Africa is still so amazing. We have not had to cook since we got to Livingstone so have had about 4 nights off. It is fun to go to dinner and have a 20,000 kwacha bill or 4 US dollars! We are still camping so we are up early and most of the time to bed pretty early. It is pretty hot here so does not feel like the holiday season. The shopping centers are starting to put up the Christmas decorations....just like at home. Below is everything that I have been doing!
On November 16th, we went for high tea on Livingstone Island and got to see Victoria Falls for the first time. Victoria Falls is one of the seven wonders of the World. It also have the largest volume of water going over it during high flows. We swam across the falls to a rock (about 10 yd swim). The swim across had two ropes that I guess you grab onto if you get swept away. Once you got to the rock, we were instructed exactly were to jump into Devil's Pool. Devil's Pool is right on the edge of the falls. If you jump to far right, you would be over. I jumped first and swam right up to the edge where another guide was sitting. No ropes anymore! It was amazing and my heart was beating fast. I sat on the edge of the rock while the fish bit my toes. Once everyone jumped in, we all got to lay on the rocks and look over the edge. I looked straight down the falls while the guide held on the my ankles. It was such a rush and highly comparable to the rush you get when you go sky diving. Towards the end of our swim, the wind started to pick up and you could feel the currents going over the falls. As of today, I would say this was the most amazing thing I have done in Africa! I also have to note that I have never ever seen Jordan look so nervous in my life. She was a little freaked out.
On November 17th, we woke up and went with Jordan for her to bungee jumped off the bridge that was under rapid no. 2. She did great! I had no desire to jump off the bridge but I got a great video of her. That evening, we went on a river sunset cruise. We got to watch about 12 elephants cross the Zambezi River. It was amazing to see them swim across. The locals were saying that only a few people get to actually see them swim across so we were all very excited about it. The sunset cruise included dinner but also was open bar (never a good thing for me!).
On November 18th, we relaxed in the morning. I have been able to skype with Gavin the past few days so that has been good. I call him when I wake up in the morning (around 6 AM) and it is evening where ever he is (around 9 PM). We took a taxi to the National Park to walk around the falls. There were some great views of the falls. Right now, it is low flow. We are lucky it is low flow because we were able to raft all the rapids and swim in Devils Pool but it must be a site to see at high flow times. Might just have to make a trip back to see them at a different time of year. As we were walking back on the main trail, a large, male baboon was sitting next to the path. When I say large, I mean bigger than me. Liz walked right passed him but when I went to walk past, he stepped on to the path and started walking towards Jordan and me. I was totally freaked out. Jordan had grabbed a stick earlier as we had seen a few of them along the way. I backed up and reached around to grab the stick out of Jordan's hand (she was not using right in my opinion and I was in the front...sorry Jordan!) and started waving it around at him. It worked and he stopped following us. Thank goodness! But he just sat on the path that we needed to walk on. A local jumped the fence and hit the tree a few times until the baboon was scared off. We had to pay him $4 US dollars but well worth every penny. Now this is a funny story but at the time, I was totally scared!
We head to Botswana tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to going proper bush camping in the delta! I have been warned that if you need to go to the bathroom, they will dig you a hole! Wish me luck!!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Week Seven in Zambia (Nov 16)
Wow, I only have one month and 4 days left in Africa!! This vacation is just flying by!! I love it and everyone needs to vacation here!
On the last night in Malawi (Nov. 8th), we stayed in the capital, Lilonge. Everything was fine until I was headed to the tent for bed. The two dogs were acting funny around our tent so I knew something was going on but thought it was just being so close to the sewer hole. Bob shinned the light as I jumped in our tent a little freaked out. Jordan was already in so I felt better just being in the tent. As I put my head down on my pillow, I could feel something moving. I screamed that our tent had a heart beat. Jordan did not believing me until she put her hand on my pillow. Yes, there was something under our tent and right under where my pillow was. We pulled up the mat and Jordan started hitting whatever it was with her pillow. It just keep moving around but not leaving the tent area. Bob and Kathy were the only ones in tent city at this time and thought we were nuts with all the giggling going on. Finally, Jordan and I got out of the tent with the plan that one person moves the tent as the other watches for whatever was under the tent. Most of you that know me know just how loud I was as I got out of the tent. So I pulled the tent forward and Jordan watched as a little mouse ran fast to the nearby bushes. Yes, we had a mouse that escaped from the dogs under our tent!! Bob later told me that listening to us that night would be one of his memories he takes home.
