Home Again and Final Thoughts

We flew back to Edmonton via Minneapolis. Due to the connections we had a four hour layover and we spent this time trying to nap as it was 3 am London time (seven hour time differences really can be annoying). We noted that the security at Heathrow and Minneapolis was much tighter than anywhere else we traveled. Mike even got a lecture because he wasn't holding his own passport and boarding card. I was holding it and we were reminded that this was illegal and that both he and Aidan had to hold onto their own passes. After being in twenty other countries where we didn't carry our passports most of the time, Michael just rolled his eyes.

Although our flight back to North America was long and uneventful, it did give us a good opportunity to reflect on the last six months. If we were to summarize our trip in just a few words we would describe it as being an amazing, exhilarating and eye-opening experience. We must also admit that in some places the travel was exhausting and uncomfortable. However, the sites seen and people met make the positives of this trip strongly outweigh any of the negatives.

People keep asking us to name our favourite place or the best thing we did, but it's not that easy. We have a hard time agreeing on our top 10 experiences, let alone the top 5 or 3. No one experience stands out as being somehow far superior to the rest. To many people this will sound like a cop-out, and maybe it is, but hey, it was our adventure and we can summarize it anyway we want. For kids its a little easier. Aidan puts zip-lining in Costa Rica at the front of his list every time.

Mike and I put the following, in no particular order, at the top of our list:

- Climbing in the ruins of Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley in Peru;

- Gazing at the marvel that is Angkor Wat;

- The vastness and wildlife of the Serengeti;

- Ballooning over the tower karst in China;

- Enjoying the sun and sand on the beaches in Indonesia and Thailand;

- Seeing the other side of life in the slums of Nairobi; and

- Experiencing the richness of the culture in Marrakesh.

Probably the second most asked question we get is: has the trip changed you? The answer is yes, but not in the way we expected. I think we both went away thinking we would have a spiritual conversion - to drop our old life and take up humanitarian causes in Borneo, or move the family to Singapore. But that didn't happen. What did change was our perspective on life. Going around the world made us realize that we all live in different realities. The reality of our lives in Edmonton and what is deemed "a crisis" here in Canada is not the same as the reality of people in Africa or South America. Most people realize this, but there is a big difference between saying it and experiencing it. For 6 months we got to sample a much bigger world reality - with all its beauty and its failings.

Living out of a backpack also made us realize how little we really need to be happy. A positive attitude, a place to sleep, and a few clothes is all we really needed. Now that we are home, we have decided to stay focused on living more simply, making time for family, and staying healthy. We sincerely feel that we have gained perspective and grown as individuals.

In summary, we will remember this trip as being the most wonderful gift that we have ever given ourselves. We felt very much alive - much more so than at almost any other point in our lives. Are we sad about our adventure being over? Yes. Would we do it again? You bet. We have already started making the list of places to visit for the next trip. Guatemala, Egypt, Turkey, Vietnam, Laos.....

Figuring out how to wrap up our trip journal is tough. So in the interests of ending this on a light note, we offer up the following tongue-in-cheek top 10 list:

10) Best coffee - whether you consider it gross or not, the civet coffee in Indonesia is pretty damm good.

9) Best world wide franchise opportunity - KFC (the world loves fried chicken).

8) Most annoying sound - tie between the Imams call to prayer in Indonesia at 4:00 a.m. and the howler monkeys overhead at 3:00 a.m. in Costa Rica.

7) Worst hostel - the Floating Island hostel in Phnom Penh where you were lucky not to fall through the floor into the lake.

6) Best hostel - tie between the Wildebeest Lodge in Nairobi for the fabulous people and beautiful grounds and the the Riad Pushka in Marrakesh for the sumptuous room.

5) Best cheap food - Pad Thai from the hawker stalls in Bangkok and the Zanzibar pizza in Tanzania was a great deal too.

4) Best airline and most inept airline - the best were Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific and the most inept prize goes to Royal Air Maroc for losing our luggage on a direct flight from Lisbon, Portugal to Casablanca, Morocco.

3) Worst assumption made about Western tourists at the hostels - they all love Nescafe instant coffee (gaaaaa!)

2) Most dangerous place to eat - buffets at four star resorts because we got food poisoning twice at them on two different continents.

1) Most challenging aspect of world travel - schoolwork (Aidan); getting used to the squat toilets (Susan); falling victim to the touts (Mike).

To all our blog followers: If you would like a private viewing of our 3,000+ pictures, please give us a call. Make sure you have at least 3 free days.

Happy travels everyone, and thanks again for the support and comments during our trip,

Michael, Susan and Aidan If anyone reading this blog would like to talk to us about the trip, feel free to contact us at michael.jay.mcdermott at (substitute the @ sign folks) gmail.com

The End is Near

Hello followers (or any that still might be out there). We are finally back in Edmonton. We have another blog drafted of our final thoughts on the trip, but we haven't got it finalized yet. Soon, soon....

Jolly Old England

We landed in Gatwick after an uneventful flight from Faro on British Airways. A quick call to the B&B from the terminal and 15 minutes later were were ensconced at the Gable End Guest House. If you are ever in Gatwick we would highly recommend staying here. Joseph and Mary (yes, that's their real names) run a wonderful little place with good sized rooms and a 5 star British breakfast - bacon, eggs, toast, sausage, beans and grilled tomatoes.

We walked down to the local pub - Ye Olde Six Bells - for a pint and dinner that night. It was nice to be back in Britain! In the morning after our huge breakfast we jumped on the Southern Train into London. Interestingly, it cost us only 15 pounds for 3 people and took the same amount of time as the Gatwick Express at 1/3 the cost. Go figure.

From Victoria Station we hopped on the tube and made our way to Tottenham Court Road before walking the last little bit to the 'world-headquarters' for Head Communications where Susan's brother Rob works. After coffee, the rest of the day was spent strolling around showing Aidan the sights in London - Hamley's toy store, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. We caught up with Rob again in the evening and made our way on the train to Bletchley. It didn't take us long to settle into Rob and Nikki's town-house.

Saturday was spent talking and relaxing. A fair amount of drinking was involved as well as a fine BBQ. Nikki's mom Di came over to join the festivities. Michael and Rob finished the day sitting out on the deck smoking Cuban cigars and drinking cognac. Unfortunately for Michael, he didn't realize how much he was drinking and ended up getting stupidly drunk and sick to his stomach (first time in a decade). Not too swift, but it was funny to laugh at both of them the next day.

Sunday everyone piled into the car for a picnic at a local farm. It was lambing season and we had the opportunity to watch several lambs being born. Aidan ran around from one area to the next enjoying the petting zoo, jumping castle and pedal carts among other things. It was a very enjoyable way to spend a Spring afternoon in the south of England.

