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!

Rainy season

It's still the rainy season in Mbeya. We don't get rain every day but some days, such as yesterday, we get deluges! And when we do, the pot holes and drainage ditches fill up with so much water that the roads are hard to maneuver.
Yesterday eve, Sharmala, Jan, and I ventured off to a friend's house for dinner out into the dark and rainy night. It was so hard to see the people on foot and on bikes as they too were challenged by the floods. It's really a wonder more people are hit and injured -- and I'm glad I'm not the one behind the wheel of the truck.
We shared a wonderful home cooked Indian-Tanzanian meal of chicken curry, rice, spicy peas, yummy little appies called bajia made with grounded up lentils and cilantro , then deep fried and served with a light chutney. . . . hmmmm. For dessert, we had a dish made with roasted vermicelli cooked with water and sugar than served with a spot of cream and gulab jamum (deliciously sweet balls of ??) and washed down with passion juice - a favorite around here. I'm now inspired to try my hand at some Asian cooking when I get home (Indian? Thai?).

Our hostess also provided us with many insights into what it's like to live & work in Tanzania. . . the politics of running a business. She was saying that at her factory (where she is in management), they spend more time meeting & talking than getting things done and it drives her crazy. They wonder why the minutes of each meeting look like the ones from the day before!
In general, people don't worry about time and seem to do things later rather than earlier. For example the new Mbeya airport was started at least 5 years ago and still is not ready to be opened (the runways have barely been started). I guess a person needs to develop a lot of patience.
Sharmala's friend made so much food for us that we had to bring home so left-overs . . . and they are "calling to me" right now! Must go off for few munchies.

Weekend at Mufindi

After spending almost an hour writing a blog on Wed and then losing it, I’ve decided to start on Word and do the old cut and paste thing.... so I’ll once again try to relate some of our experiences from last weekend (w/o being too wordy!)
Jan, Sharmala and I piled into S’s 1991 4x4 Toyota PU last Sat AM and headed up the highway for a weekend at one of the Foxes lodges hidden away in the Mufindi Highlands of SW Tanzania. What we thought was going to be a 3 hour trip took almost 6 hours! We were stopped numerous times by the police along the paved highway (the tarmac) at the police check points --- this is not unusual!
Once off the tarmac and onto the red clay secondary roads, we were plagued by rough washboard roads, washed out low areas, and potholes that would easily beat any found in Moncton! We had intermittent showers to insure that the roads were kept slippery for us but S’s Toyota was up to the challenge. We passed through reforested areas, villages, and lime-green tea plantations. Unfortunately, about half way along the 30km distance to the lodge, we made a wrong turn and ended up going about 14 km before realizing that we were on the wrong track. Backtracking over these bumpy roads was not appealing but we had no choice. Finally, signs to the Foxes’ lodge appeared.... letting us know we were going to arrive soon . . . but not so. Within about 5 km of our destination we were waylaid for another 30 minutes or so because of a large transit truck loaded with lumber which was stuck and blocking our way on this narrow lane-like road.
