I would need it on the first day of my trip." She rescheduled everything except the flight to Zanzibar; I would have to do that. I asked her if American Airlines could put us up for the night. She assured me that they would...
We went back to the American Airlines counter and it as blocked off. However, there were three people milling about. A short plump man with a crew cut approached us. "We are closed." I said, "I need a travel voucher." He said, "WE are closed." I said, "I heard you the first time. I NEED a travel voucher." he said, "WE ARE CLOSED." I questioned, "Tom, what is your last name? Your name tag doesn't have that." He questioned, "What do you need my last name for?" Armed with my best "mean teach look," I said, "When I write my official letter of complaint to the American Airlines executives, I want to know exactly who went out of their way to help me and who refused to help me because you were closed at 9:55." (The "mean teacher look" does come in handy from time to time.) We got the travel voucher, but it was only for half off the Chicago hotel...
After we checked in, we went to the bar a traded war stories with all of the other stranded American Airlines passengers... There were some funny stories... We discussed what would have worked better, "The mean teacher look" or "tears."
I emailed Abdullah in Zanzibar to let him know that I would not be arriving until July 5. Flights to Dar Es Salaam go every other day. I emailed Shafiq (the owner of Emslies Global, the travel company) to ask him to exchange my original flight to Zanzibar to July 5. He went out of his way to call me from Tanzania to let know not to worry.
We checked out of the Chicago hotel around noon the next day. After going through security, we hung out and had lunch... We boarded the American Airlines plane and got to London in the morning.
That sorry will need to wait a bit...
July 1:
We got to the Charlotte Airport in plenty of time to leave on time. I hadn't flown since the new security measures would put in place, so I didn't quite know what to expect. My friend had a hip replacement years ago, so his metal hinge sets off some bells and whistles. He is starting to get used to getting padded down. (Not all of the airport check points have the X-ray machines in place. Some still use metal detectors.)
We were scheduled to depart at 17:35. For this of you who don't know military time, that is 5:35 PM. (I am still getting used go military time.) The departure time was changed to 6:10. I went up to the counter and asked the lady what time we would be getting in to Chicago. I was concerned because we had a connecting flight to London... She said that we would have to hustle, but she didn't seem too concerned about it.
We are traveling light so we can carry on our bags. The lady at the counter announced that many people would have to "valet check" their bags because they were too large. She glared at me. (I think she was a school teacher in her previous life because she had that "mean teacher look.")
I went back to the counter and asked her if I needed to valet check two bags. I explained that they fit in measuring bin right next to her. She said that didn't matter because we were taking a smaller American Eagle plane. (The flight number had changed.) I said that we did't have time to check our bags; we had to "hustle" to catch our flight to London. (She reminded me of the Soup Nazi from "Seinfeld.") There was no way that she was going to let me get on that Plane without checking my bag.
We got to Chicago around 7:00. Our flight to London was scheduled to leave at 8:05. Because the stars were not aligned properly, our seats were near the very back of the plane. We happened to be sitting next to an off duty flight attendant who was very nice. She told us not to worry, but we would need to hustle. She asked me what airline we were flying to London. She seemed to assume that we would be flying American Airlines. When I said British Airways, she gave me a disappointing look. She said that we would have to take a train to get to the international terminal. I asked her where we were supposed go catch the train. She showed me a little map in the back of the American Airlines magazine. That map proved not to be helpful...
We finally got off the plane, but it took way too long to our bags back. While my friend waited for the bags, I tried to find where we were going to catch the train. There was nobody from American Airlines to meet us. There were no visible signs. Of course, there were signs for taxis, busses, hotel shuttles... I didn't see anything about a train to an international terminal.
I went to an "Information Counter" to ask about the train. The woman there said, "I don't know where it is." Never mind that it was an "INFORMATION" counter. She pointed to a map on a board... I waved down a TSA guy and he said, "Go down there all the way, take a right, down the escalator, out the door, across the street, up the escalator catch the train." by now it was about 8:00. We were not going to make the flight...
We finally got our bags, eventually found the train, got to the international terminal, and the British Airways counter was all dark when we got there. We went back to the domestic terminals, found the American Airlines information desk, waited in line with all of the other disgruntled travelers who also missed their connections and I was on the verge of bursting into tears right there... We had an 8 hour layover in London, so there was a chance that we could get there for our next flight...
It was finally our turn at the ticket counter. The man at the counter was very young, but sympathetic and he did try to help. He realized that we would need to get to London in a timely fashion to catch our other flights. He found a later flight to London, but we would "have to hustle" and fly standby. We got there on time, but the flight was full. The people at the gate said that we could go back to the American Airlines counter or pick up a phone and call to reschedule. The woman on the phone said that we could fly to London the next night at 6:00. I questioned the connecting flight to Dar. It was clear that we weren't going to make that. I also let her know that I would be missing my flight to Zanzibar. She questioned, "Do you have trip insurance?" I said, "Nope, and I certainly did think that I would need it on the first day of my trip." She rescheduled everything except the flight to Zanzibar; I would have to do that. I asked her if American Airlines could put us up for the night. She assured me that they would...