On November 9th, we crossed the border into Zambia and stayed in the border town of Chimpati. The camp was very nice and we even got a work out in. Yes, we work out after long truck drives as you just cannot sit anymore! I don't think I realized just how big Africa is! We also got to stop on the side of the road for a bathroom break and to walk across the border into Mozambique. I don't know if I mentioned that it is totally legal just to potty on the side of the road. The boys go to one side of the road while the girls go to the other and always makes me feel like a new person.
The next morning we drove to a campsite right outside of South Luangwa National Park. The campsite and park were separated by the Luangwa River. From the bar, there were crocs and two pods of hippos just sunbathing and grazing in the river. We were only about a football field away. We were also instructed that animals always have the right of way. This meant that when you run into a lion or elephant on the campsite (that was not fenced in), you are to back away slowly and let them proceed. We had to remove all fruits from the truck to make sure the elephants did not get into the truck. We had no animal encounters and just hung out around the site for two nights. It was a very relaxing place. I also got to skype with my mom, Bella, Tas, Kayla, Ryan and Gavin which made me happy.
On November 13th, we stayed in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. The campsite had zebras just walking in so that was cool to see. It was the last night with our driver, Henry, so we made steaks and had rum trashcan punch with fruit. We stopped at a market and had subway for lunch (not the same as back home but nice to have lunch meat instead of PB&Js...yes we have lots of PB&Js to save money at lunch time!). We got to meet our new driver, Tim, and got a new truck. The truck is alright but we still have to get use to it. The seats are a little harder to sleep in so it will stink on long drive days. Tim seems to really enjoy his job which makes me excited.
On November 14th, we headed to Livingstone, Zambia where Victoria Falls is located. They have tons of adventures activities so it was hard to just pick a few.
Yesterday, we went white water rafting down the Zambezi River which runs in between Zambia and Zimbabwe. We rafted thru 25 rapids skipping rapid no. 9 due to it being a class 6. The water was warm and the rapids were huge! It was my first time white water rafting and it was a rush like never before! The entire raft flipped going down a class 5 rapid which made for an adventure. Our first rapid, we were stuck in it for a few minutes just swinging back and forth with one man overboard. I was the loud one screaming on the raft. They were joking that if they could not hear me that means that I had most likely drowned. About halfway thru, I got to boogie board down a class 4 rapid. The board was strapped to my arm, I had fins on, my helmet was on and a life vest. It was something that I never need to do again but that I recommend everyone doing once in their lifetime. It was crazy and the rapids were huge when you were in them! Mom - I think you would really like the boogie boarding as I can see you in Costa Rica while we were surfing!! Another scary part of the Zambezi River is the crocs just sitting on the side of the river. Seeing and knowing they are all around is just crazy as we were able to jump out and swimming around. At the end, we were running down a sand hill and jumping into the river. I got running a little to fast and ended up face planting into the river...I think it is on video. My entire body is sore from rafting and my knee got a little bruised up but completely worth it!!
Today (Nov. 16th), we are headed to Livingstone Island for high tea and jumping into Devils Pool!!
On the last night in Malawi (Nov. 8th), we stayed in the capital, Lilonge. Everything was fine until I was headed to the tent for bed. The two dogs were acting funny around our tent so I knew something was going on but thought it was just being so close to the sewer hole. Bob shinned the light as I jumped in our tent a little freaked out. Jordan was already in so I felt better just being in the tent. As I put my head down on my pillow, I could feel something moving. I screamed that our tent had a heart beat. Jordan did not believing me until she put her hand on my pillow. Yes, there was something under our tent and right under where my pillow was. We pulled up the mat and Jordan started hitting whatever it was with her pillow. It just keep moving around but not leaving the tent area. Bob and Kathy were the only ones in tent city at this time and thought we were nuts with all the giggling going on. Finally, Jordan and I got out of the tent with the plan that one person moves the tent as the other watches for whatever was under the tent. Most of you that know me know just how loud I was as I got out of the tent. So I pulled the tent forward and Jordan watched as a little mouse ran fast to the nearby bushes. Yes, we had a mouse that escaped from the dogs under our tent!! Bob later told me that listening to us that night would be one of his memories he takes home.