We did arrive of course, and were blessed with a gorgeous pastoral setting high in the hills of Mufindi. The final approach to the lodge was along a road lined on both sides with Jacaranda trees arching over our heads! If you want pictures, check out Foxes Safari Camps on-line (www.tanzaniasafaris.info) and you’ll see some of the log cabins we stayed in (we stayed in two, each with 2 single beds and full bath --- the hot water was provided by a gravity-fed line heated with charcoal fire just up the slope from each cabin). We ate our meals in the main lodge, meeting a few of the other visitors (it’s low season so the place was not full). Two young people from Finland were here to write articles/photos for magazines back home and the other ‘visitor’ was a Dr. Leena (a Finnish) paediatrican who lives & provides a medical clinic mid-way between Mbeya and Mufindi. She comes to this highland area every month to visit the villagers in their homes and give them care. Geoff and Vicki Fox, one of their four sons and his young son joined us for our first meal and we learned a bit about this operation.
G. Fox has been in this area for over 50 years, working for tea plantations and then developing his own place. The local people gave him much land and he now owns 2000 acres of land which is used for a variety of things : tea, forestry, cattle, sheep, and horses and the lodge, of course. His wife has trained the shepherds to work the 3 border collies who work hard keeping those sheep in order! We got to see them going through their paces. Most recently though, this family has put their energies into an NGO –Foxes Community and Wildlife Trust and they’re working with a number of other organizations to help this area “towards a brighter future”. Tanzania has been hit very hard by the HIV-AID epidemic and this is one of the hardest hit areas in the country (this area includes Mbeya). Large numbers of children are orphaned because their parents succumb to the disease (or else are too weak to care for their families). It has devastated whole villages and areas of the countryside.
So here we were, in one of the most beautiful settings, surrounded by gardens over flowing with flowers (cosmos, lilies, roses, orchids, petunias, begonias of all sorts, etc); a view of lush rolling hills; sheep and cattle grazing in the distance and then the contrast . . . the poverty and deprivation of the local people. We were invited to visit the 4 orphan houses built since 2005 just over the hills from the lodge and our cabins. Sharmala went by horseback and Jan & I trudged along the road/trail down into a valley and up to the newly built homes. At 6000 ft, we noticed we needed to use a bit more effort on the hills (and the heat of the day was upon us – although not at all oppressive). We had to stop and admire the numerous ground orchids, proteus, and songbirds along the way (the sunbird is a frequent visitor as well as the long-tailed whydah . . . both so different than any Canadian birds).
Once at the homes, we were greeted by Americans Jen, her husband Jeff, and their new 3 month-old daughter. Jen first came to this area a number of years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer and has now committed herself to helping these people get on their feet so that they can help themselves. She and Jeff explained to us in detail all the work that has gone on these past 4 – 5 years --- their aims are “to provided shelter, sustenance, education, and medical care for orphans and foster families in the Mufindi District of Tan., to curtail the spread of HIV-AIDS, to teach life skills (language, fiscal, vocational, self-sufficiency), and to create hope and opportunities for future generations.” You can read in more detail about them at www.wildorphans.org and see pictures of what has gone on. We were so impressed by the work done here and how the main focus is to help these people become self-sufficient in time. We met several of the house mothers and some of the children. Medical care as been the key to helping these people and families. They’ve also been working with other organizations such as Equip Canada, Solar Aid, African Children’s Book Box Society (this was started by two woman from Victoria , BC --- to provide African books for children in African countries & to help African authors and publishers.... more at www.africanbookbox.org. )
I said I’d keep this short . . . . and am near the end of page two! We thoroughly enjoyed this break away from the routine of life in Mbeya and we did get safely home with a few more adventures along the way. I will post more later.... (hey, I never mentioned the food! So unlike me!)

