Okay this is the last of three post about the trip to the pwani- sorry there is alot to talk about, and i even have more to say then i can post...
(Oh Yeah- why dont you guys make some comments- i would LOVE to hear from you!)
So 16-7-08 started our second day in Zanzibar. Woke up early, feeling a little crispy. We boarded the bus and headed for the Kasri (palace) ya Maruhubi. The palace burned down in 1899, but i did not catch the cause. However there were alot of mango trees that surrounded the outside of the magofu (ruins) and it ends up that they are actually from India. The ruins were right by a beach where guys were building huge ships. Here we talked to the tour guide and he told us some methali's (proverbs) like: usisafari nyota ya mwenzia. Methali are very big here and are shown on kanga's which are the customary dress for women. This methali translates to something like do not travel on your friends star.
After this we checked out a shamba la viungo (spice farm). Pretty typical trip for tourists, but it was fun because we got to travel all through this huge farm and taste all the different spices from the trees and plants like cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, cinnamon, and menthol. My favorite was the clove because it was kali (strong!) and made my tongue go numb. The turmeric, which looked like a carrot stained our hands and teeth, haha. Kids followed us as we walked, making us little accessories out of leaves, like hats, glasses, bracelets, bags, etc...very cool. It started to rain pretty hard so we waited under a covering of this one house for second, but since it kept drizzling we got big leaves from a banana plant and used them as umbrellas- great idea, right! At the end of the tour we sat around and got to eat a bunch of different fruit: star fruit, oranges, jack fruit, "pud fruit" i dont no what is was but it was like custard, and more.
After this we had free time for lunch and whatever else which was awesome. Grabbed lunch at a Chinese place, weird right? but it was good. and then out of boredom we started haggling with the local vendors who walk around trying to sell things. THis guy was selling sunglasses and he wanted me to buy them, so i greeted him then proceeded to punguza bei (lower the price). He wanted TS 15, 000 (like $15) for these sunglasses but i got the price down to TS 5,000. They are like huge rockstar glasses, right on. (BTW did you know that Freddy Mercury was born in Zanzibar?!) After this we made our way to the beach where Cara proceeded to buy the ugliest dashikis ever. The boys put them on and we headed to find a bar. On the way we ran into my friend Patrick. We told him we were looking for a bar with a bei rahisi (easy/low price) he proceeded to take us to the Starehe- this divey bar behind some shops. The bar was outside and mostly locals hung out there. Some people were thrown off by the boys who wore wazungu shirts but were actually speaking Swahili well. Good times. Then we saw two students, Mike and Vivian, walking by on the beach, and the boys got up on the ledge and started screaming WAZUNGU! I thought it was funny, but i think Mike and Vivian were a little embarrassed.
For dinner we ate at Monsoon- restaurant with Swahili cuisine. High prices, bad service, and hot as hell in there- not my favorite place. After this we went to the Old Fort for the ZIFF again and before the music started they announced a shindano la dansi (dance competition!) Cara got on stage and danced, it was awesome.
The next day 17-07-08 was our last day in ZNZ. We started by checking out the Jozani- Chwaka Bay National Park. Saw some monkeys and some awesome mangrove trees. There are three different kinds on mangroves here. One was the mkoko magondi, or the long legged mangrove, this was my favorite one, i think i could relate to it... SO after this we went to Paje beach and ate lunch and hung out on the beach. After we headed back, to Stone Town. On the way back Cara blew chunks on the side of the bus- :( i think it was food related. However her little bug kept her from going out on out last night, so i lost one of my partners in crime.
So got back and got ready for dinner. As i walked down the street i passed the alley where my friend Patrick works and of course he was there. We ended up going to the Starehe were we coincidentally ran into Cody, Nikki, and Dan! I love when that happens, and we hung out. Good times. Its cool when you realize you can sit down with people and talk, tell stories, and joke in another language. We ended up going to the Fish market again for dinner because it was quick, cheap, lots of locals, and next to the Old Fort- perfect! First i sat down with some guys at a little table hidden in the back of the market where they were drinking Tangawizi Chai (ginger tea) is was kali for sure, but real good. Went to the Old Fort after and danced and drank some Tusker (my favorite beer here). Very fun. WE ended up going to the disco at like 2:30 am and danced some more (tilicheza dansi usiku kucha- we danced all night!)