On November 9th, we crossed the border into Zambia and stayed in the border town of Chimpati. The camp was very nice and we even got a work out in. Yes, we work out after long truck drives as you just cannot sit anymore! I don't think I realized just how big Africa is! We also got to stop on the side of the road for a bathroom break and to walk across the border into Mozambique. I don't know if I mentioned that it is totally legal just to potty on the side of the road. The boys go to one side of the road while the girls go to the other and always makes me feel like a new person.
The next morning we drove to a campsite right outside of South Luangwa National Park. The campsite and park were separated by the Luangwa River. From the bar, there were crocs and two pods of hippos just sunbathing and grazing in the river. We were only about a football field away. We were also instructed that animals always have the right of way. This meant that when you run into a lion or elephant on the campsite (that was not fenced in), you are to back away slowly and let them proceed. We had to remove all fruits from the truck to make sure the elephants did not get into the truck. We had no animal encounters and just hung out around the site for two nights. It was a very relaxing place. I also got to skype with my mom, Bella, Tas, Kayla, Ryan and Gavin which made me happy.
On November 13th, we stayed in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. The campsite had zebras just walking in so that was cool to see. It was the last night with our driver, Henry, so we made steaks and had rum trashcan punch with fruit. We stopped at a market and had subway for lunch (not the same as back home but nice to have lunch meat instead of PB&Js...yes we have lots of PB&Js to save money at lunch time!). We got to meet our new driver, Tim, and got a new truck. The truck is alright but we still have to get use to it. The seats are a little harder to sleep in so it will stink on long drive days. Tim seems to really enjoy his job which makes me excited.
On November 14th, we headed to Livingstone, Zambia where Victoria Falls is located. They have tons of adventures activities so it was hard to just pick a few.
Yesterday, we went white water rafting down the Zambezi River which runs in between Zambia and Zimbabwe. We rafted thru 25 rapids skipping rapid no. 9 due to it being a class 6. The water was warm and the rapids were huge! It was my first time white water rafting and it was a rush like never before! The entire raft flipped going down a class 5 rapid which made for an adventure. Our first rapid, we were stuck in it for a few minutes just swinging back and forth with one man overboard. I was the loud one screaming on the raft. They were joking that if they could not hear me that means that I had most likely drowned. About halfway thru, I got to boogie board down a class 4 rapid. The board was strapped to my arm, I had fins on, my helmet was on and a life vest. It was something that I never need to do again but that I recommend everyone doing once in their lifetime. It was crazy and the rapids were huge when you were in them! Mom - I think you would really like the boogie boarding as I can see you in Costa Rica while we were surfing!! Another scary part of the Zambezi River is the crocs just sitting on the side of the river. Seeing and knowing they are all around is just crazy as we were able to jump out and swimming around. At the end, we were running down a sand hill and jumping into the river. I got running a little to fast and ended up face planting into the river...I think it is on video. My entire body is sore from rafting and my knee got a little bruised up but completely worth it!!
Today (Nov. 16th), we are headed to Livingstone Island for high tea and jumping into Devils Pool!!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Week Six in Africa (Nov 8th)
On November 4th, we crossed the border into Malawi. The country side was beautiful with the mountains. Then, you see Lake Malawi to east and it is awesome. The lake is super blue and looks just like you are driving along a beach coast line. The landscape reminded me a lot of Uganda.
Our first stop was at a camp site right on the lake. It was a beautiful site and the wind was blowing which was nice to cool us off. It gets a bit hot on the truck when the AC gets turned off (aka we have stopped moving because there is not AC anywhere in Africa!). We have to always cover up outside the campsites since we are white and don't want to stand out more than we already do and there are a lot of Muslims. We set up camp and played some volleyball. Even Henry, our driver, played for a bit. That night, I started to feel bad. I am pretty sure with a fever as I went to bed with about 10 clothing items and woke up with two on with the rain fly was off the tent. I woke up with a killer head ache but took two Advil and by lunch was feel better.
