Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Down the river we go, WE GO!
I've completely lost my bearings. I have no idea what day it is, what time it is, or where exactly I am. All I know is that I'm lying sun-kissed and sleepy on a Felucca somwhere on the west bank of the Nile. The full moon illuminating the night sky, while an Egyptian wedding somewhere upstream fills the air with music. Traditional food in my tummy and a bonfire being built on the sand. Heaven!
The last few days have blurred together in a whirlwind adventure as I've sampled the best of Aswan in Egypt's South (or Upper Nile just to confuse you). Our first day here saw us stagger off the train in sweltering heat, seeking temporary refuge in our hotel pool. There we met a fantastically eccentric old English lady, leathered skin dripping in gold, bleach blonde curls, and foggy heiroglyphic tattoos bearing testament to her long love affair with Egypt. She told us some great stories (she's one of the few Captains left who can smell the changing wind apparently) and gave us tips for our trip. She was just the colourful character you hope to meet on a trip like this - oh the stories you'd hear if you had the time! She wished us luck as we rushed off to meet our tour.
The afternoon took us to the enormous High Dam - a feat of modern construction and the backbone of the region's power and water infrastructure. The High Dam also caused the formation of Nasser's Lake that stretches through to the Sudan. So huge it looks like an ocean, it nearly destroyed 18 ancient monuments including the Philaen temple which we saw next. It was beautiful and while it's a shame all these ancient buildings had to be painstakingly dissected, and precisely reassembled on higher ground, it is a relief they were salvaged. And so well.
The most impressive of the lot, and as iconic as the Pyramids in Giza, is Abu Simbel. We have all seen pictures of the 4 enormous rock-hewn figures outside, but I never knew there was an expansive temple carved right into the mountain behind them. The heiroglyphics and war-scene murals are minutely detailed and promote Ramses II prowess as a warrior king. Deep within the temple, three cavernous halls back, on the farthest wall, are four more statues. The ancient Egyptian architects were so precise that when the sun would rise on the 21st of February and 21st of October every year - key dates on the Egyptian calender - it would rise on the faces on these 4 figures deep inside the temple. And only on these dates. Amazing! (Since it's been moved it now happens on the 22nd - Mum's Bday)
Ramses II also built a 2nd temple in Abu Simbel for the most beloved of his many wives - Nefertari. The 2nd temple is almost as awestriking as his own and, despite the 43 degree heat, we slowly took in every wall. It really is mind blowing.
It is no small task getting to Abu Simbel mind you. First there's the 2:15am wake-up to make it there by 7:00am while the sun is still bearable. Then there's the mandatory police escort through the desert for the 3 hour trip. And by the end of it my feet were so swollen from the heat I couldn't wear my shoes anymore. But of course, every moment was worth it. Spare a thought for the men who built these monuments, deep in the desert!
We had enjoyed a lovely Nubian dinner and show the night before so by the time we got back to the hotel we were spent. No rest yet though - there'd be plenty of time for that on the felucca. We boarded our little boat in the afternoon and, after a brief stop off at Kitchener's Island botanical gardens, we commenced our 2 night cruise. As we zig-zagged our way up the Nile, lounging on the mattress deck under the crouch-size canopy, listening to the sounds of the river (a donky eey-awwing, boys playing soccer on the banks, a fish plopping nearby) I was glad we hadn't upgraded to a noisy cruise ship. The Felucca is basic but authentic and just how the Nile should be admired.
At night we visited a Nubian house whose western-style amentities we used gratefully. More apple shisha and I slept like a baby, waking only once - to a burnt orange sunrise in the morning. Divine.
After another half day sailing in the sun I was ready for a swim. I shook off the microseconds hesitation for swimming in the Nile - no longer home to crocodiles, but supposedly host to some nasty parasites - and dived straight in. It was so inviting and luscious we even had the Aussie doctor in our group swimming in no time!
I spent the rest of today finishing a must-read book - Eric Weiner's The Geography of Bliss. Pop out and buy it at lunch - wery witty and appropriate for anyone who loves travel and the pursuit of happiness.
... I've just come back from dancing around the bonfire with my new-found Aussie friends (we're EVERYWHERE) and am snuggled under my mozzie net under the watchful gaze of the full moon and it's sidekick of the African skies - Jupiter. Thinking about my Aussie family and friends who are just waking up.
Happy Birthday Mama!