The next day hurt having only 2 hours of sleep and the boat ride from hell. We were sitting inside of this boat and the ride was real choppy- people were losing it all over the place, barf bags were flying- not fun. And this ride happened to take like an hour longer than the one to the island. After, we TRIED to eat breakfast in Dar, and then we hopped on the bus for our travel back to Arusha. All in all i think we traveled for 15+ hours.
Anyway, i loved the trip to the Pwani! Zanzibar is fun and i want to go back already. I am lucky to not have gotten sick at all or have gotten anything stolen. Sorry for writing so much, i wonder if any one will actually read all of this!
SIKU NJEMA!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Moyo Yangu iko Zanzibar!
Aaya! This is Part 2 of the trip to the Pwani (coast)...
Soo on Tuesday 15-7-08 we woke up really early to catch the boat to Zanzibar at around 7:15 ish. I heard that the boats were a little rough, but i wasnt worried: one, because i do not get sea sick and two, because it was early and i was tired! Turns out i slept the whole 2 hours or so on the boat- hakuna shida (no problems). So we finally got to Zanzibar and first we had to go through customs before we could get to our hotel in Stone Town (mji Mkongwe). So this took a second, but we got to the hotel and dropped our bags off so we could start the tour immediately. First we went to part of a museum that was under construction, i think. (BTW all tours and everything else is in Swahili so this is me trying to keep up with all these great things that we are seeing but not total sure). So we get to the museum and go to this tiny room that is dusty and dark and we find places to sit. It turns out that the room was a chumba cha hasabu (punishment room) for slaves that had made the trip from the coast to Zanzibar. Here they would cram up to 75 people in one room and as a result many died from starvation and/ or the transmission of diseases. Next we went to a Catholic Church and then we headed to the sokoni kuu (the big market). Everything was going good, i was digging all the produce and greeting the sellers as we passed by, then we entered the sehemu ya nyama (raw meat section). The second we walked through the passage way i say some disgusting things that i was not ready for and that do not need to be mentioned. I thought i was going to loose it so i kept my head down and kept walking until i went through the next passage way which ended up being the place where they were butchering the fish! AH! this smelled horrible as well, i ran away. After this we walked to the House of Wonders, which is a palace (Kasri) that was built for Sultan Barghash in 1883. It was the tallest building in Zanzibar and was the first to have running water and electricity. We went to the balcony where we were able to get a great view of Stone Town (Pictures to come!)
After this is was lunch time, and we ate at a Indian restaurant that was pretty delicious. Since we got free time after lunch we walked around Stone Town. The town is really cool, there are numerous small little alleys that you wander through, kinda like a maze. We found one stretch where there were alot of stores that sold jewelery, kangas, scarfs, and art- you know stuff we tourist love... Anyway grabbed some presents for my loved ones :) and headed to a kanga store where we chatted with the Muuzaji (seller) who ended up being from Arusha and knowing Mwalimu Kisangi (one of our teachers). His name was Patrick and he ended up hanging out with us throughout our stay in Stone Town and showing us around. Very interesting to find out that alot of the younger teens along this alley are originally from the Arusha area...
So a few people had already been to Stone Town in the past and they were all raving about the fish markets, which is open for dinner every night. Here there are multiple tables that serve fish, meat, falfal, chipsi, saladi, chapti, ZNZ pizza, etc... very cool and cheaper than a restaurant. We went to find the market, but it turns out that it is no longer on the beach where it normally is but actually in between the House of Wonders and The Old Fort (Omani Fort). SO we headed there. As we ate we talked to some of the vendors (in swahili) and asked about their businesses. Turns out that there are separate prices- prices for wazungu and prices for the locals, not surprised. Even though we may have gotten our food for a little less then the wazungu price, we still paid more than local for sure. I ended up having a uneventful conversation with a dude who could not seem to get past the fact that i did not want to give him my contact info and i was not interesting in being a special contact for him- i try to be nice to the people that i meet, but it for some reason alot of men here are only interested in talking about marriage. (Note: i am currently wearing a cheap wedding band that my friend, Cara, gave me so now i can just say i have a fiancee in the states, this has helped stop marriage proposals, kind of).