We stopped in Mzuzu, Malawi to buy dinners for three nights and to pick out clothing for our party that would be later in the week. The catch is that the clothing was for whoever we had drawn from the hat and the clothing options were like going to a goodwill store, chopping all the clothing into half, sewing random pieces back together, and adding tails to some of them! The best part is that they were good salesman trying to get rid of this wonderful clothing. I got Bob (yes, my 57 year old cooking partner from the blog before!) to dress for the night.
Our second camp site in Malawi was in Kande Beach. We set up camp and went for swim. The lake is fresh water and super refreshing. Instead of being worried about sharks and jellyfish, you have to worry about crocs and hippos! Jordan and I set up a scuba dive for the morning. That night, I was doing dishes and had to stop and run to the bathroom. After that, the sickness was back and I was straight to bed.
The next morning with a horrible headache and not going to miss my first fresh water dive, we headed to the dive shop. We jumped in for a 50 minute dive around an island. The rock formations were awesome but nothing compared to a reef. We saw tons of ciclied fish, fish that we will most likely never see unless we are next to a super cool aquarium. We have tons of pics because we paid $5 for them to follow us with a camera. We also got to see a boat, canoe and car. Not sure how the car got out there. It was a very nice dive. I headed back and a laid on a sofa next to the water from about 10:30 AM until 4 PM only getting up to go potty as I thought my head was going to explode. I even took my prescription super strong advil that the doctor gave me....that did not work. I missed cooking dinner as I don't think anyone wanted me touching food. We exchanged outfits and Bob got to wear pink pants that had a men's tie as the tie to keep them on, an old man pj silk shirt that he was to tie up. Don't worry, he also had me and I had to wear tights with a tutu attached, a flower shirt and two matching flower arm accessories (the ends of the shirt cut off). I was looking hot but it was a lot of effort to get dressed so I just laid on a mat for a few minutes before calling it a night. Everyone in the group looked great and the trashcan punch smelled good! The night was good minus the 9 PM run, like race run, not sure I am going to make it run from the tent to the bathroom. I am not even sure if I had my head lamp or glasses as I ran thru the sand but I made it and did not have to return until about 4:30 AM!
The next morning I was feeling much better, thank goodness! I watched the sun rise, spent the day laying on the beach, had lunch at the cafe, and went back to the beach for a swim. That evening, we headed into a local village where we had a local dinner in between two homes. It was hot so we sat outside on the ground. Two huge spider bugs went by and we all screamed like little girls so I know the locals were loving that. We had rice, beans, veggies, sweet potato soup and their local bread. It was all good minus the local bread. Then, the kids did their local dances for us. We got to join in and it was turned out to be a great night in the local village. The kids got to have all our left overs once we were gone which made us all happy.
Today is November 8th and we have drove to Lilongwe, Malawi to pick up two more people. We are staying a camp site that finally has Internet that is affordable so got to update a few things! Also, I am under budget as a whole for the trip so excited about that and looking forward to the many activities Zambia has to offer!
Our first stop was at a camp site right on the lake. It was a beautiful site and the wind was blowing which was nice to cool us off. It gets a bit hot on the truck when the AC gets turned off (aka we have stopped moving because there is not AC anywhere in Africa!). We have to always cover up outside the campsites since we are white and don't want to stand out more than we already do and there are a lot of Muslims. We set up camp and played some volleyball. Even Henry, our driver, played for a bit. That night, I started to feel bad. I am pretty sure with a fever as I went to bed with about 10 clothing items and woke up with two on with the rain fly was off the tent. I woke up with a killer head ache but took two Advil and by lunch was feel better.
We stopped in Mzuzu, Malawi to buy dinners for three nights and to pick out clothing for our party that would be later in the week. The catch is that the clothing was for whoever we had drawn from the hat and the clothing options were like going to a goodwill store, chopping all the clothing into half, sewing random pieces back together, and adding tails to some of them! The best part is that they were good salesman trying to get rid of this wonderful clothing. I got Bob (yes, my 57 year old cooking partner from the blog before!) to dress for the night.
Our second camp site in Malawi was in Kande Beach. We set up camp and went for swim. The lake is fresh water and super refreshing. Instead of being worried about sharks and jellyfish, you have to worry about crocs and hippos! Jordan and I set up a scuba dive for the morning. That night, I was doing dishes and had to stop and run to the bathroom. After that, the sickness was back and I was straight to bed.