We went back to the American Airlines counter and it as blocked off. However, there were three people milling about. A short plump man with a crew cut approached us. "We are closed." I said, "I need a travel voucher." He said, "WE are closed." I said, "I heard you the first time. I NEED a travel voucher." he said, "WE ARE CLOSED." I questioned, "Tom, what is your last name? Your name tag doesn't have that." He questioned, "What do you need my last name for?" Armed with my best "mean teach look," I said, "When I write my official letter of complaint to the American Airlines executives, I want to know exactly who went out of their way to help me and who refused to help me because you were closed at 9:55." (The "mean teacher look" does come in handy from time to time.) We got the travel voucher, but it was only for half off the Chicago hotel...
After we checked in, we went to the bar a traded war stories with all of the other stranded American Airlines passengers... There were some funny stories... We discussed what would have worked better, "The mean teacher look" or "tears."
I emailed Abdullah in Zanzibar to let him know that I would not be arriving until July 5. Flights to Dar Es Salaam go every other day. I emailed Shafiq (the owner of Emslies Global, the travel company) to ask him to exchange my original flight to Zanzibar to July 5. He went out of his way to call me from Tanzania to let know not to worry.
We checked out of the Chicago hotel around noon the next day. After going through security, we hung out and had lunch... We boarded the American Airlines plane and got to London in the morning.
That sorry will need to wait a bit...
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
First Blog
East Africa
Tanzania and Kenya
I'll start with the planned itinerary. However, in doing so, I am reminded of the complications that I had in making our flight arrangements. My travel agent from Emslies Global Travel worked very hard to plan our many different flights. Often, she said, "TIA - This is Africa." Therefore, the planned itinerary is just that - planned. It could easily change at the drop of a hat. By the way, Emslies Global Travel was recommended to me by one of my student's parents who goes to Kenya and Tanzania frequently doing AIDS research. I will also be traveling with a companion. Because this is a public forum, and there is a chance that one of my students may stumble across this page, this person will be anonymous.
Zanzibar (Tanzania)
On July 1, 2011, we will be on our way to Tanzania. After several connecting flights, we will be on the island of Zanzibar on July 3. Our contact here is Abdullah Rashid. I got his contact information from Nancy Taylor, my former Earlham College professor who led the Kenya program in 1988. (She was very helpful in the initial stages of planning this trip.) The current program is much different now, and it seems somewhat similar to my upcoming trip. Abdullah has been very helpful in planning this portion of the trip. We will be staying at the Tembo House Hotel from July 3 to July 9. While we are on Zanzibar, we will go on some cool tours - City and Spice Tour, a dhow sailing trip, Prison Island, and Jozani Forest. We will also spend some time walking through Stone Town, and I am sure we make some time for the beach too.
Safaris
On Saturday, July 9, we will fly to Arusha, Tanzania. Our first safari will be driving through Tarangire National Park with our guides from Summit Expeditions and Nomadic Experience (SENE). (The parent who had the Emslies Global Travel connection knows the owner of SENE. He works with his wife.) That night, we will be staying at the Tarangire Safari Lodge. On July 10, we will spend a half day exploring Tarangire, and then go to Lake Manyara National Park. Late that afternoon we will "ascend the Rift Valley Escarpment" to the Ngorongoro Highlands and get to our next lodge, The Country Lodge. On July 11, we will go to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and drive to its "famed Crater." Late that evening we will arrive at Mbahe Farm in Mbahe Village. We will spend July 12 exploring the farm and surrounding area.
Lamu
On July 13, we fly to Nairobi and then get on a smaller plane to go to the island of Lamu. We set up this part of our trip with Susan Zakin Suleiman. I found her doing a Google search, and so far she has proved to be extremely helpful.
We may also set up some tours on our own to Lamu Fort, the Lamu Museum, and the Riyadha Mosque. (You can read about these places here.)
After hanging out in town for a few days, we will move our quarters to Shela Village which is located about a 20 minute walk from town. (However, it is recommended that we travel back and forth from Shela to Lamu by boat.) We will be staying on the top floor of Second House. (You will have to scroll down to see Second House.) It has a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom, complete with cold showers! Susan said that if nobody else is staying on the other floors of the house, then we can have the whole house for the price of one floor. (She seems to think that is a possibility.) It is a very short walk to the beach. We should be able to see the beach from our rooftop terrace! We will be in Shela Village July 16-22. Shela will be our last stop on the East African Coast.
We have a layover in London from July 22-25. However, my special friend is in charge of those plans, and I have no idea what those plans entail!
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