Sailing in a Dhow

Here's a highly recommended activity if you should ever find yourself on the island of Zanzibar. Take a sunset sail on a classically built sailing vessel and be awed, like we were, by the gorgeous vista of white sandy beaches, calm azure-blue waters, and brilliant end-of-the-day sunlight.

Sharmala, Jan, and I boarded a well-kept dhow late one afternoon after selecting snorkeling gear (fins and masks) readying us for an experience never to be forgotten.

We motored along the coast about 4-5 km until we reached a coral garden where we then donned our snorkeling gear and plunged overboard. The seabed was covered with sprawling mounds of amazing corals (brain coral, fan coral, staghorn coral) and the sea, the bathwater-warm sea was swarming with schools of fish. Because I have such poor eyesight, I missed many of the details BUT was able to spot flashed of Nimo-like fish and was thrilled to swim through schools of sergeant majors with flashy stipes!

I lost sense of how much time we spent in the water, but our guides encouraged us to stay and explore as much as we wanted. Once we were back on board, the sails were hoisted and we sailed silently over the iridescent waters - nothing could be more peaceful or calming for the spirit. Finally, we turned about and headed back towards the Flame Tree Gardens and I must say we were mesmerized by the honey coloured sun dipping into the sea.

Zanzibar Days

Our trip to Zanzibar was our final adventure while in Tanzania. After a brief but memorable safari in Mikumi, we traveled to Dar es Salaam on April 17 where we met Sharmala at the thankfully-air-conditioned Econo Hotel. After weeks in the cool refreshing climate of Mbeya, we found Dar to be extremely humid and hot.

Sunday morning we were up and off to the terminal to catch our ferry to Zanzibar. First-class tickets got us comfy seats, AC, and weird Tanzanian movies. Although the early morning rains were over, the sea was a bit rough for the first hour of the trip.

Once we landed on the island, we had to pass through customs which may seem surprising since Zanzibar has been a part of Tanzania since 1967 but they are very protective of their identity and sovereignty (they have a separate branch of government which only the people of Zanzibar can vote for).

You never know when you’re going to bump into someone you know . . .. as we stood in immigration lineup, a young white woman asked Jan if she was Meredith Wilson’s mother from N. Van . . . and of course she IS! Jan recognized this woman as a friend of her daughter from her HS years. She was traveling with her husband on a 3-week holiday in Africa!

Our driver whisked us up to the north west end of the island, quickly passing out of Zanzibar City and into the village-strewn countryside. The vegetation was lush and tropical; trees bursting with blooms and fruit (bananas, jack fruit, mangoes, all sorts of palms...)

We arrived at Nungwi Beach Resort after just over an hour; hot, somewhat bedraggled from the heat & travel only to find that our resort of choice to be less than what we had hoped for. The good points were it was on a beautiful small stretch of beach and the price was right. The not-so-good points were: loud music from the bar/restaurant; strong-smelling pesticide in room; inadequate chairs, hangers, tables in our room; low/no water pressure; thousands of flies around our eating table while being served at the cafe; limited beach furniture (with a price tag for usage); I could go on but you get the picture. The music blared into the night (it turns out there was a disco on the property right behind our cabin so we got “surround sound”) and was only silenced by a 3-hour power outage between midnight and 3AM.

Needless-to-say, we were on the hunt for a new place right after breakfast the next day - stalking the beaches for something more agreeable. After all, it was the low (rainy) season so we thought we might be able to talk someone into a deal (for us, of course). The thing is, we wanted to stay another 3 nights so wanted something comfortable, affordable, and a place where sleep was possible.

The 3 of us were immediately “taken” with Flame Tree Cottages but unfortunately, they were out of our price range. The thing is, being the low season, all of these resorts were VERY quiet. In fact one large place seemed to be deserted except for the Maasai guards draped in their famous red-blue robes.

The proprietors of the Flame Tree Cottages were very accommodating, and generously offered us another rate that while more than we had planned, was impossible to turn down. And so we stayed and enjoyed and soaked in the stunning setting.