The next morning with a horrible headache and not going to miss my first fresh water dive, we headed to the dive shop. We jumped in for a 50 minute dive around an island. The rock formations were awesome but nothing compared to a reef. We saw tons of ciclied fish, fish that we will most likely never see unless we are next to a super cool aquarium. We have tons of pics because we paid $5 for them to follow us with a camera. We also got to see a boat, canoe and car. Not sure how the car got out there. It was a very nice dive. I headed back and a laid on a sofa next to the water from about 10:30 AM until 4 PM only getting up to go potty as I thought my head was going to explode. I even took my prescription super strong advil that the doctor gave me....that did not work. I missed cooking dinner as I don't think anyone wanted me touching food. We exchanged outfits and Bob got to wear pink pants that had a men's tie as the tie to keep them on, an old man pj silk shirt that he was to tie up. Don't worry, he also had me and I had to wear tights with a tutu attached, a flower shirt and two matching flower arm accessories (the ends of the shirt cut off). I was looking hot but it was a lot of effort to get dressed so I just laid on a mat for a few minutes before calling it a night. Everyone in the group looked great and the trashcan punch smelled good! The night was good minus the 9 PM run, like race run, not sure I am going to make it run from the tent to the bathroom. I am not even sure if I had my head lamp or glasses as I ran thru the sand but I made it and did not have to return until about 4:30 AM!
The next morning I was feeling much better, thank goodness! I watched the sun rise, spent the day laying on the beach, had lunch at the cafe, and went back to the beach for a swim. That evening, we headed into a local village where we had a local dinner in between two homes. It was hot so we sat outside on the ground. Two huge spider bugs went by and we all screamed like little girls so I know the locals were loving that. We had rice, beans, veggies, sweet potato soup and their local bread. It was all good minus the local bread. Then, the kids did their local dances for us. We got to join in and it was turned out to be a great night in the local village. The kids got to have all our left overs once we were gone which made us all happy.
Today is November 8th and we have drove to Lilongwe, Malawi to pick up two more people. We are staying a camp site that finally has Internet that is affordable so got to update a few things! Also, I am under budget as a whole for the trip so excited about that and looking forward to the many activities Zambia has to offer!
Over a month in Africa (Nov 4th Update)
I am still traveling and loving it. We have done so much since I last updated as I have been in Africa for over a month now. I am still getting use to the African toilets (toilet bowls in the ground with foot steps and no toilet paper!) and converting prices to American prices (maybe if I did not switch countries and conversion rates every two weeks or so, it would be easier!). I am totally comfortable in the truck and it is such a great way to travel thru Africa. We get to leave everything on the truck and all our valuables are in a very safe place. I am going to miss having a place for everything when we head to southeast Asia.
Here is where I have been the past few weeks. On October 18th, we headed to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The road was horrible getting into the park and the truck was super loud. I put in ear plugs it was so loud. The wildlife and park was amazing. We got to see lions that were making babies, a baby elephant running to his mother (the cutest thing ever), wart hogs running with their tails up just like in the Lion King, a lion eating her lunch, zebras, gazelles, buffalo, the wildebeest that were migrating, giraffe, two cheetahs and so much more. The rain clouds were coming in and made for some awesome pictures. I was amazed at how close we were to all these animals. My heart was beating fast as we were only 5' from two lions and our driver was like don't hang out the windows! On the way back from the second day in the park, we went to a Maasai Village to see how the local tribes live. It was very interesting! The performed two dances for us, we got to see them start their fires and a tour of one of their homes. The homes entrance includes a pin for the baby cows, a cooking area in between two beds (one for the parents and one for the kids under 10) and the home is made from cow dung. The cows are their money and it cost 10 cows for a young man to marry a lady in another village. (Gavin - Better start saving/buying cows!!) The kids move out when they are 10 to live in the children's home. I told you very interesting and a different life!
We stayed two nights in Nairobi, Kenya and our group grew to 12 people (1 German, 7 British, 1 Australian, and us 3 Americans). In Nairobi, we went to a mall and got to go to the market and shop. I got a painting but don't know how it will look by the time I get it home. We just relaxed and washed clothes as we had been on the road for a while. I missed my cousin, Frank's, wedding but was able to see photos and talk to my family on skype. And now I have a new girl cousin!