This night, after the market and unsuccessfully checking out a disco, we found out about the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) at the old fort and decided to check it out. Saw my friend Patrick there and we hung our and listen to some bongo flava and reggae music- very cool and fun!
Soo on Tuesday 15-7-08 we woke up really early to catch the boat to Zanzibar at around 7:15 ish. I heard that the boats were a little rough, but i wasnt worried: one, because i do not get sea sick and two, because it was early and i was tired! Turns out i slept the whole 2 hours or so on the boat- hakuna shida (no problems). So we finally got to Zanzibar and first we had to go through customs before we could get to our hotel in Stone Town (mji Mkongwe). So this took a second, but we got to the hotel and dropped our bags off so we could start the tour immediately. First we went to part of a museum that was under construction, i think. (BTW all tours and everything else is in Swahili so this is me trying to keep up with all these great things that we are seeing but not total sure). So we get to the museum and go to this tiny room that is dusty and dark and we find places to sit. It turns out that the room was a chumba cha hasabu (punishment room) for slaves that had made the trip from the coast to Zanzibar. Here they would cram up to 75 people in one room and as a result many died from starvation and/ or the transmission of diseases. Next we went to a Catholic Church and then we headed to the sokoni kuu (the big market). Everything was going good, i was digging all the produce and greeting the sellers as we passed by, then we entered the sehemu ya nyama (raw meat section). The second we walked through the passage way i say some disgusting things that i was not ready for and that do not need to be mentioned. I thought i was going to loose it so i kept my head down and kept walking until i went through the next passage way which ended up being the place where they were butchering the fish! AH! this smelled horrible as well, i ran away. After this we walked to the House of Wonders, which is a palace (Kasri) that was built for Sultan Barghash in 1883. It was the tallest building in Zanzibar and was the first to have running water and electricity. We went to the balcony where we were able to get a great view of Stone Town (Pictures to come!)
After this is was lunch time, and we ate at a Indian restaurant that was pretty delicious. Since we got free time after lunch we walked around Stone Town. The town is really cool, there are numerous small little alleys that you wander through, kinda like a maze. We found one stretch where there were alot of stores that sold jewelery, kangas, scarfs, and art- you know stuff we tourist love... Anyway grabbed some presents for my loved ones :) and headed to a kanga store where we chatted with the Muuzaji (seller) who ended up being from Arusha and knowing Mwalimu Kisangi (one of our teachers). His name was Patrick and he ended up hanging out with us throughout our stay in Stone Town and showing us around. Very interesting to find out that alot of the younger teens along this alley are originally from the Arusha area...
So a few people had already been to Stone Town in the past and they were all raving about the fish markets, which is open for dinner every night. Here there are multiple tables that serve fish, meat, falfal, chipsi, saladi, chapti, ZNZ pizza, etc... very cool and cheaper than a restaurant. We went to find the market, but it turns out that it is no longer on the beach where it normally is but actually in between the House of Wonders and The Old Fort (Omani Fort). SO we headed there. As we ate we talked to some of the vendors (in swahili) and asked about their businesses. Turns out that there are separate prices- prices for wazungu and prices for the locals, not surprised. Even though we may have gotten our food for a little less then the wazungu price, we still paid more than local for sure. I ended up having a uneventful conversation with a dude who could not seem to get past the fact that i did not want to give him my contact info and i was not interesting in being a special contact for him- i try to be nice to the people that i meet, but it for some reason alot of men here are only interested in talking about marriage. (Note: i am currently wearing a cheap wedding band that my friend, Cara, gave me so now i can just say i have a fiancee in the states, this has helped stop marriage proposals, kind of).
This night, after the market and unsuccessfully checking out a disco, we found out about the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) at the old fort and decided to check it out. Saw my friend Patrick there and we hung our and listen to some bongo flava and reggae music- very cool and fun!
Safiri ya Pwani (Dar es Salaam)
Mambo Mambo? I have not had the time to write a post in a while because we went on a week long trip to Dar es Salaam and then Zanzibar. I got back this past weekend and had to write a report about the trip, do an oral presentation in front of the professors, and also read some Swahili childrens books because that is the level i comprehend best :) haha.