Give my Harvey Bear a huge cuddle - I miss him so much.
xxx
P.S. The Mexican doesn't think he's getting enough airplay in my blog. To quote him - "you sound like you're here alone". Let me just say he's the best travel buddy ever. I'd be lost on this trip without him and am so glad our paths have crossed again after first meeting while volunteering together in Tanzania. We've taken to telling the street sellers we're Russian and then talking in fake Russian, which inevitably ends up with us rolling around in peels of laughter and the sellers backing away from the two crazy people. He's also made it his mission to see just how many camels he can get for me - today it was 2 million, while yesterday the highest offer was only 2! He's an awesome mate and his "peace and love" life philosophy is rubbing off on me. Ok, we're off for a cocktail before our hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings in the morning. T.I.A!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Cairo City
Day three was a tour of Cairo and we got to see some key religious sites, the famous markets, the infamous Cairo museum, and of course that unfortunate eyesaw of plague proportions - the Retired American tourist.
I really hate to perpetuate stereotypes but these insensitive, self righteous people honestly do it for me. One woman, while standing in Cairo's most sacred and breathtaking Mosque proclaimed at the top if her lungs, "I literally have sweat dripping between my ass cheeks". She then turned to a table laden with traditional Muslim head dresses and observed "that would make a great Halloween costume"! Outside we saw a fat American man walking through the Mosque courtyard with his entire shirt unbuttoned and his enormous gut blowing in the wind. Intolerable!!!!
Anyway the mosque was architecturally and artistically beautiful, as was the 1600 yr old catholic church. We giggled at the tacky plastic souvenirs in the gift shop - transparent virgin Mary alarm clock anyone? Crucifix calculator? It is nice to see that Egypt is so proud of the co-existence of both faiths.
Next stop was the market. This was an intricate rabbit warren of stalls selling everything imaginable. But when the hassling got a bit too much and I'd had another hard bum squeeze, we decided to sit it out. We another delicious local meal as we rested our weary legs. We needed to conserve our energy cos we were off to the famous Egyptian Museum.
The crowds were still huge at 3pm as we took a tour of the most important of the 120,000 exhibits - as many again are in storage, awaiting the erection of the new museum which will be ready in 2012. The highlight of course was Tutankhamun's treasure.
The cache did not disappoint... I have never seen so much gold in my life! But it's the detail that astounds. Thousands of stones inlaid into intricate jewellery, two huge sarcophagus', or his myriad funeral furniture. We debated the existence of the curse - I'm definitely a believer. Seeing those artifacts that I'd studied so hard in highschool was amazing... It all came flooding back.
What really gets me though is that all this treasure was found for a boy king who only reined for ten years and had no other notable achievements. Just imagine what must have been left for the great kings like Ramses II had grave robbers over the years not beat us to it. I mean, even Lord Carnavon who funded the expedition that found Tutankhamun's tomb was entitled to a third of it's contents, according to government policy at the time. A state sponsored form of modern grave robbery if you ask me. Luckily the curse got him quickly and the entire contents stayed where it belongs - in Egypt.
This theme permeates much of what we see - foreign countries helping themselves to Egypt's ancient history. The great pyramid for instance is 10 metres shorter than it should be because of someone helping themselves to the smaller granite blocks on top. A huge amount of relief work in the tombs is damaged cos the Christians defaced these representations of foreign gods. A copy of the Rosetta stone hangs in the museum because France traded the original with Britain in return for passage back to France for it's occupying soldiers. It still hangs in the British Museum. Shame. When these graves were robbed at least the mummies were left behind - but sadly they were then later burned by Arab militants seeking refuge in the tombs, because the resin used to mummify them burned slowly. So much history lost!
After another long, exhausting, rewarding day we headed for the train station for our overnight train to Aswan. We smoked some apple Shisha and tried a scrumptious Egyptian drink of hot milk mixed with coconut powder with nuts and sultanas stirred into it. Delish!
We copped a ribbing from those on the sleeper train but were pleasantly surprised to find the sitting train was like business class on an aeroplane. The toilets, however were not. But the seats reclined right back and I got in ten hours of sleep, only interrupted briefly by a foghorn snorer a few rows back.
While alighting in Aswan we were greeted with a wall of searing heat... But more on that later.
Big kiss for Harvey Bear xxx
Perusing the Pyramids
Up early for a huge buffet breakfast and an 8am briefing as to the next ten days. We quickly realized we were on the budget tour while everyone else had opted to upgrade from sitting train to sleeper train, or felucca to Nile cruise. We didn't even know they were options but we stuck with our original plan - 14 hrs on a train couldn't be THAT bad could it?
And off we set bound for the infamous pyramids of Giza. Merely 5 mins down the road and we were there... Under the shadow of what felt like the biggest thing I'd ever seen! 137 metres tall, the two big ones are enormous. No matter how many books you read, or pictures you see, nothing can prepare you for exactly what it's like to see them. For instance, I always thought they were rough, like sandstone, but the surface of the pyramids is smooth and cold. Each of those 2 million 1-10 tonne blocks is pure granite!