On October 22, we headed to Arusha, Tanzania. The Americans had to pay $100 to get in while everyone else was only charged $50. Got to love that! We stayed in Arusha for a night before going on a tour of the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater in a 6 person land cruiser. The tour was not cheep but included transportation, food and campsites for the two nights. It was a lot of driving but we crossed the Serengeti plains and around the crater to start an afternoon night game drive. I spotted a leopard climbing out of a tree and got an amazing picture of him in the tree. I was also super pumped about spotting him! We also got to see a second one in a nearby tree so we were pretty lucky. Now, I have seen the big five in Africa (lion, leopard, elephant, Buffalo, elephant and rhino!!). We also got to see the serval cat along with many other animals. We slept in the bush and Jordan said the hyenas were very close to the campsite. I slept right thru their laughing! The next morning, we continued to game drive. We found a mother cheetah with her three cubs. It was so great! We packed up camp and headed back to the crater. Our campsite at the crater was right on the edge of the crater. And an elephant decided she would walk right in front of our campsites and even stop to eat our popcorn snack. She enjoyed the popcorn and the table was flipped over when she was finished. Again, how close we were and she was to our tents was out of the world. I am pretty sure I was holding Jordan's hand and ready to run at any minute!! We spent the next day on a game drive thru the crater. It was beautiful to be inside of a volcanic crater with so many wild animals. I thought I was going to see my first animal kill but the lion was just trying to get the zebras to move (at least I think). It was still a site to see and I got it on video but don't think it will make the next animal planet! The tour was awesome although very dusty and made for some long days.
We headed back to Arusha for a night before headed south in Tanzania to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean. My friend and I got to see the tanzanite at the Heritage Museum. Anne - I would have gotten you a stone but I would have had to end the trip as the bank account would be empty and I would be in debt! We drove by Mountain Kilimanjaro and could even make out the top when the clouds finally parted. The famous shirts here say those who can not climb Kilimanjaro, drink it (the Kilimanjaro beer)!! We stayed one night along the way at a little campsite and then woke up to continue into Dar es Salaam. We had been warned that it was a dangerous city and we were not to leave the campsite. I got to skype with my mom, dad and Bella and Gavin so it was nice as I was starting to miss home a little. We did get to see the sunset and rise over the Indian Ocean. I never thought I liked sunrises as they are so early and I don't really love mornings. But this sun rise was wonderful!
On October 27, we headed on a 2.5 hour ferry ride over to Zanzibar Island. First we took a tuk tuk (three wheel motor bike) over to the ferry entrance. It was a very fun ride. When we arrived, we had a guide who took us to a local restaurant and on a spice tour on a private farm. I learned so much about spices and got to try many fruits that I have never even heard of. Cinnamon is a tree and iodine comes out of the bark of a tree...at least that is what I was told! We then headed to the north side of the island where we would stay for the next three nights. We shared a room with Sarah, our German friend, so it came to $15 a night including breakfast. I was most excited about sleeping in a bed and not a mat of the ground. The shower was salt water but it was easy to get use to. I ruined my only raiser that I packed and thought would last me three months. I had to jump in the ocean as soon as I could so we headed down to the ocean as soon as we were checked in. The water was warm, clear and the sunset was beautiful. The first day we just hung out on the beach. We bought coconuts and a bottle of rum just to enjoy the beach a little more. We also played a game of beach volleyball...yes, my team won!! Nothing to crazy as that afternoon, Jordan and I took a dive refresher course around 4 PM. I had an amazing tuna dinner that evening and it was a very nice change to the camping dinners we had been having.
Jordan and I went on two dives next to a local island. The first dive went great and we got to see two sea turtles, lion fish, ghost pipe fish (very rare...maybe) and the beautiful purplish coral. Our dive was about 50 minutes long. The second dive was good also with lots of the same things but 4 more sea turtles. The sea turtles are my favorite! My BCD vest keep filling with air/water and I was having to release air the entire time and I could not stop floating up. I finally told the dive master and he had to disconnect my air to the vest. I was a little nervous but everything was fine and it was a great dive. Our dive boat was very much like a pirate boat so Jordan and I made pirate jokes the entire time. My name was peg leg and Jordan's was captain hook! I think the other divers were thankful that you cannot talk underwater. We spent the next day on the beach. In the mornings, the tide was super low so we could walk out to see all the sea urchins and tons of starfish. I have never seen so many starfish in one place and with so much color. The tide came in later and the water was amazing. At lunch time, I even found a whole silver dollar. I was super excited and hope it makes it the next 5 months without breaking. One the way back to the ferry, we stopped in Stone Town for some shopping and lunch. It reminded me of a European town with its old architecture. It was hot walking around but nice to see the city. We headed back to Dar es Salaam and the truck. We had changed campsites due to the riots next to our first campsite. We also found out today (Nov. 4th) that the next group will not be going to Zanzibar because of the riots on the island. Glad we are always moving!