On Monday Rob took the day off work and the four of us went into London to visit the Imperial War Museum. Aidan was in heaven. He ran from exhibit to exhibit dragging one or the other of us along while the others tried to actually read the information. Tanks, rockets, planes, artillery, guns, model battlefields and two interactive displays - the Trench Experience and the Bombing of London Experience. The whole museum is really impressive (and for once is free!), but the two experience displays really stand out. They were realistic enough that the smells, sounds and shaking floor started to frighten Aidan. Of course as soon as we were out in the hallway he wanted to go right back in again.

Tuesday was the last full day of our trip spent in another country. It was low key affair. Both of us felt that the adventurous part of our journey ended when we left Africa, so this was more of an encore farewell. Aidan played most of the morning, after which we took to a bus to Milton Keynes mall. We spent a pleasant afternoon looking through the stores and getting much needed haircuts. We met up with Rob later that evening and had our last overseas dinner at a very nice Indian restaurant.

The next day Nikki's mom Di was nice enough to drive us to Heathrow for our journey home. Visiting Rob, Nikki and Di in Britain was a really nice way to end our trip, and we're glad we got the chance to visit.

How to Know When It's Time to Go

The train ride back to Casablanca was a lot of fun, due mainly to the interesting people with whom we were sharing a cabin.  An American guy and his Moroccan wife had a lot of travel stories to share with us and so we talked for the full three hours back. We had a pleasant and uneventful plane flight and arrived safely back in Lisbon with all of our luggage this time.

A short taxi ride later and we were at the Pension Bom Comforto.  We were welcomed by a nice older woman and shown to our room.  This is not a four star place (or much of a star place), but it was generally clean and the staff were very nice.  The bad news was that we were paying as much as we were at the last place we stayed at in Lisbon, which was much nicer.  The other bad news was that Michael had a bad cold and was miserable. In the morning we slept late and had some toast and coffee while Tanya - the Russian owner - chatted about what to see in Lisbon.

We headed out and caught a streetcar to Castelo de Sao Jorge.  Situated on the highest point in the city, it offers some spectacular views.  Here we enjoyed a coffee and soaked up some sun.  The castle was built in Visigothic times, but took its more modern form about 200 years ago.  We all had fun walking the castle walls and ramparts.  Since we figured we had worked up an appetite, we wandered down the big hill and found a small local restaurant.  Sitting out on the street, we enjoyed wine and local fare (meats, cheese, bread, and some the best salad with tuna I have ever eaten).  Knowing that chilly England was only a few days away, I headed to the shops to find a pair of jeans.  After trying on 15 pairs in 6 different stores, I finally found some that I liked and because they were on half price - I bought two pairs.  Michael made sure he pointed out that I had to fit them in my backpack.

Much later that evening and after a late afternoon rest, we headed out for dinner.  Just down the street was an Indian restaurant and here we had some of the best Indian food we have ever eaten.  Wow two great meals in one day.  Aidan polished off a plate of pakoras and Mike and I enjoyed enourmous glasses of beer with butter chicken and curried vegetables.  We all waddled back to the hotel. If you are ever in Lisbon, we highly recommend the Ghandi restaurant for dinner.

The next morning we took the subway to the bus station to catch a bus to Faro.  We didn't have tickets, but luck was on our side.  We arrived at the bus station at 10:10 and caught the 10:30 bus.  Three hours later we were back on the southern coast.  We checked into our nice hotel called the Residential Sun Algarve and headed out to another local eatery (yes, our travel tales are dictated by our stomach).  The remainder of the afternoon was spent walking through the downtown area and enjoying the nice weather and sunshine.  We also stopped for many more pastel de nadas.  I must look for a Portugese bakery in Edmonton and see if anyone makes these delectable tarts.  Aidan got to pick the dinner restaurant and so we ended up at McDonalds.  It really was okay though because in Portugal you can get draft beer at McDonalds.  It's right up along side the sodas.  Horray for us.

We didn't have much time the next morning before we had to leave for the airport and so we took a quick walk to once again enjoy the sunshine and beautiful warm weather.  Unfortunately, while Aidan was playing in a park, I got shit on by a bird and so we had to head back to the hotel.  I guess this was a sign that it was time to go.

The reality is really starting to sink in for both of us that our trip is nearing an end.  We had a chat last night about our trip really being over.  Mike started to see the end of the trip once we flew to Madrid, but I didn't feel like the trip was ending until we arrived back in Portugal.  Everything is so, well, European and working.  We are being positive about heading back to Canada and our family and friends.  Aidan can hardly wait to get home to his toys, school, and his classmates. However, we are going to miss the adventure, the new experiences, the food, and the freedom of an unplanned day without commitments.  We haven't finished this trip yet and we are already discussing where to go on our next holiday.  Maybe two weeks in Guatemala?? Anyone want to come with us?

Marrakesh - City of Snake Charmers and Mint Tea

We had high expectations for Marrakesh, and I'm happy to report that it exceeded them in every way.The city is an intoxicating blend of sights, sounds, smells and tastes.

Our journey to Marrakesh began with a pleasant 3 hour train ride from Casablanca. We made the decision to shell out the extra $15 to upgrade to first class which provided us with very comfortable seats in a private cabin that held 6 people. As the scenery of Morocco rolled by we caught glimpses of rural life as well as some interesting small towns. The terrain gradually changed from farmland and trees to rolling hills. Ironically it reminded us of the Prairies in Canada, minus palm trees of course.

We arrived in Marrakesh and disembarked into the city's ultra-modern train station where a taxi driver sent by the riad met us. The station is in the new part of the city so we had an interesting drive to the old Medina. New Marrakesh is palm lined streets and modern hotels and condos; old Marrakesh is quite a bit different.

As we drove through the walls surrounding the old Medina, we seemed to step back in time. The road narrowed quickly to the point where we had to get out and walk the rest of the way to Riad Puchka. Traffic turned into a crazy mix of pedestrians, motorbikes and donkeys pulling carts. A few minutes and alleyways later we arrived at our riad where we stepped inside a calm oasis amid the din of the Medina.

If you ever go to Marrakesh we recommend you stay at a riad, which is basically a household surrounding a courtyard. The open centre allows heat to escape during the day and cool air in at night. Riad Puchka, where we stayed, is fantastic, and at 60 Euros a night was probably the best value for accommodations on our trip. The place was fully restored 5 years ago and even has a small swimming pool and hot tub in the centre. We quickly settled in to our luxurious rooms and listened carefully as Mustafa explained how to navigate around the city.

That evening we successfully made our way down to Jemma-el-Fna, which is the very large main square in Marrakesh. How to describe it? Imagine life a few hundred years ago when everyone came down to the central square of their town for entertainment. In one corner you have storytellers entertaining the local audience with tales of arabian nights; in another corner are fortune-tellers and women applying henna; over on the other side are snake charmers and acrobats. In between all this are the food stalls and their intoxicating aroma. Surrounding the square, in mazes of narrow streets, are the souks, selling everything you could possibly want. And everywhere you go, the crush of people going about their business. All your senses go immediately into overload. What a wonderful place!