We went deep inside Korfu's pyramid, the one that still had the limestone cap. The crouch size tunnel was very deep, before ascending again into the belly of the structure. Inside we entered the burial chamber. It was hot, humid and absolutely incredible! As was the sphinx... No words can do it justice.
Next stop was Saqqara - the huge complex which includes the even older step pyramid. This overlooks the miscalculated bent pyramid and the corrected version alongside it. It's an unforgettable landscape and truly awe-inspiring to think how these structures were built with such precision 5,000 years ago. There are architectural details, like the long shafts inside one pyramid that point directly at key stars. How the ancient architects achieved what they did defies logic. I always say that you can find any landscape in the world in Australia- snow, rainforest, desert, beaches - but the one thing we don't have is ancient marvels. It is an honor to have seen these most famous monuments of the ancient world so closely.
It was a wonderful day, finished with a delicious Egyptian meal at a thriving local restaurant with some of the others on our tour. An early night again, ready for a city tour the next day.
Welcome to Egypt
Ok. Imagine this. You've boarded a plane in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 4am bound for Cairo, Egypt. It was a very spontaneous , last-minute booking made on the go while you were living it up in Ethiopia. You figured, well I'm this far north now, I may as well "do" Egypt - I studied it intensely ten years ago in highschool and I've always wanted to see it.
You're on the plane, exhausted, rejecting the hideous airline food (the first inedible meal presented actually) and watching some unwatchable film. And a voice comes over the speakers, "please raise your blinds as we make our descent". You do...
And just there, outside your window, are the Giza pyramids! Right there, in all their grandeur, lit up by the golden sunrise. "Welcome to Egypt" he says. Understatement! This moment was all I needed to jolt my appreciation for the magnitude of what I am about to see over the next ten days.
What strikes me most about flying into Cairo is the juxtaposition of old and new. It's incredible. The pyramids literally tower over this huge city -the 2nd largest in the world. The urban sprawl wraps the horizon, where highrise apartment blocks tile every inch of space. We navigated one road today, 18kms long, with 5 million people living on it. There are 25million people living in Cairo alone - more than in the whole of Australia. Snaking through these lego blocks is the majestic Nile, a treasure since time immemorial. Tinting everything it touches a lush green, in stark contrast to the desert that licks the edges of the city, and countless brown buildings.
I'd prepared myself for the pollution - just being here is said to be akin to smoking 20 cigarettes a day. But it isn't as intrusive as you'd think, and the haze doesn't even come close to concealing the cultural beauty of this city. Aesthetically I love the skyline of unfinished and unpainted buildings - if you paint or render your building in Egypt it is considered finished and you have to pay tax, so everythings left unfinished. In the south houses are left unfinished because a new floor is added on top as each son gets married, for his impending family.
But its the cultural beauty that permeates this rugged facade. Mosques stand peacefully right next to Churches, and once again the people are very friendly. Almost too friendly, actually. I get mobbed everywhere I go here. If it's not ooooh's and ahhh's it's "Shakira" or "lucky man" to Daniel as he protectively watches over me.
I had been warned by my airport pickup that it would happen but it wasn't till Daniel and I took a bus downtown that I really felt it. Aside from the huge bum squeeze I received in a little alley market, it was all rather harmless - complimentary even.
So, we'd set off the morning I arrived to see the city. We got chatting to a nice man who took us to his decadent perfume parlor. His family owned a flower farm and bottles of gorgeous extracted oils lined the walls, along with thousands of minature ornate glass bottles. We sat and drank tea, bought some perfume (Arabian Nights - an orange blossom and vanilla blend for me) and he threw in a beautiful tiny Arabian lamp bottle. He was a lovely guy and we had a brilliant time hanging out with him. We found out later this perfume shop experience is not unique, and our friend had not found us by chance as such finders are notorious, but we didn't care. We'd had blast! Next we went to a papyrus gallery where we bargained about 70% off the asking price for some beautiful Egyptian artworks. I was stoked.
We walked the streets for the next few hours, just taking it all in. A few notables - every single mannequin we saw was blonde. Every doll we saw in kids shops was blonde. I started to realise why everyone was staring. It's a bit sad actually... The kids should be brought up to think what they look like is the ideal, not some unachievable blonde haired blue eyed version. Daniel and I also discovered a huge circular mall with six floors of shops entirely dedicated to men. Imagine the efficiency!
By the time we got back to our (very fancy) hotel I crashed out. Had to get in some zzz's before visiting the pyramids the next day!