Mufindi Highlands

Mid-week in Mbeya

Wednesday morning and time to try to send another Blog! It is wonderful to be connected with friends and family from so very far away via computers but the system is not without glitches. Patience is a key attribute in this part of the world and certainly when dealing with anything that requires power.
It seems that the neighborhood that we are in is more prone to power outages or "brown outs" than other areas of the city. Last night there was an outage for a few hours just after dark which allowed us to appreciate a spectacular "light show" off in the distance. Huge bursts of lightening (we use to call it "dry" or "heat lightning" in Philadelphia) lit up the towering cumulus clouds a few kilometers from here. No thunder to be heard at all. Sitting on the age of my bed, a lit candle on the bed stand, trying to write a few words in my journal had me recalling my days in the cabin in Mayo, YT. . . such darkness with only a candle to light the words.
Yesterday we drove into the inner city area of Mbeya over roads that made the pothole-filled roads of Moncton look pretty tame. The main roads are paved but w/0 shoulders. Sharmala not only deftly dodged hefleump-sized holes but had to send horn-blasts round blind corners to warn the numerous pedestrians. . . .many of these being school children in their various school uniforms (bright red or green sweaters with dark shorts or skirts). We made several stops before reaching the inner city program for children. First was an open-air market with vendors selling an assortment of veggies (potatoes, onions, leeks, lettuce, tomatoes, beets, carrots, squash and more) and others preparing and selling "fast food" lunches of fried potatoes and other interesting looking things (not sure what). We did notice that there were far more vendors than shoppers even though it was nearly noon. We made brief stops at a stationary shop, DVD shop (yes, there are lots of fairly current CDs and DVDs available for sale), and a small grocery store where we bought some frozen chicken.
I was wondering how I could describe the city of Mbeya which sprawls like a large quilt over such so much of the area. There are small homes and shops, most with metal roofs, many others with tile and very few are more than two stories high. I'd say that most of the mid-sized homes and larger ones are surrounded by stone or brick walls. It's much more like a small town that goes on and on. If you want a really good idea of what it looks like, my sister in NB found that you can see Mbeya on Google Earth . . . even the footpaths across the airfield which is right next to our place . . . so give that a try! (thanks, JEM, for that bit of info)
At the inner city program for children we arrived in time to see the children receive their breakfast --- today it was a mug of chai (tea) and a large chunk of whole wheat bread. Later in the day, two women would cook up a lunch of roasted potatoes for them. These must be some of the neediest children of the city and so these meals might be all they get to eat. Words are hard to find to describe the children -- they are at once needy and yet still have a sparkle about them (not all, of course). They were so pleased to welcome us each coming up to shake our hands and to greet us in the traditional Tanzanian manner.
Once they had eaten, the children came into a room furnished with one table, two benches, and a large cupboard. A collection of games (mainly wooden puzzles) and toys were brought out and bamboo mats set out for all to sit on. The treat yesterday were the coloured pencils and copies of pictures from coloring books for them to colour themselves. Such excitement, pushing and shoving to make sure they got a pencil and paper. One of the young men who help out at the centre, patiently wrote the names of each child on a page before handing them out which was a real benefit to me because now I could see their names. . . Vestor, Richard, Olivine, Frank, Beatrice . . . probably 50 kids altogether. The youngest were about 2.5 - 3 with wide - wide dark eyes . . . . easily able to break hearts with their beauty. They were so pleased to show what they could do or draw or build and wanted/needed our acknowledgment. As we were ready to go, some of the smaller ones were reluctant to let us go. Sharmala has been providing this simple sparse haven for these children for about 7 years now. The building that she rents is extremely rustic -- a dusty yard (with a resident pig and chicken), a meagre kitchen for clean-up and the main room about 14 x 20 feet (I'm not that great at estimating). There is no ceiling over this room, just a corrugated roof that leaks on rainy days. And the wall have huge chunks of plaster falling off giving a sense that you've been transported to some dark neighborhood of 1700 London. These images will never leave me, of that I am sure.
Sharmala has been off doing errands while I write, and Jan has been busily creating an eggplant dish (Iman fainting) that is sure to satisfy our mid-day hunger (large meals eaten early afternoon here with a smaller meal eaten in the early ever d7 - 9ish).
I could write so much more but must make myself useful!!

March 7 - Mbeya!

Our last few days in Mbeya have found us involved in a number of activities. A household full of boys is always a busy place and this is no exception.

On our first day here, we celebrated Daudi's birthday with a beautifully decorated cake created by Sharmala and Jan. We had spent about an hour with the boys watching and "filming" (via our camera videos') them doing cartwheels, back flips and leaps all with amazing agility. There is a huge pile of rice husks not far from here where they are able to take off and land w/o injury. The most spectacular leap had Daudi and Dick each running, taking off and then sailing over not one or two but 5 little kids all lined up just past the take-off point. When we returned home, Jan sketched a drawing of these "gymnasts" which Sharmala then reproduced with icing on D's cake! A unique cake indeed.

It's been fun having the boys show us the various creatures that live within the compound's yard - lizards, mama frog and her little ones, 8cm long snails, moths with lovely symmetrical patterns, spiders, and dead wasps.

Jan, Sharmala and I share a keenness for birds and have spotted an iridescent backed sunbird feeding on a nearby "bottle brush" tree (with it's gorgeous scarlet bottle brush-shaped blooms); small groups of small red finch-like birds that might be African fire birds (we've got a Peterson's book of birds for Eastern Africa to help ID them); and just a short while ago I saw a medium sized bird flying to a tree across the yard and it had an enormously long tail. Jan thinks it might have been a widow bird. I couldn't detect any markings w/o binoculars ---- sure wish I had brought a small pair with me.

Last night guests came to share a tasty meal with us.... roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, stir-fry veggies, potato-leek soup, green salad & for dessert homemade chocolate chip ice-cream with scrumptious fudgie brownies. Sharmala's dear friend Minakshi, who lives and works here in Mbeya came with her friend Neeta who is visiting from Dar. We all enjoyed sharing stories and news across the candle-lit table in a combination of English and Swahili. M. told us about the textile factory where she works managing the inventory. We found out that the cotton is grown not far from here and processed completely here at this factory...from the spinning of the thread to the weaving of the material. Minakshi is also part of a group of local woman who are trying to start a local "cottage" industry which would create batiked fabrics.