We were all immediately enthralled. Over the next three days we explored the souks and area around the main square. Mustafa gave us a very good tourist map that had each area of the souks marked by the type of goods being sold. Over the equivalent of about 10 square city blocks you could find the following types of things: wood carvings, ironworks, skins, leather, music instruments, clothing, Moroccan slippers, jewelery, fabrics, lanterns, herborists, wool, shoes, copper, dried fruits, olives, market fruits and vegetables, tailors, pastry shops, and crockery.

We also discovered some amazing coconut cookies that are sold everywhere on the streets and I highly recommend them.  On two occassions we ate dinner at the food stalls in the main square with a thousand others.  It was quite fun and a good cheap meal that typically consisted of bread, olives, and an assortment of kebabs and vegetables.  It filled us all up.  On the way back to the riad each day, Aidan would stop for some popcorn at the popcorn vendor; we became a regular customer during our stay.  We also drank a lot of mint tea while in Marrakesh.  Here it is made with real mint leaves and is sweetened.  Very tasty.  Aidan discovered that he likes kefta and had it on several occasions.  His food tastes have certainly changed over the last six months.

As well as visiting the many shops in the souks, we also went to several significant tourist sites. From the main medina area we could see the Ali ben Youssef Mosque, which is the largest and oldest surviving mosque in the medina and was built in the 12th century.  Alas it is closed to non-Muslims.  One day we walked to the Marrakesh Museum which is housed in a restored 19th century palace, Dar Mnebhi.  Once again the architecture and design in these buildings took our breath away.  We also visted the Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, which is a Muslim religious school with some impressive stucco decoration.

On another day we ventured into the Royal Quarter (Kasbah) and toured the most famous of the city's palaces, the now ruined Palais el-Badi.  It once had the reputation as being the most beautiful palace in the world.  All that is left now are towering pise walls and the staggering scale of the ruins.  We then went to the Palais de la Bahia, which is certainly a beautiful palace and really reminded us of the Alhambra in Spain.  The nicest thing was that most of the colours were still present in the stucco decoration.  From here we walked to the Saadian Tombs, which are the resting places of Saadian princes.  It was a very worthwhile day, despite the 7 odd hours of walking around.  Everyone was very tired and I think Susan's comments were along the lines of "That's it ... I'm done."

A funny thing happended while we were  wandering between these sites.  We ran into Andy from the United Kingdom.  It is funny because we met Andy and his girlfriend Kirsten in Parachy, Brazil in November.  Andy was in Marrakesh with his father for a short holiday.  He came running up to us on the street and said he recognized Aidan.  We are now firmly convinced that it is a small world after all.

We're very glad we visted Marrakesh. It was definately one of the highlights of our trip. We would reccomend it to anyone who wants to experience the warmth of the Arabic people. Our only regret is that we didn't have time to go visit Essaouria or venture into the Sahara desert. We'll definately come back.

What I Have in Common with Humphrey Bogart (Besides Good Looks)

Casablanca of course!  Actually I'm not sure if Humph ever actually made it to the famed city since the movie was filmed in Florida.  

We arrived here on Royal Air Marroc but encountered a few minor but annoying challenges along the way.  After saying goodbye and thank you to my parents we made our way up to Lisbon on the bus and stayed overnight at the Gran Pension Alcobia (50 euro). We heard that Lisbon airport can have some long security lineups, so we arrived extra early, at 6:00 a.m. for our 8:30 flight.  Unfortunately, the check-in counter did not open until 6:30, and when it did open we all found out that the computer system for all TAP flights (with which Royal Air Moroc is affiliated) was down.  So everyone waited for almost an hour until and then it was announced that check-in would proceed by hand.  By this time the line-ups in the whole terminal were huge!  Just when they started doing manual check-in, it was announced the computer system was up and running again.  

When we got up to the counter, the staff person asked if we had our visas for Morocco.  I had checked on the Canadian Foreign Affairs website only days before and knew that we did not need a visa to visit.  However, some horribly worded English on the staff person's screen made it sound like we needed a visa.  We convinced her that this was not true and she let us go ahead.  So off we headed through some frantic security to our gate.  We were supposed to board at 7:50 and by 8:00 we knew something was wrong as we hadn't boarded. I checked the departures board to discover that they had changed the gate and were now on the final boarding call for our flight.  So we, along with two others, ran to the other gate, jumped on an airport bus and were whisked off to our plane.

Luckily the plane did not crumble apart during our flight because it appeared old enough to do so.  The only good thing about the trip was the breakfast.  The yogurt and croissant were yummy, but no coffee.  Boo.  As we landed in Casablanca we thought to ourselves, now nothing else could possibly go wrong.  Sadly we were mistaken.  Our luggage did not come directly to Casablanca with us.  For reasons unknown it was sent to Barcelona, Spain. Seriously.

So we headed into Casablanca on a train as the airport is 30+ km out of town, without our luggage.  From the train station we caught a Petit Taxi to the Central Hotel, which just inside the walls of the old Medina.  The hotel was in an old building that at one time might have been very nice.  Now it is a little worn around the edges and a bit musty smelling.  However, the staff were very nice and the location was good.

After  a quick freshening up, we headed out for a walk down toward the central market. Along the way we stopped at a cafe for some sandwiches and excellent coffee. The architecture in downtown Casablanca is best described as Moorish design meets Art Deco. Its really quite spectacular, however most buildings have been left to decline and are in need of extensive renovation. This is unfortunate given the obvious potential. Making our way back to the hotel we walked through the old Medina, with its maze of souks and narrow streets,   full of interesting sights and smells. We spent the evening catching up on reading and schoolwork and enjoying the mint tea.  

The next morning we went down and had a nice breakfast, which included local breads, apricot jam and some excellent coffee. Our plan was to walk over to visit the Hassan II Mosque in the morning, have a quick lunch, and then head out on a city tour for the afternoon (we made the tour arrangements at the tourist office the previous day). After the tour, we would then go to the airport to collect our wayward luggage, which had finally arrived.

The Hassan II Mosque overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is the third largest in the world. It was started in 1986 and completed 6 years later to commemorate the 60th birthday of Hassan II, the former king of Morocco. The mosque is really impressive and a wonderful showcase of what can be achieved when modern building techniques are applied to a grand religious structure. The building can hold 25,000 worshippers inside and another 80,000 people outside. The exterior is clad in marble and tile. It even features a retractable roof and a laser that points towards Mecca which was visible from our hotel at night. The inside is breathtaking. Its hard to even describe how beautiful the tile work, marble columns, woodwork and chandeliers are. Suffice to say there were 10,000 artisans involved in the project and 3,000 construction workers, working 24 hours a day in shifts. The mosque was definitely the highlight of our stay in Casablanca. 