Love my Harvey bear xxx
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Mzugu to Ferengi
Ok so Addis Ababa is awesome! Ignore every image you have of Ethiopia and it's people cos this has to be the most beautiful city i've been to yet. The people here are stunning! Ethiopians have much finer features and the women look almost brazilian. They're fit, with flawless skin and beautiful hair. Unlike the Tanzanian's who hate their hair and spend their lives braiding it away, Ethiopians have long, curly locks. The men are strong and handsome, and they are all very polite. I get more looks here for my blonde hair, but they're not threatening, just curious.
Addis Ababa is a bustling city nestled in the surrounding mountains. There are a lot of Ferengi's (white people) going about their business as Ethiopia is establishing itself as a business centre for foreign trade for a number of reasons. Firstly some key international regulatory bodies have their headquarters here. But more notably Ethiopia is ranked as the top African country for investing it's foreign aid responsibly. Government corruption is low here and the money gets to the source where it's needed most. Even the police are clean. In Tanzania our drivers were often stopped by police, especially in Zanzibar, asking for a bribe for some small infringement. Here the police are honest and well-respected. There have been some terror-threats recently through so in places like the Hilton complex (where westerners go for their money and groceries etc) security is extremely tight and police are everywhere. It can be a little disconcerting but I suppose thats the tail end of the coin - doesn't make travelling here any less valuable. It's a beautiful place and I feel very safe moving around.
As I mentioned Ethiopians use their charity money well and 2 days ago we took a day trip to see a hospital Lyndsay's charity is considering donating to. It is called the Cure Hospital and it was a truly eye-opening experience. This hospital specialises in treating childhood deformities, from clubfoot, to cleft lip/palette, to victims of Noma - a disease that affects the malnutritioned and eats away at their face. The before and after pictures were incredible (i use that word a lot)... as were the children in the wards we visited. We even went into the operating room to see a 2 year old severely bow-legged boy being fixed up. These children go through months of painful operations and castings but this prevents a lifetime of living as a socially ostracised cripple. It only costs $1000 per child to change their lives and corporations can sponsor a bed for 52 children for $52K a year. All donors recieve a full report on the children they've helped. Makes me wish I was a millionaire. Also, it's hard to find good pediatric surgeons who specialise in plastic and osteopathic surgery, so if you know anyone....
After that experience I sampled an entirely different aspect fo Ethiopian life - a day spa. It was glorious! To have all the dirt and dust that had built up under my nails over 4 weeks of trudging through dust and mud in Tanzania was an almost euphoric experience. Bliss at it's best!
I am making plans to see Ethiopia's historic ruins. the oldest catholic church, Queen of Sheeba's castle, the island monasteries. I also just booked a 10 day tour of Egypt!! Stay tuned my friends (and comment me to let me know if you're still reading, what you want to hear more of, or if you have any stories of your own).
Cuddles to my bubbles...
xxx
Saying Goodbye to Tanzania
It began with my Teacher Neema insisting that we meet her father one day after class. The concept of parents is very different in Tanzania and by "father" she meant a male patriarch who had helped raise her. This particular father was the Pastor in her childhood village of Same who had seen Neema's achademic promise as a primary schooler. He and his wife had taken her into their house so she didn't have to commute from the mountains, and sponsored her to complete her secondary studies with a focus on English. She absolutely adores these people and it was an honour to be invited to meet them.
So after class finished I roped another volunteer Claire in, and we set off for Same, with no idea where it was. After catching a Dala Dala into central Moshi we had to navigate the bus station. No small feat for 2 Mzungus and an African cos within minutes we had 30 people surrounding us screaming inflated prices at Neema, hoping we'd choose their bus over the next. Neema is very honest and refused to let us be charged more for being white. So she was screaming at them, while they were screaming at her, while Claire and I watched on in shock. Finally Neema found someone who'd charge us a fair fare and we boarded... only to find out we'd paid $1,000 TSH too much each. So again Neema went in to bat, and came back to the seat with $3,000 TSh triumphantly refunded. So we were off to Same (pronounced Sah May).
We arrived about an hour and a half later after an authentically African bus trip. There were 6 people squeezed onto our 5 seats, and the man in front's seat back had completely broken away from the base. The bus driver came up, ripped it off entirely, leaving only a stool as a seat, and explained he now had the best seat on the bus for looking at the Mzungus! And that was that. We bumped our way to Same, stopping intermittently for toilet breaks. At each town street sellers would run along beside the bus with their goods high above their heads hoping we'd reach out the window, grab what we wanted and replace the gap with money. It's an inredible way to shop and you can buy everything from fruit and veg to cold drinks and sweets to phone credit.