As you can see, adjustment to Tanzania life has not been difficult!
I'll try to send pictures so that you can see the boys and some of the beautifull surrounding countryside!

We've arrived safely in Mbeya!! What an amazing trip from TO to Dar and then finally on to western Tanzania by bus. I have no idea what time zone I'm in physically but we are 3 hours ahead of London and seven ahead of NB and 11 head of Vancouver!
Jan & I met at Pearson Airport amidst the cheers of the gold medal men's hockey game on Sunday night (I was able to catch the nail-bitter of a game on the airport TVs). We were air-born by 9:15 PM on a "quick" flight to Heathrow. Our BA pilot made an amazing approach to the magnificent city of London, banking ever so slowly over the entire downtown area so that we could see the Parliament bldg., London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and the St.James Park. Because we landed by 9:00 AM and weren't due to leave again until after 5, we decided to take in a few sights in London. We were whisked into the city by train/tube and we emerged out of the underground into the early spring-cool morning. Not having much time, we hoofed it through St. James Park towards Buckingham Palace just in time to see the changing of the guard --- no sign of the Queen, of course. Our time was short, so we only took in the street sights and a bowl of Italian soup (highly over-priced) before heading back to Heathrow.
By 5:40 we were in the air & on our way to the wonderful country of Tanzania! We landed at about 6:30 AM into the heat and humidity of Dar es Salaam. Jan's friend, Sharmala, had arranged for a driver to pick us up and deliver us to our rest spot for the night BUT before that we had to drive through the morning rush hour from the airport into the city. We were traveling at speeds a bit slower than a fast walk! I know, because I watched several people pass us on foot. Lots of cyclists (some with more than dozens of egg cartons balanced precariously on the rear fender), taxis, & mini-vans. . . Toyotas are the favorite vehicle by far! We had several stops to make before getting to our hostel ; picking up bus tickets, $$, and food for our long bus trip on Wed. Our driver delivered us safely in his AC car (whew...what a relief) and Jan communicated with him beautifully in a mixture of Swahili and English. We rested up in preparation for our long bus ride to Myeba.
Yes, the bus "ride" --- the fourth and final leg of our journey. We thought it could take as much as 12 or 13 hours but in fact took 14 -- from 6:15AM until 8:30PM. And what an amazing trip. We traveled away from the coast into the countryside and within 3 or 4 hours were passing through one of the National Parks - Mikumi National Park. Now, Jan has passed this way several times before and knew that there was a chance we might see some game animals but she wasn't sure if we'd be lucky this time because everything is so lush and green this time of the year compared to the dry of October (when she has been here before). But luck was with us and we spotted some animals; several groups of giraffes; baboons resting along the roadside; zebras (one group crossed right across the road in front of us); some beautiful impalas with their elegant horns; and way off in the distance some buffalo.
Eventually we climbed up into the highlands of central and western Tanzania and perhaps I'll describe them in more detail later - I'm feeling rather fatigued. You wouldn't think I'd be too tired after dozing on and off on the bus all day long yesterday and then sleeping soundly through the night, never hearing the Muslim's call to prayer in the early hours of the morning. Sharmala has treated us royally with fresh fruit, farm-fresh organic eggs, and yummy spaghetti & green salad with tomatoes.
I'll end this blog for now --- but will do my best to keep it up over these next few weeks. And I'll see if I can figure out how to send pics too!
Cheers to all!

Starting Points

It's Saturday eve in Moncton, February 27; Joanie is busily making something scrumptious for supper, Bob is enjoying a few quiet moments while viewing Burt Lancaster classic movie on TV, the cats are perched on couches and in baskets throughout the house, and I believe Mum is on her way over shortly to share supper with us (and of course, Mik is studying in her den). Am I ready? Am I excited?? Am I really going to Tanzania??

Catching a 1:30 AC flight to Toronto tomorrow where I'll then hang around until I meet up with Jan. We are booked a on flight to London - Dar es Saalam at 9:00 PM --- and hoping there are no glitches to delay our journey. British Airways took a strike vote this past week and 81% voted in favor of striking. We don't know yet how this will affect our travel; we'll just have to be ready for anything.