Lunch consisted of really yummy sandwiches and fries bought from a small vendor in the old Medina. Total cost for three people - $3. The tour guide (Susan called him "grumpy Bill') joined us as we were eating and we spent the next few hours in an old Mercedes taxi visiting the other sights in Casablanca. The more memorable places included the waterfront, which is being completely redeveloped, the old lighthouse, several gardens and parks, the area where the rich and famous live, and walking around old streets and palaces in the Kasbah (royal quarter). We also visited a spice vendor where we got a lesson in the many spice products produced in Morocco and purhased some saffron and perfume. Along the way we got to see both the new and the old side of Casablanca and breathe a lot of car exhaust. Morocco will be very nice when they put catalytic converters on vehicles.

With our tour complete, we dropped off our guide and made our way back to the airport. The driver agreed to take us for the same rate that the airline would be reimbursing us for. All good so far, except that the traffic was horrible. Had we known it would be so bad, we would have taken the train instead and saved some money in the process. To make a long story short, it took over 3 hours to retrieve our luggage and get back to the old Medina.

Tired but hungry, we had dinner at a place recommended in Lonely Planet guide that was near our hotel. We ate some good traditional food including a nice tangene (meat and vegetable stew cooked slowly in an earthenware dish) and a mezze (five different small salads), but it was very over priced. One juice drink cost more than our entire lunch in the old Media.

After a quick breakfast the next morning we made our way to the Gare des Casa Voyageurs and jumped on the train to Marrakesh. We were glad we stopped in Casablanca for a day, however that's about all the time I think its worth. 

For the Love of My Liver...

For the health of my liver, I must leave the Algarve.  We have had a great deal of fun spending time with Mike's parents - Pat and Paul. They do know how to have good noshies and cocktails before dinner, followed by some fabulous Portuguese reds with dinner.  Oh, and I cannot forget about the sangria in the afternoons. Truthfully, I think Pat and Paul's livers could use a break from us as well.  Hehehe.

Aidan also had his share of fun with Grandma and Grandpa.  He had been counting down the days for several weeks and I don't think he slept much the night prior to seeing them because he was so excited.  His early morning cheerio eating contests with Grandpa resumed and he got all the bacon he could eat from Grandma.

Now all joking aside, the six days we spent in southern Portugal hasn't been all drinkies and nibblies.  We have seen a few things. Pat and Paul have spent the last four winter's in the Algarve and know it very well.  They rent a two bedroom condominium in Sesmarias, which is near Lagoa, which is near Faro.  It is a nice place (if you like everything done in marble - and really who doesn't) near the ocean.  It was here that we were introduced to many other expats who spend their winters in sunny Portugal.  The temperature really was quite nice, around 24 C every day.  Most of the communities were quiet, but we were told that in the summers when the temperatures soar to over 40 C each day, the beaches and towns are crawling with tourists (mainly Brits).   

We were treated to a couple of rituals.  First there was the daily coffee ritual.  This involves driving to Luis' cafe and having two cups of very tasty coffee.  We went on the regular pilgrimage to the chicken lady's for lunch in Silves.  There is a particular restaurant that is owned by the old lady and serves piri-piri chicken.  Actually, that is all they serve.  First they bring out bread, cheese, sardine paste, and olives.  Then comes wine.  Then the old lady comes and fusses over Aidan.  Then out comes platters of salad, piri-piri chicken and fries.  Pat and Paul found out about the place when they spoke to another couple who had stumbled upon it.  They sat at a table and asked the old lady for a menu.  At which point she slammed her hand down on the table and yelled "chicken."  So they had chicken.  We also went to sample the famous Pastel de Nadas (Portuguese custard tarts) at the Pastisserie. Finally, we attended the weekly expat Canadian meeting / Canadiana quiz at Smilers Bar.  It was here under the maple leaf that we helped Paul win the weekly trivia by knowing the answer to a tie breaking question (Q: The name of the movie about beer drinking Doug and Bob Mackenzie; A: Strange Brew).  Yay Paul - a bottle of wine to replace the diminishing collection!

Pat and Paul have a roomy car and therefore we were driven to all the fun sites around the area.  We visited the castle in Silves and the Palace of the Verandas.  This fortress sits on the highest point in Silves and is quite ancient, like before the Romans.  It was the site of the throne of Seville from 1053 onward during the height of the Arab rule.  In the 13th century it was conquered by the Christians. 

We spent another morning combing through the gypsy market and managed to find some replacement running shoes for Aidan and some very large sugary doughnut like things for all. On a different day we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the beach at Praia da Rocha. Wow what a beach.  It was as amazing as any we have seen in our travels, but with no one on it.  It is packed in the summer.  It was a hot day and Aidan had a good time building sand castles with Grandma.  On another day, we ventured to Monshique - both the top of the mountain and the small picturesque town.  Here we marveled at the wind turbines, the view and the hot springs.  We also managed to fit in some shopping in the small towns, where every street is made from marble stones.

Aidan did manage to get into the brand new swimming pool at the condo complex.  It was a fairly chilly day and even he couldn't stay in for very long.  A little too early in the season, but Grandpa and Michael sure enjoyed the show.

We also got some exciting news from home.  Our house renters (actually my cousin Brian and his lovely wife Wendy) informed us that their new home in Leduc is ready three months ahead of schedule!  They are moving in April 1st instead of in June.  Obviously the economy in Alberta has gone down hill a bit when homes are being finished before rather than after the estimated completion date.  What this means is that we are moving back to our whole home again in April instead of just into our basement.  We cannot thank Brian and Wendy enough for taking such good care of the house over the winter. 

All in all, we had a great relaxing time in the Algarve and Portual thanks to Mike's parents. Now back to our African adventure.

For the Love of Tapas

The past few days have been spent in tapas heaven...oh...and we saw some more stuff here in Spain too.

After finishing our time in Madrid we boarded the high-speed train for Granada. There is nothing more civilized than zipping through the countryside at 200+ kmh while you enjoy a glass of wine in the club car. The scenery was also spectacular and changes quite a bit as you move further south. We were also pleasantly surprised by change in weather, and stepped off the train to a beautiful 23 C Mediterranean day.

We looked around briefly for the local buses, but decided to hoof it to the downtown instead. It turned out that the train station was only about 1 km from our hostel and we had enjoyed a pleasant walk along Granada's Gran Via. Its worth mentioning at this point that we're very glad we decided to buy backpacks with wheels on the bottom. Its much easier to pull a backpack behind you than hitch it on your back. Although wheeled luggage is definitely a no-no for chic travelers (only backpacks with shoes and water bottles hanging off will do), we're no longer care. We've only had to carry our packs five or six times on this trip, but we have used those wheels everywhere.