Once in Same the Pastor took us to the orphanage he runs out of his church. These children sleep, eat, learn and play inside this church their whole lives. They looked so happy, but i couldn't help thinking how sad that was. They beamed when I gave them each a sticker with Aussie animals on it. After singing and playing with them for a while we went to the Pastor's house. He was very proud to ferry us through town alongside him as Mzungus were a rarer sight here than in Moshi. As is the African custom of hospitality, a beautiful spread was laid out for us and we feasted. The language barrier was once again transcended with smiles and gesticulations and after spending a wonderful afternoon chatting it was time to head home. We said our goodbyes and I slipped him a bit of money to buy porridge for the orphans. I went to bed very satisfied for having had yet another authentic Tanzanian day in the homes of the locals.
The next day was our last with our classes and it was very bittersweet. We had bought lollipops with whistles on them for the children - only to find out that when you blow a whistle in Tanzania police come! We had to confiscate the bases as they finished each sweet. We played games, sang songs, and had fun playing under the ever-watchful eye of Mount Kilimanjaro above us. I laughed how the kids had picked up little Aussie accents. Our "Slowly, slowly" game was now "sleeeoowleeee". Our teacher generously gifted us both fabric which meant a lot. We waved goodbye at the gate, while they kissed our hands, but I don't really think they understood it was goodbye forever. It must be hard for them having a constant churn of three-week volunteers.
Saying goodbye to the adults was the hardest though. They had each prepared a goodbye letter and had all gone in to gift me 8 meters of traditional waxed Tanzanian fabic. It was amazing. I'd written them each a personalised letter but had also had photos of their families printed for them. This meant a lot and they were very excited showing their beautiful photos to each other. They sang the "we are sorry to say goodbye" song which tugs the heartstrings of even the toughest person. After class they couldn't let me go so I was shuffled from house to house to share fruit with their families. They must've all remembered I don't like bananas, since they found it so funny at Ramadan, and it was touching that i was not offered a single one. Saying goodbye to the women in my class was the hardest goodbye in Tanzania. If I could have stayed longer I have no doubt I could have made a real long-term difference to their lives. Even just the three weeks I spent with them though has given them confidence and a love for the study of English.
Tanzania is a wonderful place. Anyone who wants to go to Africa should go there as they have everything. The Serengeti, N'Gorongoro, Mount Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, the people... it is a melting pot of all things iconically African. It is a pleasure to have lived there for a month. I have made friends for life.
They all think it's hilarious I adore my dog so much and I was cheekily teased about my little Harvey Bear. Give him a cuddle from his Tanzanian sisters!
xx
Monday, October 4, 2010
Zanzibar Fun!
We arrived early in the morning after a 7am ferry, and took a tour on foot of Stone Town. We visited the slave chambers and heard about the sad history of Zanzibar as a key port in the slave trade for many years. Arab slave traders used to bribe Tribal Chiefs throughout Africa who would tell their people there was well-paying work available on Arab farms. Whole families would pack up their lives and join the procession only to be faced with guns and torture as they were walked across Africa to Zanzibar. There they were held captive in squalid conditions till they were sold. They used to whip them to test their pain thresholds and determine their worth. It was very sad. An English adventurer, Livingston, stumbled accross their plight and spent his days thereafter tirelessly campaigning for their freedom which he eventually achieved. He is a hero in much of Africa and many places are named after him.
Zanzibar's rich culture is not only it's history but also it's distinctive architecture and thriving spice industry. Everywhere you go in Stone Town you see the historic doors, some 800 years old and made from Ebony. They are intricately carved and casually line all the inimate alleyways in Stone Town. It's is a lovely place to just walk the streets as there is so much to to see. We saw the house where Freddy Mercury was born - and were suprised how little fuss was made over something so historic. Then we realised he was openly gay and this is a primarily Muslim country so they perhaps weren't as proud of him as some other countries would be.
We took a Spice Tour which ended up in hilarity as a contagious fit of giggles spread through our now close-knit group of 6. I believe it started as we were being shown the first plant and about 10 people whipped out fancy cameras to take photos of the leaves. After that we were taking the most ridiculous photos of the most ridiculous things and over dramatising every spice we smelt. I think we were a bit frustrated cos we'd finally arrived at the coast after 3 weeks in hot, dusty Moshi, and all we really wanted to do was go to the beach. After the gruelling tour was over, and I waved goodbye to a little friend I'd made who fell asleep on my chest for ages, it was success at last - we were off to the beach! Of course it lived up to our expectations and we had a blast swimming and sunning for the next few hours. My nose got horrendously burnt and I spent the rest of the holiday looking like Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer!