African bird pictures

The Lilac-breasted Roller


Here are some pictures I found on-line of birds that we were lucky enough to spot while on our safari in Mikumi National Park. At one point, while driving along the track, I spotted what at first glance appeared to be a blue garbage bag - like the common recycling bags used in Canada - lying on the side of the road. As we got closer, this "garbage bag" gathered itself up and flew off -- it was a gorgeous lilac breasted roller. Take a look at these wonderful birds:

Male pin-tailed Whydah

Marabou Stork

African Fish Eagle Kori Bustard

Off to Mikumi National Park

It's been nearly 3 weeks since Jan and I left Mbeya after 7 wonderful weeks with Sharmala and her boys. We were sad to say good-bye to all our Mbeya friends but excited about heading down the road to Mikumi National Park.

We left Mbeya in the early hours of the morning, leaving aboard a busline whose reputation was as yet unknown. We were a bit sceptical when a man with a wrench scrunched under the front wheel to do who-knows-what before we took off. Our pathetically slow driver seemed most intent on taking his time, letting many other buses pass us by and taking longer than usual to reach various mileposts such as Iringa. Shortly before lunch, as we dropped down from the highlands, a second drive took over who speedily made up the time the first driver "lost". We careened down ravines and through stands of boabob trees as the climate got more and more tropical. After about 7.5 hours,we were safely deposited at the main gates of the Mikumi National Park where we eagerly looked for our driver - Philbert.

Although there was a bit of confusion (Philbert arrived but with other clients in his SUV), we meet our "new" driver - Kenneth - with whom we quickly planned our first safari drive around the park. Intermittent rain showers did not dampen our enthusiasm as we drove around for about 2.5 hours - herds of zebras, elephants, impalas (the male "bachelors" separate from the female harems of one or two alpha males), baboons, giraffes, buffalo, interspersed with the incredible looking Marabou stork! Not the kind of stork you want delivering your new-borns! By the time the sun set in a spectular halo of clouds, we had seen not only the above mentioned fauna but also hippos largely submerged in their mud pool, a large monitor lizard, and numerous birds including: shrikes, plover, ground hornbill, vultures, African fish eagles (like the one we saw at Matema), guinea fowl, the stunningly colorful lilac breasted roller, oxpeckers, southern red bishop bird, hammer coops, and a corey bustard . . . oh, yes, how can I forget the saddlebill stork. This fellow has an eye-popping yellow and red bill like nothing I've ever seen before!

We headed back to our bomba to cleanup and to go for an evening meal set in a lovely outdoor setting over looking a watering hole. With the park being powered with a generator, we were glad that the power went off by 11 giving us more excuses to hit the hay.

We were back on the trail again with Kenneth by 6:30 the next morning. In addition to the animals and birds already mentioned, we spotted silver back jackals, and warthogs but not the elusive lions! Our drive was just over 2 hours and we welcomed the chance to get out of the increasingly oppressive sun for a large breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs, toast, and bacon. Riding with your head and shoulders poking out of the roof is wonderful but we had to keep the sun exposure in mind.

While eating our brekkie, we chatted with a young couple from the UK who had also just come back in from a drive. They HAD seen a lion - in fact it was a lioness and her two cubs, feasting on the carcass of a wildebeest. Well, that was enough for us to hear and we quickly tracked down our driver (who had also heard of the sighting) who was agreeable to another drive out to the place where this mom was spotted. I'm happy to say we had our lion sighting.... pictures not very good due to quality of cameras and the cubs were no longer visible (we think they must have been resting in the tall grass near their mother) but the female was visible as she sat quietly in the shade of a tree not far from the track. We stayed to watch her for quite sometime; reluctant to leave this unforgettable tableau.