We quickly found our way to Hostel Antares. The manager was elated that we were from Canada as he is a huge fan of Bachman Turner Overdrive. Anyway...we settled in to our very nice room and set out immediately for tapas and wine. We managed to pull ourselves away from the restaurants long enough to see the Cathedral and a few other sights in the city. Granada is nestled at the foot of the snow-clad Nevada Mountains and was a sanctuary for Muslims after the fall of Cordoba and Seville. The Alhambra is really a commanding presence over the whole town and we had tons of fun wandering around the maze-like streets of the town.

At the manager's advice, we walked up the hill (a very big hill) at 7:30 in the morning to get our tickets into the Alhambra. Because of the large number of people who visit each day, entrance to Palacio Nazaries is tightly controlled and everyone is assigned a specific time. We would have booked tickets on the internet in advance if we had known. The manager gave us good advice though and we got to visit the palace at 8:30 a.m., well before the crowds.

The Alhambra is one of the greatest accomplishments of Islamic art and architecture in the Mediterranean. It is at once a fortress, a palace, and a maze of patios and gardens. The Alcazaba - the Alhambra's fortress - dates from the 11th to the 13th centuries and boasts spectacular views of Granada from its towers. The Palacio Nazaries was built for Granada's Muslim rulers and is the centrepiece of the Alhambra. The detail and intricacy of the stuccos and woodwork are really awe inspiring. We spent over 4 hours walking around the area taking picture after picture of carved stone and beautiful tiles. Then we headed back into town for sangria and tapas (again). We also ate some great Lebanese food at the Samarkanda restaurant.

We went to bed at a reasonable time so we could get up and catch a bus to Seville early in the morning; however being Saturday night, it didn't quiet down until 6:30 a.m. Oh well, we had a great breakfast and managed to head down to the bus station around 10:30 am. No need to buy tickets ahead of time here(love the public transportation!). We caught a noon bus and three hours later found ourselves in Sevilla.

We got a little lost trying to find our hotel in the old historic part of town. It is a beautiful city and the streets wind around every which way. Our hotel was down a busy street with no sidewalks. The door to the hotel opened off a cobblestone road approximately one foot from the traffic on the street (really). Fun trying to get luggage in and not get hit by cars.

Gradually, we started to "get" the layout of the crazy streets so that we could get to a tourist attraction and back without getting lost. Along the way we visited many impressive plazas and enjoyed looking in the shop windows. We also enjoyed the sangria and tapas.

Although we only stayed one night we did manage to see a lot. Seville's cathedral is primarily Gothic and it holds the honour of being the largest cathedral in the world (by floor area). Yeah, seriously, wow. It was built over-top of an ancient mosque. A tower adjoins the cathedral and is called La Giralda. It use to be the mosques minaret and dates from the 12th century. We climbed up the 37 floors to get to the top and see all around Seville.

We also visited the Alcazar and the nearby Starbucks. Okay, Susan and I really enjoyed finding Starbucks again. Anyway...the Alcazar was a residence of Muslim and Christian royalty for many centuries and was founded in 913 as a fortress. It has been updated over the centuries and is a real mishmash of styles. The gardens were beautiful and well, it is hard to find other words to describe some of these old buildings. A joy to be able to see inside and every bit as impressive as Alhambra in Granada

Oh, we also had more sangria and tapas.

My parents picked us up at 1:30 pm the next day and we headed to Lagoa, Portugal. Aidan had been driving us crazy for hours waiting for his grandparents so we were very happy to see them arrive. We are looking forward to being pampered for a few days in Portugal.

Real Madrid

Madrid is a magical city, and we have very much enjoyed playing
tourist here for the past few days. One of the best features of Spain
is the incredible food, and we made a point of visiting several
different restaurants for tapas. Most places have a set menu for
lunch (the biggest meal of the day) and then people eat tapas for
dinner. Typically, this includes small baguette sandwiches. Hams,
sausages and cheeses are important food products here and we really
enjoyed trying the different meats. We had our last dinner in Madrid
at the Museo de Jambon (yes, the Museum of Ham!).

Being in Europe, we knew it was going to be expensive, and we were right.
It is pricey here and I don't know how people manage to
eat out all the time (they do) and dress so nice. The one deal we did
manage was for accommodation. We originally looked into staying in a
hostel, but most were more expensive than the budget hotels, so we
ended up staying at the Best Western, in the centro for less than 50
Euros a night. It was within walking distance of everything.
Perfectly situated.

Yesterday we jumped on the double-decker tourist bus (ubiquitous in
every big European city) to see the sights. Madrid did not disappoint.
Our first stop was the National Museum. Interestingly, the Prince and
Princess of Spain were visiting the same time we were, so there was a
ton of extra security and sections were being closed off as the royal
party toured the exhibits. It took us about 2 hours to go into sensory
overload from all the paintings. We saw at least 20 masterpieces
during our wanderings, including works by Raphael, Titan, Caravaggio,
Goya, El Greco and Reubens. Aidan's favorite was The Triumph of Death
by Brueghel, which featured skeletons doing battle with people. All
that and we caught a glimpse of the future King and Queen of Spain.
Cool!

Our other big stop on the tour was the Royal Palace. After spending an
hour outside at a playground we journeyed back in time to the 17th and
18th century when Spain was still a colonial super-power. We enjoyed
seeing some incredible rooms (the throne room and the porcelain room
have not changed since 1755), a collection of 255 clocks, and 5
Stradivarius violins. Aidan particularly liked the Armeria Real
(armoury).

Once again we are reminded how functional European cities and towns
are compared to their North American counterparts. During the day,
there are hundreds of stores and cafes open and most people are
walking down the sidewalks enjoying the fabulous weather and
window-shopping. If you need to get across the city, you hop on the
Metro for the quick and whisper-silent trip. Airport, bus and train
stations are all reachable by Metro. At night, the streets fill with
even more people as everyone stops for a glass of wine and a tapa. By
9 pm the pubs have opened and the nightlife is just getting started.
The is an incredible variety of people on the streets at all times of
the day. Families, friends, and senior citizens are all out in force.
Groups of older women and men, dressed to the nines, are out having
glasses of beer and tapas or chocolate and churrios. It really was a
pleasure to wander around this beautiful city. What a difference from
the hollowed-out cities we live in!

One other interesting point about Madrid. There is a tremendous police
presence in the downtown, which makes you feel very safe, but also
makes you think about why all the security is necessary. You can't
even get into the national museum without going through a metal
detector. Ditto for the train station and any other important
building. An unfortunate reality for Spain.