We hit the night food market for dinner and it was amazing. About 100 stalls are set up selling mostly exotic seafood. I had 2 crab claws, octopus and a fish skewer, finished off with a Nutella pancake. Delish! The next night we ate in a little indian restaurant after watching the sunset at beautiful Africa House. We's smoked Apple flavoured Shish, sang karaoke, and were off to bed early in preparation for our morning drive to the north for 2 days in a beach bungalow.
The Sunset Bungalows up north were nothing fancy but they were definitely fun. We lazed on the beach, chatted to new found friends, and generally enjoyed not having to do anything after a month of hard work and schedules. I get some gorgeous henna done by a woman ironically named Tatu, and had a wonderful massage. Our friend Jenna, who we affectionately call Special after a guide on our Waterfalls tour coined the endearing moniker, unfortunately smudged her (already badly drawn) henna - not good since she was returning to work in England and it lasts 2 weeks. She looked a little sad until we put a rescue plan into action and had another lady touch it up beautifully. She even put the Swahili word for Special "Maalum" on her new design and Jenna walked away with the best henna of the lot in the end!
Our other friends carried nicknames for the following reasons:
Katie - "Disney". Katie was the epitome of a Disney princess - beautiful, fiesty, adventurous, articulate... she is a sweetheart and was my teaching buddy. I'm going to miss her heaps as there isn't a bad bone in her body. Every day she emerges looking like Aerial, or Jasmine, or Belle and we'd inevitably break out in the appropriate song of course. Oh how many times we wished for your Magic Carpet ride to come and get us!
Ryan - "Lion". For obvious reasons... but he is like a big gentle cat in so may ways. We'd all sing "Ryan, like a Lion, In Zion..." I also called him the "Kid Whisperer" cos you've never seen someone so good with children in your life. Lion's awesome and epitomises the way Africa can change you. He returns home a mellow, relaxed guy fully adjusted to Africa Time. There is a great saying here "Westerners have the watches but Africa has the time" and it's so true. After you've waited an hour and a half for toast you realise how crazy it is to be so manic at home.
Ally - "Wild Cat". A true Aussie girl from a farm, she is wild! Always the first in the water, or rolling around
in the mud or sand. She didn't wear shoes the whole time in Zanzibar and you'd pass her on the footpath at midnight as she was heading out for a swim. Flying the flag with pride!!
Daniel - "Mexican". You have never met someone so patriotic for their country, proud of their friends and family, or passionate in your life. His accent amused us no end and he was my buddy towards the end of this trip. While we joked about it, his "peace and love" philosophy is one we should all heed as a life without conflict is one to be proud of. Daniel was a star at negotiating prices and we suspected this was beauce they weren't really sure if he was a Mzungu or not. Notably he also scaled Kilimajaro with ease - the first one up the mountain of those that departed the day he did, even beating his guide.
My favourite Mexican story is when he was teaching his class in Moshi. To assist the kids to understand him he'd sometimes use the Swahili word for what he was teaching and have the kids repeat it. This one day he got the Swahili translation a bit muddled and had all the students chanting "Cuma Tano" at the top of their lungs. The teacher ran in and stopped him, only to explain that the kids had all just been yelling "Five Vaginas"!!!! Too funny!
On the last day we comandeered a jet boat for about $10 AUD each to take us on a 2 hour sunset snorkelling ride. It was a magical way to end our Zanzibar adventure. We saw a giant seahorse, a huge bright blue starfish, and swarms of fish in the coral all lit up by the orange fading light. It will be a great memory for a long time. We also called ourselved the "Bomb Squad" as we'd taken to bombing each other's, and occassionally other people's, photos. It was very funny seeing someone sneakily dive in at the last second to ruin a perfect shot.
Anyway Zanzibar was amazing and all the pics can be found on my Facebook.
Give a big bum scratch to my Harvey Bear. I kiss a photo of him every night!
xxx
Ethiopia arrival
After a marathon 32 hour journey from beautiful Zanzibar I have arrived in Ethiopia! Flying in over Addis Ababa was simply beautiful and dispelled all the pre-concieved images I had of Ethiopia being a dry, arid, famine-stricken place. They have just had brilliant rains that turned the countryside into a lush green patchwork as far as the eye could see. Huge fields of yellow daisys weaved throughout the crops, and i was taken by how every inch, even of the mountains, is neatly sectioned into crops. Everywhere else I've been the farms stopped at the base of the mountains, but here they cover the whole thing, which creates a rolling-ocean effect that's just stunning. Flying into Addis Ababa on a sunny day is second only to flying in to Sydney on a clear night.