So first we went to Dar es Salaam on the 12-7-08 and arrived at night. We were all invited to go to a wedding of one of the daughters or sons of a teachers here at MSTCDC. It was huge. There was music and food, but we ate before we got there so we just talked with different people. At one point the father of the groom came by our table and welcomed us saying "Karibuni!" and one of the students, Xander, replied "Marahaba!" Shocked and a little tired i busted out laughing. This is the response given to the greeting "Shikamoo," and is suppose to be the response stated by the elder. Shikamoo is a respectful greeting you say to someone who is older than you, and they answer Marahaba, now maybe you get the humor.
SO Sunday 13-7-08 started our adventure around Dar. First we went to Bagamoyo, a town which was the last stop of the slave caravan from the inland to the coast. Bagamoyo literally means "throw down my heart." Here we visited the Kaole ruins which were found in the 13th century and is believed to be an ancient city that was destroyed after the Portuguese arrived on the coast. Here we washed our hands with "holy water" from a well and climbed a Baobab Tree- my favorite! After Kaole we went to a museum in Bagamoyo where we read about the history of the East African slave trade. The museums here offer both Kiswahili and English descriptions so i was able to learn new words as well as understand the artifacts. Here we saw this map that was created in 1918 by a German. It was very interesting to see how detailed the map was: it had villages, cities, and geographic locations pinned.
After the museums we celebrated two of the students birthdays here. First we went to a local bar in the city for some bias (beers) and konyagi (kind of like gin). Of course we made friends here because as wazungu (foreigners/ white people) we attract attention. After we headed to a delicious Chinese/ Indian restaurant and had a feast, finally we got some chakula cha tamu! (tasty food).
The next day, 14-7-08, we headed to the University of Dar es Salaam where we walked around the university. It was alot bigger than i imagined, but a few kids had studied there in the past so we were able to follow them around and check out a book store. After this we headed to the Kijiji cha Makumbusho (Villages Museum). The museum was mostly outside and had recreations of small houses that were representative of the many different ethnic groups that are native to the Tanzania area. There was so many that i was not able to see all of them. There was also little descriptions of different plants the museum. For example the Muarobani (or Neem) tree is a dawa la asilia (natural medicine). Its sap can act as an aid to many diseases including malaria, pretty cool. After this we proceeded to another museum! I was getting tired, but At the Makumbusho ya Taifa (National Musuem) i saw this crazy fish (ilikuwa kufa- it was dead) but was being preserved in water. It was a Kisukuku (Coelacanth) and is believed to be some really ancient fish. ANyway this thing was nasty is was by a window and looked like it was rotting in the sun. However i did try and educated myself a little by reading a little bit about the oldest city excavated in Tanzania, Kilwa. But like i said i was kinda tired so i mostly walked around reading the stuff that struck me as odd (i.e the fish).
After this we all agreed to get ready for dinner and go to an Ethiopian restaurant close to our hotel, Addis in Dar. The food was the bomb here. It was my first time eating at a Ethiopian restaurant and i hope it is not my last! We sat around in a circle and the food was poured onto a large njera which is kinda like a flat bread except it is made with teff. Then you eat with your hands, taking pieces of the njera and dipping it or grabbing the different foods :) Yumm...
Then we were done in Dar, because the next day we had to wake up realllly early to catch the boat for Zanzibar!
So first we went to Dar es Salaam on the 12-7-08 and arrived at night. We were all invited to go to a wedding of one of the daughters or sons of a teachers here at MSTCDC. It was huge. There was music and food, but we ate before we got there so we just talked with different people. At one point the father of the groom came by our table and welcomed us saying "Karibuni!" and one of the students, Xander, replied "Marahaba!" Shocked and a little tired i busted out laughing. This is the response given to the greeting "Shikamoo," and is suppose to be the response stated by the elder. Shikamoo is a respectful greeting you say to someone who is older than you, and they answer Marahaba, now maybe you get the humor.