Susan had her first severe diabetic low blood sugar of this trip on
our last night in Madrid. Luckily we are carrying several glucagon
injection kits, and after 13 years of marriage, I am an expert on
using them. Once administered, she was as right as rain. Aidan was a
bit freaked out, but once things were explained to him, he was fine.
The low blood sugar was a result of a lot of walking, a light dinner,
and a few glasses of wine. Things do go wrong and you just have to be
prepared to deal with them.

This morning we got up early to catch our train to Granada. Its a
pleasure to travel on European trains. As I write this we're being
whisked through the countryside at about 200 kmh in quiet comfort.
What a change from East Africa.

Out of Africa

Hard to believe we have already arrived at our last day in Africa.
Susan and I are really sorry to go. We've met some wonderful people
here and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kenya and Tanzania.
Ironically, after taking it easy in Nairobi for a while, we're ready
to see the rest of the eastern half of the continent. We've heard
great things about Ethiopia, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana and South
Africa, That will have to wait until next time.

We spent our last few hours in Nairobi enjoying the perfect weather
and saying goodbye to everyone. We're really going to miss Lynita and
Alan, the two expat Australians who run Wildebeest Camp, and Aidan is
going to miss their young son Oliver. The other person we're going to
miss is Justice, a young Masai man who is living with Lynita and Alan
while he completes his degree in wildlife conservation. We promised
Justice that when he's done, we'll come back and he can guide us
around the Masai Mara. His family lives there and he said we would
have a great time visiting with them as well.

Alan joined us on the way to the airport. Their Land Rover has been
impounded in Customs for the past month. He was hoping that the import
problem they were experiencing had cleared up. At issue was their
import paperwork. A Customs official told them it would require
200,000 Shillings ($3,000) to make it go away. Lynita and Alan are
both upright people and refuse to pay bribes, which can be a real
impediment when you live in one of the 20 most corrupt countries on
the planet. They countered by writing a letter to the top customs
official who seemed to be willing to act on their behalf. Good luck
Alan!

After doing some last minute souvenir shopping in the airport we
enjoyed a pleasant flight out of Nairobi on Qatar Airways. Upon
arrival in Doha, we were pleasantly surprised to find the the airline
supplied free meals to people who had to wait more than 5 hours
between connections. We'll fly Qatar anywhere. Their service (and
food) is way better than any airline in North America.

We arrived in Madrid, Spain around 7:00 am in the morning. The
temperature outside was a balmy 3 Celsius, What a shock after 5 months
of tropical weather! After stopping for a quick continental breakfast
we made our way on the Metro to our hotel in the heart of the Centro
district.

We really enjoyed our time in the developing world, but its also fun
to be back in a Western country. Hot showers with unlimited water,
fantastic architecture, no litter or crime to speak of, and
outstanding food. We're enjoying Spain already.

The Other Side of Nairobi

We have spent the past few days learning about the other side of
Nairobi. The side that tourists don't usually see and the rich try to
turn a blind eye to. Over half of the population of the city of
Nairobi live in slums, which translates into approximately 1.5 to 2
million people. Unbelievably the slums themselves only cover 5% of the
land area of the city, so you can imagine the population density in
these places. People are practically living on top of each other.

Our first visit to the other side of Nairobi was to Kibera, which is
the largest in slum in East Africa and one of the largest on the
continent. Kibera covers approximately 2 square KMs and is situated on
government land. This means that nobody in Kibera can own property and
everyone lives under the threat of eviction. The exact population of
Kibera is not known. We heard estimates as high as 1.5 million people,
but more likely it is about one million.

Kibera is the largest but by no accounts the only slum in Nairobi. All
together there are 66 slums in the city. Other well-known slums
include Mathare and Korogocho. Slum populations have grown rapidly
over the past decade and continue to increase as a result of rapid
urbanization in East Africa. Its hard to imagine the living conditions
in the rural areas being worse than slums, but for many that seems to
be the case.

Perhaps our biggest surprise visiting Kibera was that there is large
socioeconomic gradient inside the slum. People are better off on the
outskirts of Kibera than those living in the middle. Many of the
people living on the outskirts have low-paying or irregular jobs and
walk back and forth to downtown every day. There are a large number of
shops and services catering to this group; and there is also hope.
Almost everyone we bumped into in these areas way happy and smiling.
They are trying hard to escape the slum.

Closer to the centre of Kibera the scene changes. Open sewers are
everywhere and people are living in absolute squalor. There is a
general feeling of helplessness. People don't have jobs and most exist
on less than $1 a day. They live so close to the edge that even a
small hardship would push them over the edge. Just walking through
these areas was hard. The smell makes you want to retch and you feel
completely unclean after spending only a few hours there. It was
overwhelming.

Our host for the Kibera visit was a young man named Sandi who
works/volunteers for the Kibera Community Youth Program. The
organization was founded about 3 years ago to help young people in the
slum build a better life. Most of the projects sponsored by the
program focus on self-improvement, like self-education and skills
development for young adults, but they also help offset costs for
nutritional food. Like many small grassroots projects, there is no
formal funding for the organization and they rely on the generosity of
small doners, like us, who visit them. We were impressed with the
group and what they were trying to accomplish. The most exciting
project from our perspective was to set up an internet learning
centre. To do this, the organization needs about 7-10 used laptops and
an internet connection. They figure that they can use 3 or 4 of the
laptops to set up a basic internet cafe, which would pay for the
internet connection and electricity.

Susan also joined our Wildebeest Camp host, Lynita, and her friend
Marion on a visit to the Shepherd's Orphanage Centre in the Kayole
slum. There are many orphanages in the city that are run as profit
making enterprises. Owners get money from the government and most of
it doesn't go to the children. This one was different.

A very caring man named Lusweti started the centre five years ago and
does not have any government support. Well, they do get a couple of
bags of maize every year. The orphanage (think tin shacks) was put
together under a major power line. Basically, they are squatting on
power company land and could be forced to move at any time. However,
they don't have to pay any rent. They do not have any outside support
and rely solely on donations of food, clothing, and money. They get
by on very little. There are 49 children ranging in age from 2 to 16
that live in the small compound. The majority of the children are
orphans whose parents died of AIDS, however there are some that were
abandoned or who ran away (e.g., mother was a prostitute). The
children all call Lusweti, Dad. There are also three women volunteers
who cook and help take care of the children.

Susan was immediately impressed by Lusweti's sincerity and all that he
is trying to do for the children. Thanks to the support from Marion's
donors in the Netherlands, all of the children have uniforms and
attend school. A child cannot attend school in Kenya without a school
uniform. Uniforms cost about 700 shillings (approximately $15). Many
children in the slums only have a uniform and no other clothing. Yes,
this is free education in Kenya.