Now, I do like to keep this blog positive but it would be remiss of me to not report on the mission it took to get here. I will try to punch it out quickly but here goes. We were told that our ferry from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam left at 4pm when it actually left at 3:30. When the oversight was noticed we had 5 minutes to frantically bolt to the ferry terminal in our beach attire (very inappropriate for public transport in the largely muslim country for our knees and shoulders being provocatively on show). They were fighting over whether to bar us when we arrived but we successfuly did our most charming pursuasive dance and got on. If we had missed this 1hr 45 mins fast ferry it would have meant an 8 hr overnight ferry... so PHEW is an understatement!
Once in Dar we went to bed early because we had a 5am pickup to take us, with pre-bought tickets, to the bus station. Of course that didn't turn up so it was a mad dash to the terminal where we were instead put on a crummy bus for the next 10 hours. My knees touched the seat in front, and the reclined backreast was about 15cms in front of my face. But we made it back to Moshi in once piece with our indefatiguable spirits in tact as always. As my airport transfer was arriving at 1am we decided there was no point going to bed so we went out to dinner for our last night. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my friends. We reminisced over the memories we've maade, mystery meats we've eaten, things we've done. We laughed about our nicknames and how we got them. Then we went to a local nightspot (that i wish we'd discovered sooner as it was a wonderfully relaxed beer garden). My last song in Tanzania was hilariously also our theme song for the trip - Shakira's world cup anthem "This time for Africa". And so I said goodbye to my friends and jumped in a cab back to the house to meet my transfer.
But of course this did not arrive either... and without going into too much detail, the "Team Leader" at the house - not superstars Michaela or Jess - but a grumpy old man who despises Mzugus, refused to help me. I just needed him to call me a cab or follow-up on my no-show driver, but I was told through the door that it was not his problem. I wandered around the compound close to tears for about 40 minutes till my friends thankfully arrived home, in shock to find me still at the gate. They had to pay their cabbie an inflated rate of $30USD of their own money to taken me to the airport in his seat-beltless, broken headlight, no petrol-mobile. A white-knuckle ride to say the least!
Anyway I got there in one piece, only to find the airline had no booking for me. After an anxious half hour they booked me on and sent me into the departures terminal to wait. And wait. And wait. The 15 or so other passengers and I had no-one to ask as our 3:30am departure time came and went. My family was meant to be meeting me in Addis Ababa at 6:30 and I had no way to tell them I was delayed. We finally boarded at 5am. After falling asleep on the plane I was woken to a warm stewardess' welcome to "Dar Es Salaam"!! What!! Did I get on the wrong plane? Why was I back in a city I had just travelled 10 hours on a bus to leave? When I saw all the other passengers with the same horrified look I realised this was not my mistake. Turns out the airline had re-routed us without telling us.
So we waited an hour in Dar and finally set off for Addis. The early morning flight was beautiful - I passed a completely visible Kilimanjaro on my left and arrived in Addis to the beautiful vista i've described above. I was 4 hours late, and of course my poor family was no-where in sight. When I got inside the gate I was shuffled into a line for passengers transferring to Frankfurt and it was a difficult conversation to communicate I was actually where I needed to be. It was even more difficult to get my bags back as they too had been transferred on to the Frankfurt plane! I went to the currency exchange then, but they wouldn't change my Tanzanian Shillings. I could not find a working phone to call my family, and was told there was no internet in the airport. A nice-looking man saw my distress and offered to help me make a call. $100 Kenyan Birr later he ran off with my money and the last of my reslove. The tears flowed as I thought I was going to be stranded... so close yet so far.
Meanwhile my poor family was beside themselves as I hadn't turned up. They logged onto my facebook only to find a message hoping I was ok "after the nightmare last night" and naturally assumed the worst. A missing persons report was filed in Tanzania as they frantically tried to find out what had happened to me. Finally a legitimately nice man helped me make a call and I told them I was here... safe and sound but a bit shaken.
When I saw Lily and Lyndsay coming in to get me I burst into tears like a big baby!
Anyway, all drama aside, Ethiopia is absolutely beautiful. Lyndsay and Sandy's house is built up on a hill and overlooks the whole city. Lily and I went out on our first night and it was so much fun. It was quite surreal hearing Justin Beiber and Beyonce in a club in Addis Ababa! We went to the British Embassy compound and played with the horses, met the lovely Kenyan ambassador and her gorgeous daughters, and have been making all sorts of exciting plans.