Weary travellers return to Canada

Tanzania seems so far away now that I'm sitting at my kitchen table in Moncton, NB. And it IS far away. Jan & I had a safe and uneventful journey home, narrowly missing the chaos on the ground and the volcanic ash-clouds in the air. We were on the first BA flight out of Dar going to London last Fri (April 23). The flight was full which I guess is not the usual. We had wondered and stewed over whether to seek out other routes home via Australia or Madrid or Amsterdam . . . but in the end, we needn't have worried. We stayed over night at the Thistle Hotel just 2 miles from Heathrow. We had front-row seats while eating our supper at the hotel restaurant and were able to clock planes landing every 40 -60 seconds - one plane right after another. Then,the next morning, still functioning on Tanzanian time, we were up early enough to take a stroll around the neighborhood of Longford; quaint and ancient buildings, spring blooms, and several Londoners diligently polishing their cars - ready for the day. We couldn't help noticing the warp and weave of jets streams above us and imagined what the pervious six days in London must have looked (and sounded) like w/o thousands of jets passing overhead.
Joyce picked us up and some how we were able to stuff all our luggage into her car which included two of Sharmala's conticos which are good-sized tough plastic traveling cases. We had our own luggage inside them along with several large bamboo mats!
I was back a the airport by shortly after 8PM for my 9:40 flight to MOncton . . .. the "last leg" of a very long trip. Just 10 minutes before we were to board AC 8344, they announced we might have to make alternate plans because Moncton had too much fog to land there.... Fredriction??? What was I going to do in Fredricton at 12:00 AM?? Fortunately, the fog cleared and we landed 15 minutes early --- yahoo! This was the only flight with turbulence, I might add.
Glad to be home safely and would like to write two more blogs about this truly amazing African adventure, hopefully with pictures; one about Mikumi National Park and our safari drives there plus a brief description of our 4 days on Zanzibar.

News from London!

Just a quick note to let you blogspotters know that Jan & I reached London safely this afternoon. We successfully caught our flight out of Dar this AM (after 4 wonderful days on Zanzibar which I'll write about once I get home)!
We plan to catch the next leg of our trip to TO tomorrow at noon.
Wish us luck at Heathrow tomorrow..... things appear to be getting back to normal after 6 days of no flights out of Heathrow..... crazy.... and very expensive for the airlines and their employees.
I should have some pics on this blog by next week too!!