Susan spent the next four hours talking to the children and seeing where
they live. There are two dorms - one for the boys and one for the
girls. They have latrine toilets and all take bucket baths. There is
no running water or electricity. When it rains the entire yard floods
and they usually have to move into only one section of the compound.
A tiny area is used to cook ungali (a porridge like mixture made from
maize). All of the children are very proud that they go to school and
they are so smart. These were probably the warmest and most polite
children we have ever met. They didn't ask for a thing and wanted to
know all about Canada. The little ones just wanted a hug.

Lynita was doing the tour to find out if the orphanage would be
something that she could funnel some of her great energy toward. We
visited Kibera through the Wildebeest Camp and she was seeing if
something could be set up for visitors to volunteer at the orphanage.
All kinds of options were discussed, including sponsoring a child.
The biggest thing on the wish list for the orphanage is to have their
own land so they don't have to worry about being kicked out. Susan
found out that they need the equivalent of $5,000 to do this. Seems
so small to some of us and so beyond their reach. They also
appreciate any clothing for the children, shoes, and other small
things. Susan found out that many of the girls miss a week of school
each month because they cannot afford to buy sanitary pads for them.

Our trips to the slums were a real eye opener. There is terrible
poverty, but we expected this. However it is one thing to sit in Canada and
discuss it and quite another to see and experience it. It certainly
made us want to get more involved, but what project to choose?

After discussing the pros and cons, we decided to support the
orphanage. We cannot change the world, but we do have the power to
improve the lives of 49 children. So don't be surprised if we hit you up for a little help when we get back to Canada.

Living an Expat Life

Yup.  We are plunked down in Nairobi and hanging out with expats who work and live in Kenya.

We spend our days learning about the people here, going to the Nacomart grocery store, exploring the city, and trying to come to grips with the amount of corruption.  We have had many conversations with the expats about life in Kenya, the economy, and the politics here. 

On the positive side, Nairobi is exotic and unpredictable, and certainly more exciting than living in the west.  The city is relatively cosmopolitan and has access to some of the most spectacular scenery, culture and wildlife in the world.  Resource wise this country is blessed in many ways, and the weather in Nairobi is absolutely spectacular. There is nothing, we have discovered, like living in the tropics at a good elevation - warm days and cool nights.

On the downside, Nairobi has one of the greatest economic disparities in Africa. Outside the gated communities there is extreme poverty, urban overcrowding, and massive alienation. There is a soaring incidence of AIDS/HIV (15% of adults infected), and only 42% of the population has access to clean drinking water. Another problem is that Kenyans generally consider their tribal affiliation first and being Kenyan second, which has led to rampant nepotism. With more than 70 tribal groups in Kenya this is a very real problem.  

Not surprising given the economic and political situation in Nairobi, crime and violence are not far below the surface of everyday life. As our guidebook notes, 'Nairobbery', is regarded as one of the most dangerous cities in Africa, and most Westerners fly in and flee the city as quickly as possible. We pay heed to these warnings and take reasonable precautions when leaving the Wildebeest compound - like never going out with valuables, and always taking taxis in the evenings. So far our decision to hang out in Nairobi has resulted in nothing more sinister than sore feet from walking around. We are having a great time! 

We are using thoroughly enjoying this relaxing time to decompress and see a few sites around the city.  Nairobi was built within the last 100 years. The whole place was a big swamp until the 1890s when a rail depot was developed. The old colonial government established it as an administrative centre and built some grand hotels to accommodate the first safari tourists to Kenya.  Following independence in 1963, most of the colonial buildings were replaced by modern office buildings. Surrounding downtown on all sides are the suburbs, many of which contain one or more gated communities. There are also slums, the largest being Kibera with over a million people crammed into 2.5 square kilometers.

So what have we been doing?

One day we decided to go out and tour Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage and the Langata Giraffe Centre.  The elephant orphanage is only open to the public one hour every day.  The orphanage has teams that rescue baby elephants and then keep them until they are old enough to be reintroduced back into the wild.  Many of the babies have fallen in wells or been injured and abandoned.  We got to watch them eat and play in the mud.  They each have a handler that works with them every day because some have been very traumatized.  We also learned about the life of rhinos and were introduced to a 2 month old rhino.  The baby walked right by Aidan and both Mike and I agreed that we haven't seen such a cute animal in a very long time.  The orphanage does really great work. 

We also visited the Langata Giraffe Centre where we got to feed some endangered Rothschild giraffes.  There is an education centre with lots of information about breeding, preserving and monitoring the giraffe.  Aidan really enjoyed feeding them and getting licked by very long purple tongues. 

Our final stop on our tour was the Kazuri Bead Factory.  This is a Kenyan success story.  The factory was established in the 1980s and employs single mothers to make pottery, ceramics, and beads.  The products are exported all over the world.  There were so many beautiful pieces of jewelery that I had a hard time deciding what to buy!

On another day we took a taxi downtown to the Kenyatta Conference Centre.  The building towers over the city square and was designed as a fusion of modern and traditional African styles, with a big saucer tower.  A staff member took us up to the rooftop viewing platform.  The sight lines go all the way to the suburbs and to Nairobi National Park.  Wonderful views of the entire city.

A visit to Nairobi wouldn't be complete without seeing the National Museum.  It is in a nice big building surrounded by lush gardens. It has really good exhibits on culture, geology and natural-history. The museum also has volunteer guides and so a nice young lady led us around and provided all the highlights of the exhibits. Before stepping into one room she asked us if we believed in evolution.  I found this rather odd at first, but then realized that many people here believe strongly in creationism (despite the evidence in the next room).  So in we went and saw many of the early human skulls that were discovered in eastern Africa.  A world-class display on evolution. 

There are many supermarkets and stores in walking distance of the Wildebeest Camp, so on another day we visited the Ya-Ya Centre.   We spent a few hours at the shopping centre, had lunch, went to a bookstore and got Aidan a haircut.  While at the bookstore I tried to find a book about Kenya called "It's our turn to eat".  I was told that I wouldn't find this book in Kenya and that if I did happen to find it, I shouldn't be seen reading it.  It is a book about the corruption in the government here.  I will definitely be reading the book when I get home. 

At the Ya Ya centre we also picked up some cheese, bread and fruit for dinner.  We have been eating quite well while in Nairobi.  On some nights we eat with other guests at the camp, some nights we have sandwiches, and other nights we go out.  We went to an Ethiopian restaurant with two American filmmakers who had been staying at the lodge. We all had some amazing food and even Aidan enjoyed the injera (bread).  

The desparate conditions many people face in Nairobi make us wonder what we can do to help, so we have made plans to visit some volunteer organizations in and around the city. Our first stop is the Kibera Community Youth Project.  Kibera is the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa and is located near the camp.  More on the visit in the next blog.

