Zanny in Zanzibar

Hello from Zanzibar,

The train to Gombe National Park to see Tanzania’s famous chimps turns out to be very unreliable. We learned from several locals that it could take 40 hours (the official line) or 4 days. Break downs are very regular.

So with time ticking until the end of our trip, we decided at the last minute to cut Gombe from the itinerary (just to risky) and head to Zanzibar for a few more days than planned. And boy are we happy with our choice. The island has been amazing, although a little more expense compared to recent travels. We spent four nights in wonderful Stone Town – a collision of Arab, European and African culture. The city is a little like Venice. Lots of narrow, winding alleyways, and plenty of buildings in disrepair. We arrived the night before Ramadan, so it was a little quiet, but still nice. There are a few tourist restaurants open to feed us while the sun is up, but they often have shutters closed in respect for local religion. We spent time on a spice tour and visited a national park with tons of cute monkeys. The latter made Gillian very happy.

We are now treating ourselves to four days in Kendwa, a northern beach getaway. We’ve just chilled on a big beach and spent yesterday diving some incrediable reefs. Tons of great fish and turtles.

Next we head to Losotho for some hiking than Arusha.

How many people can you pack in a minivan?

We learned the answer to this question is 23 for a small minibus during one of our many bus rides recently. We’ve been in transit for the past three days from Nkhata Bay, Malawi to Iringa, Tanzania and wiped out. Too many miles with questionable roads and suspension and smelly people/chickens/fish. And comfort certainly isn’t a feature on most of these rides.

We were very sad to leave Mayoka Lodge in Malawi. Our chalet was super nice and we had some laughs with some great people. We also broke one of our rules for Africa – no diving in fresh water. The no hitchhiking rule went out the door long ago. The problem with the water is that there is a nasty parasite. But well, the water looked so inviting and we caved on the second day. In fact, we did two scuba dives on top of cliff jumping and swimming. We’ll be paying the doc a visit on our return to Canada to see if we brought back any friends in our bloodstream. The diving was okay – viability wasn’t the greatest and there isn’t any colourful coral. But the fish (chiclids) are very interesting – they are the fastest evolving animals on the planet we are told. So there are thousands of varieties. We saw some that swim upside down and others that breed their young in their mouth and even when the young are born they retreat to mom’s mouth when dangers comes.

We hit Karonga on Tuesday night, crossed to Tanzania and stayed in Myeba on Wednesday and arrived in Iringa today. We’ll kick around here for a day or two before heading either to Dodoma or Dar. Bus info is sketchy at the moment.

We can’t believe we only have four weeks left! So we’re trying to pack in a whole lot in the time left. Zanzibar for sure. Leshoto and Aruhsa most likely. Then there is a Masi Mara safari or chimp trekking in Gombe National Park (chimps) as possibilities.

Hope everyone is well. Lots more stories to share when we return.