We have been on the road the past two days and I have already read so many books that I am going to run out of books on my kindle. We have been crossing Tanzania and today will cross the border into Malawi. Bob and I cooked dinner last night. Bob and his wife are retired and from England. We get cooking groups, we shop, cook and some nights have to do the dishes. I don't really like cooking so it was pretty funny. And cooking by candle light and my head lamp was an adventure. Luckily, everyone was so hungry they ate the rice, veggies and kinda a fried chicken (did not turn out like I had planned)! Finally, the generator came on and we had lights for dinner. We also had a few locals walk in the see what we were doing. Henry, our guide, told us that they think white people cannot cook and have cooks that do it for them. Very interesting!
Here is where I have been the past few weeks. On October 18th, we headed to Maasai Mara National Reserve. The road was horrible getting into the park and the truck was super loud. I put in ear plugs it was so loud. The wildlife and park was amazing. We got to see lions that were making babies, a baby elephant running to his mother (the cutest thing ever), wart hogs running with their tails up just like in the Lion King, a lion eating her lunch, zebras, gazelles, buffalo, the wildebeest that were migrating, giraffe, two cheetahs and so much more. The rain clouds were coming in and made for some awesome pictures. I was amazed at how close we were to all these animals. My heart was beating fast as we were only 5' from two lions and our driver was like don't hang out the windows! On the way back from the second day in the park, we went to a Maasai Village to see how the local tribes live. It was very interesting! The performed two dances for us, we got to see them start their fires and a tour of one of their homes. The homes entrance includes a pin for the baby cows, a cooking area in between two beds (one for the parents and one for the kids under 10) and the home is made from cow dung. The cows are their money and it cost 10 cows for a young man to marry a lady in another village. (Gavin - Better start saving/buying cows!!) The kids move out when they are 10 to live in the children's home. I told you very interesting and a different life!
We stayed two nights in Nairobi, Kenya and our group grew to 12 people (1 German, 7 British, 1 Australian, and us 3 Americans). In Nairobi, we went to a mall and got to go to the market and shop. I got a painting but don't know how it will look by the time I get it home. We just relaxed and washed clothes as we had been on the road for a while. I missed my cousin, Frank's, wedding but was able to see photos and talk to my family on skype. And now I have a new girl cousin!
On October 22, we headed to Arusha, Tanzania. The Americans had to pay $100 to get in while everyone else was only charged $50. Got to love that! We stayed in Arusha for a night before going on a tour of the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater in a 6 person land cruiser. The tour was not cheep but included transportation, food and campsites for the two nights. It was a lot of driving but we crossed the Serengeti plains and around the crater to start an afternoon night game drive. I spotted a leopard climbing out of a tree and got an amazing picture of him in the tree. I was also super pumped about spotting him! We also got to see a second one in a nearby tree so we were pretty lucky. Now, I have seen the big five in Africa (lion, leopard, elephant, Buffalo, elephant and rhino!!). We also got to see the serval cat along with many other animals. We slept in the bush and Jordan said the hyenas were very close to the campsite. I slept right thru their laughing! The next morning, we continued to game drive. We found a mother cheetah with her three cubs. It was so great! We packed up camp and headed back to the crater. Our campsite at the crater was right on the edge of the crater. And an elephant decided she would walk right in front of our campsites and even stop to eat our popcorn snack. She enjoyed the popcorn and the table was flipped over when she was finished. Again, how close we were and she was to our tents was out of the world. I am pretty sure I was holding Jordan's hand and ready to run at any minute!! We spent the next day on a game drive thru the crater. It was beautiful to be inside of a volcanic crater with so many wild animals. I thought I was going to see my first animal kill but the lion was just trying to get the zebras to move (at least I think). It was still a site to see and I got it on video but don't think it will make the next animal planet! The tour was awesome although very dusty and made for some long days.