Matema Holiday

Matema Lake Resort
Get out your Atlases! You should be able to find stunning Lake Nyasa (aka Lake Malawi) bordered by Tanzania, Malawi, & Mozambique without any problems as it is one of Africa’s great lakes. I believe it’s about 560 kilometres long and is the second deepest lake in Africa. On the very north end of the lake, is the small fishing community of Matema blessed with gorgeous green mountains to the north and east and a long sandy beach, perfect for docking dugout boats.
Last we week we piled the pickup with loads of provisions, including sacks of potatoes, rice, and tomatoes to last us 4 days. Jan and I then joined the 3 older boys and 3 of the staff members on the bus; heading out of Mbeya for the relaxing lake resort near Matema. Sharmala was accompanied by the two smaller boys in the Toyota. The bus would take us through the beautiful Rungwe district down to Kyela where we would meet Sharmala and she would then drive all 11 of us in the truck over a rough and very bouncy road about 34 km into the resort. Actual travel time was probably about 3.5 hours but the whole trip took most of the day.
Before describing our stay in Matema, I just want to describe some of the sights along the route. We climbed (over 2000 m) out of Mbeya on a well paved road into the Poroto Mountains to the south. We passed by fields and fields under cultivation and the boys were able to identify tomatoes, maize, potatoes, beans, onions, & squash in this very fertile area of SW Tanzania (we are at the end of the rainy season so everything is very green unlike much of the dry season). Once over these mountains, we started heading down again, passing through huge areas of bananas and sugar cane plantations. This area is bordered on one side by the Bundali Mts and on the other side by the Livingstone Mountain Range. The whole area is full of extinct (and not so extinct) volcanoes, crater lakes, and hot springs. Avocadoes, tea, coffee, sweet potatoes are also grown here so you can see what a fertile area it is! We were practically airborne as we flew down the road , horn honking constantly to warn the numerous pedestrians of our passing. People got on and off the bus along the route; most in their Sunday finery ; others with babies slung on their backs; and a few with huge loads of who-knows-what in large sacks that were squeezed onto the bus. We left the cooler temperatures behind us in the mountains as we descended into truly this awesome valley with steep slopes on either side, and strange land formations (basalt from extinct volcanoes). We were traveling too fast to take pictures out the window of the bus, unfortunately. Rungwe Mountain (2,960m) dominates the area and as usual at this time of year, was partially hidden under a cloud of mist.
Ah, Matema --- our final destination. We literally bounced our way to the lake resort over deeply rutted roads and numerous culverts, through rice fields and several bustling villages which took us about an hour. We had 3 inflated inner tubes in the back of the pick up and those that were sitting on them were like jack-in-the-boxes. Sharmala drove deftly through the maze of potholes and around the numerous cattle that were everywhere along the track. We passed by many adobe huts and cooler palm leaf structures which are the typical homes for the local people. Most people travel by foot or bicycle in this area – and I’m sure the dust we ‘kicked up’ as we zoomed by was not appreciated by the locals. The two villages we passed through were decked out in “marketable goods”. Vendors display their ware and food right out on the streets for all to see. You could choose from a huge array of clothing, shoes, bags, suitcases, and fresh food (and cell phone cards --- people everywhere sell these cards; even from the most unlikely huts in the village)! Did I mention that cell phones are VERY popular and VERY common here in Tanzania?!? Everyone over 15 seems to have one.
This end of the lake is known for its wide sandy beach and clear warm waters --- perfect for swimming and relaxing. We stayed in several bandas (cabins) with cold running water and electricity, operated by the Lutheran Church. Although we brought most of our food, we were also able to buy fresh fish from the fishermen as they came in off the water and we were able to have a few meals (or parts of meals ) made by the people who operate this resort.
The boys were absolutely in love with the place. They’ve all been to Matema before but some of them haven’t been for over a year. They were hardly out of the water the whole time we were there. . . . and their swimming abilities improved as a result. Once on land, the boys scurried around with a soccer ball or played marbles in the shade or munched on sugar cane stalks. We all had an opportunity to have a “paddle” in one of the dugout fishing boats with Adam, a local fisherman. One of the other families vacationing there had an aluminum canoe so Sharmala took those who wanted, out for a real ‘Canadian’ experience.

For those of us who were more inclined to be sitting in the shade of a palm tree, there were plenty of birds to spot – kingfishers, swallows, sunbirds, cormorants, flocks of long necked white herons, and the friendly little black & white __ bird. But the best of all was when the giant African Fish Eagle flew over head – once with a fish in its mouth! What a dramatic setting for a holiday. It was hard to pull our eyes away from the Livingstone Mountain Range to the east. The sharp folded hills and valleys that ran down the sides of the peaks, picked up the lush-green light and caused deep shadows at various times of the day. They made me think of pictures I’ve seen of Tahiti. Once the sun had retired, we were treated with an amber full moon, rising up over these same mountain tops.
I must mention the amazing clouds of lake flies!! We only saw them on day-two but what an amazing sight. Way off down the lake, maybe 20 km or more (I really don’t know how to judge distances on the lake), we could see huge columns of what looked like smoke rising from the surface of the lake. Not smoke – no, these were gigantic clouds and towers of lake flies. I can only imagine what they must sound like if you were at all close to them. I found out on the internet that these flies lay their eggs in the waters of the lake, turn into their nymph stage, rise to the surface of the lake when in adult stage, and then fly up into the sky to mate before dying and falling back to the water. Great way to feed all those incredible cichlids that Lake Nyasa is famous for --- most fresh water tropical fish for our fish tanks come from here!
I must end this blog before your eyes fall out..... although I could easily write several more paragraphs. We managed to eat most of the rice, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes before returning home (oh, yeah, we decided to stay one day longer than planned – it was so hard to leave this little bit of paradise). We might have had a bit lighter load but managed to bring back frozen fish, a sack of sand, and a live chicken (in a box!) for Leonard’s supper! Along the route, we stopped to buy 5 large pails of sweet potatoes from the local people – we must have made their day! We all arrived back in Mbeya safely by late Thursday afternoon.... smiles still on our faces from all the good memories. The boys were thanking us for days after wards for taking them to Matema!