Updates of Zanzibar to follow, but in the meantime check out my new pics of Teaching in Tanzania:
Now, I do like to keep this blog positive but it would be remiss of me to not report on the mission it took to get here. I will try to punch it out quickly but here goes. We were told that our ferry from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam left at 4pm when it actually left at 3:30. When the oversight was noticed we had 5 minutes to frantically bolt to the ferry terminal in our beach attire (very inappropriate for public transport in the largely muslim country for our knees and shoulders being provocatively on show). They were fighting over whether to bar us when we arrived but we successfuly did our most charming pursuasive dance and got on. If we had missed this 1hr 45 mins fast ferry it would have meant an 8 hr overnight ferry... so PHEW is an understatement!
Once in Dar we went to bed early because we had a 5am pickup to take us, with pre-bought tickets, to the bus station. Of course that didn't turn up so it was a mad dash to the terminal where we were instead put on a crummy bus for the next 10 hours. My knees touched the seat in front, and the reclined backreast was about 15cms in front of my face. But we made it back to Moshi in once piece with our indefatiguable spirits in tact as always. As my airport transfer was arriving at 1am we decided there was no point going to bed so we went out to dinner for our last night. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to my friends. We reminisced over the memories we've maade, mystery meats we've eaten, things we've done. We laughed about our nicknames and how we got them. Then we went to a local nightspot (that i wish we'd discovered sooner as it was a wonderfully relaxed beer garden). My last song in Tanzania was hilariously also our theme song for the trip - Shakira's world cup anthem "This time for Africa". And so I said goodbye to my friends and jumped in a cab back to the house to meet my transfer.
But of course this did not arrive either... and without going into too much detail, the "Team Leader" at the house - not superstars Michaela or Jess - but a grumpy old man who despises Mzugus, refused to help me. I just needed him to call me a cab or follow-up on my no-show driver, but I was told through the door that it was not his problem. I wandered around the compound close to tears for about 40 minutes till my friends thankfully arrived home, in shock to find me still at the gate. They had to pay their cabbie an inflated rate of $30USD of their own money to taken me to the airport in his seat-beltless, broken headlight, no petrol-mobile. A white-knuckle ride to say the least!
Anyway I got there in one piece, only to find the airline had no booking for me. After an anxious half hour they booked me on and sent me into the departures terminal to wait. And wait. And wait. The 15 or so other passengers and I had no-one to ask as our 3:30am departure time came and went. My family was meant to be meeting me in Addis Ababa at 6:30 and I had no way to tell them I was delayed. We finally boarded at 5am. After falling asleep on the plane I was woken to a warm stewardess' welcome to "Dar Es Salaam"!! What!! Did I get on the wrong plane? Why was I back in a city I had just travelled 10 hours on a bus to leave? When I saw all the other passengers with the same horrified look I realised this was not my mistake. Turns out the airline had re-routed us without telling us.
So we waited an hour in Dar and finally set off for Addis. The early morning flight was beautiful - I passed a completely visible Kilimanjaro on my left and arrived in Addis to the beautiful vista i've described above. I was 4 hours late, and of course my poor family was no-where in sight. When I got inside the gate I was shuffled into a line for passengers transferring to Frankfurt and it was a difficult conversation to communicate I was actually where I needed to be. It was even more difficult to get my bags back as they too had been transferred on to the Frankfurt plane! I went to the currency exchange then, but they wouldn't change my Tanzanian Shillings. I could not find a working phone to call my family, and was told there was no internet in the airport. A nice-looking man saw my distress and offered to help me make a call. $100 Kenyan Birr later he ran off with my money and the last of my reslove. The tears flowed as I thought I was going to be stranded... so close yet so far.
Meanwhile my poor family was beside themselves as I hadn't turned up. They logged onto my facebook only to find a message hoping I was ok "after the nightmare last night" and naturally assumed the worst. A missing persons report was filed in Tanzania as they frantically tried to find out what had happened to me. Finally a legitimately nice man helped me make a call and I told them I was here... safe and sound but a bit shaken.
When I saw Lily and Lyndsay coming in to get me I burst into tears like a big baby!
Anyway, all drama aside, Ethiopia is absolutely beautiful. Lyndsay and Sandy's house is built up on a hill and overlooks the whole city. Lily and I went out on our first night and it was so much fun. It was quite surreal hearing Justin Beiber and Beyonce in a club in Addis Ababa! We went to the British Embassy compound and played with the horses, met the lovely Kenyan ambassador and her gorgeous daughters, and have been making all sorts of exciting plans.
Updates of Zanzibar to follow, but in the meantime check out my new pics of Teaching in Tanzania:
Love to my baby Harvey Bear. I noticed not all of my last post got through and it looked like I forgot him. As if!!
xxx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)