We headed back to Arusha for a night before headed south in Tanzania to Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean. My friend and I got to see the tanzanite at the Heritage Museum. Anne - I would have gotten you a stone but I would have had to end the trip as the bank account would be empty and I would be in debt! We drove by Mountain Kilimanjaro and could even make out the top when the clouds finally parted. The famous shirts here say those who can not climb Kilimanjaro, drink it (the Kilimanjaro beer)!! We stayed one night along the way at a little campsite and then woke up to continue into Dar es Salaam. We had been warned that it was a dangerous city and we were not to leave the campsite. I got to skype with my mom, dad and Bella and Gavin so it was nice as I was starting to miss home a little. We did get to see the sunset and rise over the Indian Ocean. I never thought I liked sunrises as they are so early and I don't really love mornings. But this sun rise was wonderful!
On October 27, we headed on a 2.5 hour ferry ride over to Zanzibar Island. First we took a tuk tuk (three wheel motor bike) over to the ferry entrance. It was a very fun ride. When we arrived, we had a guide who took us to a local restaurant and on a spice tour on a private farm. I learned so much about spices and got to try many fruits that I have never even heard of. Cinnamon is a tree and iodine comes out of the bark of a tree...at least that is what I was told! We then headed to the north side of the island where we would stay for the next three nights. We shared a room with Sarah, our German friend, so it came to $15 a night including breakfast. I was most excited about sleeping in a bed and not a mat of the ground. The shower was salt water but it was easy to get use to. I ruined my only raiser that I packed and thought would last me three months. I had to jump in the ocean as soon as I could so we headed down to the ocean as soon as we were checked in. The water was warm, clear and the sunset was beautiful. The first day we just hung out on the beach. We bought coconuts and a bottle of rum just to enjoy the beach a little more. We also played a game of beach volleyball...yes, my team won!! Nothing to crazy as that afternoon, Jordan and I took a dive refresher course around 4 PM. I had an amazing tuna dinner that evening and it was a very nice change to the camping dinners we had been having.
Jordan and I went on two dives next to a local island. The first dive went great and we got to see two sea turtles, lion fish, ghost pipe fish (very rare...maybe) and the beautiful purplish coral. Our dive was about 50 minutes long. The second dive was good also with lots of the same things but 4 more sea turtles. The sea turtles are my favorite! My BCD vest keep filling with air/water and I was having to release air the entire time and I could not stop floating up. I finally told the dive master and he had to disconnect my air to the vest. I was a little nervous but everything was fine and it was a great dive. Our dive boat was very much like a pirate boat so Jordan and I made pirate jokes the entire time. My name was peg leg and Jordan's was captain hook! I think the other divers were thankful that you cannot talk underwater. We spent the next day on the beach. In the mornings, the tide was super low so we could walk out to see all the sea urchins and tons of starfish. I have never seen so many starfish in one place and with so much color. The tide came in later and the water was amazing. At lunch time, I even found a whole silver dollar. I was super excited and hope it makes it the next 5 months without breaking. One the way back to the ferry, we stopped in Stone Town for some shopping and lunch. It reminded me of a European town with its old architecture. It was hot walking around but nice to see the city. We headed back to Dar es Salaam and the truck. We had changed campsites due to the riots next to our first campsite. We also found out today (Nov. 4th) that the next group will not be going to Zanzibar because of the riots on the island. Glad we are always moving!
We have been on the road the past two days and I have already read so many books that I am going to run out of books on my kindle. We have been crossing Tanzania and today will cross the border into Malawi. Bob and I cooked dinner last night. Bob and his wife are retired and from England. We get cooking groups, we shop, cook and some nights have to do the dishes. I don't really like cooking so it was pretty funny. And cooking by candle light and my head lamp was an adventure. Luckily, everyone was so hungry they ate the rice, veggies and kinda a fried chicken (did not turn out like I had planned)! Finally, the generator came on and we had lights for dinner. We also had a few locals walk in the see what we were doing. Henry, our guide, told us that they think white people cannot cook and have cooks that do it for them. Very interesting!
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