SO Sunday 13-7-08 started our adventure around Dar. First we went to Bagamoyo, a town which was the last stop of the slave caravan from the inland to the coast. Bagamoyo literally means "throw down my heart." Here we visited the Kaole ruins which were found in the 13th century and is believed to be an ancient city that was destroyed after the Portuguese arrived on the coast. Here we washed our hands with "holy water" from a well and climbed a Baobab Tree- my favorite! After Kaole we went to a museum in Bagamoyo where we read about the history of the East African slave trade. The museums here offer both Kiswahili and English descriptions so i was able to learn new words as well as understand the artifacts. Here we saw this map that was created in 1918 by a German. It was very interesting to see how detailed the map was: it had villages, cities, and geographic locations pinned.
After the museums we celebrated two of the students birthdays here. First we went to a local bar in the city for some bias (beers) and konyagi (kind of like gin). Of course we made friends here because as wazungu (foreigners/ white people) we attract attention. After we headed to a delicious Chinese/ Indian restaurant and had a feast, finally we got some chakula cha tamu! (tasty food).
The next day, 14-7-08, we headed to the University of Dar es Salaam where we walked around the university. It was alot bigger than i imagined, but a few kids had studied there in the past so we were able to follow them around and check out a book store. After this we headed to the Kijiji cha Makumbusho (Villages Museum). The museum was mostly outside and had recreations of small houses that were representative of the many different ethnic groups that are native to the Tanzania area. There was so many that i was not able to see all of them. There was also little descriptions of different plants the museum. For example the Muarobani (or Neem) tree is a dawa la asilia (natural medicine). Its sap can act as an aid to many diseases including malaria, pretty cool. After this we proceeded to another museum! I was getting tired, but At the Makumbusho ya Taifa (National Musuem) i saw this crazy fish (ilikuwa kufa- it was dead) but was being preserved in water. It was a Kisukuku (Coelacanth) and is believed to be some really ancient fish. ANyway this thing was nasty is was by a window and looked like it was rotting in the sun. However i did try and educated myself a little by reading a little bit about the oldest city excavated in Tanzania, Kilwa. But like i said i was kinda tired so i mostly walked around reading the stuff that struck me as odd (i.e the fish).
After this we all agreed to get ready for dinner and go to an Ethiopian restaurant close to our hotel, Addis in Dar. The food was the bomb here. It was my first time eating at a Ethiopian restaurant and i hope it is not my last! We sat around in a circle and the food was poured onto a large njera which is kinda like a flat bread except it is made with teff. Then you eat with your hands, taking pieces of the njera and dipping it or grabbing the different foods :) Yumm...
Then we were done in Dar, because the next day we had to wake up realllly early to catch the boat for Zanzibar!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Hamna Shida
Mambo Mambo. SO this past weekend was the first stay with our host families. My roomate and I left friday evening and arrived in time to help prepare for dinner. Our house was in a small villiage (kijiji) in Usa River. Our family consist of a Mama Elly, Baba Simon, Jonas, and Simon. Also there was Paulina who is a friends daughter, she is living with the family now and helps Mama Elly do work around the house. Every day is filled with alot of work and there was a lot of emphasis on the preparations and cooking of foods- something that i love because i looove to eat! So before we went to our home, we met our mama and i had the chance to explain to her that i do not eat meat, she was really cool about it and the whole weekend had plenty of vegetarian meals.
One of my favorite things that we did on Friday night was make juice. A neighbor came over and with fresh fruit, a strainer, a grater, and some sugar, she made some of the best juice i have ever had- something that i want to try once i get back to the states! A typical meal consisted of cooked rice, beans, cabbage, spinach, avocados, and bananas, and chapati (my fav.) plus some. After the weekend was done i thought i was going to explode because she kept feeding us so much food! I found out later that alot of the other people host families made them eat large amounts of food too. I also learned how to make ugali which is a staple dish that consists of water and corn flour mixed together to form what looks like mashed potatoes.
On Saturday my roomate, Jonas, Paulina, and I went to go see our Baba play at a bar in town. He is a musician and also a music teacher. He plays the drums and sings, it was very cool to watch him perform. I even got up and danced with an old guy. Later when i told this story to some people in Swahili i messed up my words. I was talking about my weekend and said I danced for the old man when i meant to say i danced with the old man, one of the guys in the program called me out on it later- Oops! I think they know what i meant.. or at least i hope.
Anyway, this weekend we get to go to the capital, Dar es Salaam! i am so excited because the word it we are staying at a nice, small, Indian hotel that has an amazing restaurant. This should be a blast.
Hamna Shida (no problems!)
One of my favorite things that we did on Friday night was make juice. A neighbor came over and with fresh fruit, a strainer, a grater, and some sugar, she made some of the best juice i have ever had- something that i want to try once i get back to the states! A typical meal consisted of cooked rice, beans, cabbage, spinach, avocados, and bananas, and chapati (my fav.) plus some. After the weekend was done i thought i was going to explode because she kept feeding us so much food! I found out later that alot of the other people host families made them eat large amounts of food too. I also learned how to make ugali which is a staple dish that consists of water and corn flour mixed together to form what looks like mashed potatoes.
On Saturday my roomate, Jonas, Paulina, and I went to go see our Baba play at a bar in town. He is a musician and also a music teacher. He plays the drums and sings, it was very cool to watch him perform. I even got up and danced with an old guy. Later when i told this story to some people in Swahili i messed up my words. I was talking about my weekend and said I danced for the old man when i meant to say i danced with the old man, one of the guys in the program called me out on it later- Oops! I think they know what i meant.. or at least i hope.
Anyway, this weekend we get to go to the capital, Dar es Salaam! i am so excited because the word it we are staying at a nice, small, Indian hotel that has an amazing restaurant. This should be a blast.
Hamna Shida (no problems!)
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Safari ya Kwanza
Hamjambo! Pole, i have been busy and unable to write. This past weekend we went to Ngorongoro Crater and Oldupai Gorge. It was kinda touristy but it was a great experience. We left on Saturday morning and our first stop was at a snake farm. Kinda creepy, then across from the snake farm was a museum about the Maasai culture. We ate ate lunch and then got back on the rode until we arrived in Karata (close to ngorongoro) to stay for the night. We woke up real early on Sunday in order to start our trip (safari). We arrived at the crater, and our first glimpse of it was from very high up. We then went to Oldupai, which is a fascinating archaeological site and home to many fossils as well as my favorite, the Laetoli Footprints. After the that we checked out the shifting sands which was really cool. Here, i felt really small compared to the landscape around me. We were in the middle of absolutely nowhere, it was great.
I have pictures of all these places, but the computer connection is slow and weak here so the pictures take forever to download. I tried last night, but a quarter of the way through the process was interrupted and stopped. I will figure something out soon. However, we went into the crater and drove around it for a couple hours. This is where we were able to see zebra, wildebeests, hippos, and elephants! The elephants at the end of the safari were the best. They were right in front of us. I tried to get a closeup of one of the elephants faces; they are beautiful creatures with very humble faces. Needless to say after the trip we were all wrecked and dusty. The only downer about the weekend is that i dropped one of my camera lenses while getting in and out of the car. No biggy, i have other lenses and another guy her has a nice lens, so all is good.
Well off to study some Kiswahili, because it turns out that i no less than i thought i did, ahh! I will write again soon, this weekend i meet my host family and stay with them for the first time in Usa River which is around 10 min. from the compound. Kwaherini!
I have pictures of all these places, but the computer connection is slow and weak here so the pictures take forever to download. I tried last night, but a quarter of the way through the process was interrupted and stopped. I will figure something out soon. However, we went into the crater and drove around it for a couple hours. This is where we were able to see zebra, wildebeests, hippos, and elephants! The elephants at the end of the safari were the best. They were right in front of us. I tried to get a closeup of one of the elephants faces; they are beautiful creatures with very humble faces. Needless to say after the trip we were all wrecked and dusty. The only downer about the weekend is that i dropped one of my camera lenses while getting in and out of the car. No biggy, i have other lenses and another guy her has a nice lens, so all is good.
Well off to study some Kiswahili, because it turns out that i no less than i thought i did, ahh! I will write again soon, this weekend i meet my host family and stay with them for the first time in Usa River which is around 10 min. from the compound. Kwaherini!
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