Nairobi Eye

The Riverside shuttle service picked us up at our hotel at 7:30 and took us to the mini-bus we would be taking to Nairobi, Kenya.  We seemed to be the last ones to arrive.  The luggage was put up on the roof and we piled into the bus with 25 others.  Okay it was more like a van, and had jump seats down all the aisles.  Four people across the rows.  Once you were in your seat, you couldn't move or get out.  But we thought how bad could it be since Nairobi is only 350 km north.  Yeah.... 9 hours later....

Indeed it took 9 hours to get to our accommodations in Nairobi.  In a few years there will be a new high speed highway running from Cairo to Cape Town.  Right now the road between Arusha and Nairobi is being worked on.  This meant that 300 km of our journey was spent on gravel pot-holed detours.  Also, it is the dry season and it was soon apparent why the local women on the bus immediately covered their heads with scarves.  Oh the dust... the dust. 

I should also note that we were delayed for over an hour at the border waiting for our visa application to be processed so we could get into Kenya.  No problems but everything must be done by hand in triplicate.  For the rest of the trip we prayed that the bus wouldn't shake apart and that I wouldn't throw up.  I was really starting to feel ill.  Aidan was great for the whole trip and listened to his music player for hours.  Once we got to Nairobi, it was another 2 hours of fighting traffic and dropping people off at different hotels.  We were able to get a taxi to the Wildebeest Camp and arrived disheveled at about 5:30.

On the brighter side of things, the Wildebeest Camp is wonderful.  It is an oasis in the middle of Nairobi.  We are in a large permanent tent (with shower, toilet, and running water).  There is a large stone mansion where other guests stay and where the owners - Lynnite and Allan and their baby son Oliver live. They have hostel type rooms in the mansion and they also allow tenting on the property.  It is a large garden area that is walled and has a security guard. This is one of the best places we have found to meet travelers and we have connected with wonderful people here.  Aidan loves it here too.  He plays with the two dogs - Fatty and Barney.  He runs around and plays and mingles with the other guests.  There is a large TV room, a big dining room, and lots of outdoor seating.  Breakfast is included with the price and buffet dinners are also served every night, although we've only eaten here once.  Aidan has become good friends with the cook, Margaret, and Justice, a young Maasai man who is working and living here while he completes collage.  On our first night, one of the resident tortoises (very large) laid her eggs in a hole she had just dug in the garden.  Everyone was out watching.   

We arrived on February 27 and planned on staying two nights. It is now March 5th and we are still here.  I ended up getting quite sick with a stomach ailment that has only just cleared up.  I spent a few days in the tent eating toast and bananas.  That really waylaid our original plans.  Once I started feeling better we started looking into another safari.  But it is really expensive and we have already seen pretty much everything we want to on our previous safari.  We really started to question what we wanted to do in Kenya.  We didn't feel like going to another beach resort and we really didn't want to spend thousands of dollars on another safari in the same landscape.  So, in the end, we decided to stay in Nairobi and do some day trips that we can arrange with the camp. 

Before I forget, we need to get back to Nairobi Eye story. Michael took Aidan to the Nairobi Hospital to have the crazy rash/burn on his arm looked at.  The good thing is that this is the place to go for any weird tropical diseases.  They have seen it all.  He was referred to a specialist, who took one look at it and said "Nairobi Eye".  Nairobi eye is casued by the Nairobi fly, a tiny insect the size of a grain of rice that comes out after the first rains in the Serengeti.  The doctor theorized that one landed on Aidan's arm in the night and was mushed in when he moved.  This tiny fly has a fluid sac in it and the toxic contents cause an extreme skin reaction in humans. A tiny drop causes a big, red blistering sore, similar to what you would get if you were physically burned.  Nothing to do but keep it clean and let it heal.  They call it "Nairobi eye" because these little flies like to land on peoples faces at night and then when when you swat it you end up with a swollen, burned eye.  Yikes. In Africa, we learned, you brush insects off instead of batting at them like we do in North America. Aidan is very proud of his trophy and made us take pictures. 

The other thing Michael found out was that the little bumps on the back of his legs that have been spreading since southeast Asia is actually a large crop of warts.  Tiny warts.  Great.  So the doctor gave us a caustic pencil and we have made an attempt to slow the progression.  I think we will end up taking him to a doctor once we get back to Canada, as these may have to be properly burned off.  Total cost for hospital visit and medication: $100.

Now for the big show...or so we thought

After a wonderful overnight at the Sopa Serengeti Lodge we headed out for a day of wildlife viewing on the Serengeti. We were told that we were here at the right time to see the large migration of over 2 million wildebeest, zebra and other antelope across the Serengeti.  Unfortunately for us they were not on the Serengeti.  Our guide Damas explained that due to lack of water, weather patterns, and by extension global climate change, the herds movement was no longer predictable.  Damas said that for years and years they could predict where the herd we be at a certain time, but no longer.  The herd was actually much farther south in Tanzania. So we missed the big show.

On a brighter note, we still got to see a lot of animals and the Serengeti landscape itself, which was breathtaking.  The grasslands and the kopi rocks are right out of the movies.  Damas took us to one of the kopi where we saw some 400 year old Masai rock paintings.  We were also impressed by the hyena feeding on a gazelle and the wiley jackal trying to sneak in and get his share.  The vultures also slowly creep in until they are chased off.  Aidan also pointed out all of the male elephants, baboons, and zebras to us.  Oh the discovery of a child.

We left the Serengeti in the afternoon and headed toward to the Ngorongoro Crater.  By the time we reached the crater rim it had started to rain and so the last 30 km were a muddy bumpy ride.  The Sopa Lodge is on the crater rim and we arrived in time for a beautiful sunset.  I am suspicious that the fish I ate for dinner here may have been the cause of the horrible stomach ailment that laid me up for over a week. Anyway, we were up again early in the morning for a game drive in the crater.  Our days have typically been about 10 hours out driving around so we told Damas that we wanted the day to end a bit earlier tonight.

The Ngorongoro Crater is like a fish bowl for wildlife. The average height of the crater rim is over 2,000 metres and is the largest dry crater in the world.  The diameter is almost 20 km and it is 304 square km.  All of the safari jeeps follow a road circuit making it kind of like an animal viewing theme park.  This aside, it did allow us to check off the final animal on the big five list and see rhinos.  According to our guide, the volcanic soil in this area has a lot of minerals that make the tusks on elephants and the horns on the rhinos very big.  We also stopped for lunch at a very large hippo pool and happily munched with 8 hippos and many other tourists. Happily, at least, until Mike had his sandwich stolen by a bird. 

For our last night, we were at the Kirumumu permanent tented camp near Lake Manyara. It has a spectacular view of the lake and feels very connected to nature. Our tent was beautiful and had a nice hardwood floor and full bathroom in the back. Actually calling it a tent is a stretch, but its a wonderful twist on the safrari theme and works well here in the tropics.

In the morning we got up and were surprised to see that Aidan had a huge rash on his right arm. It didn't seem to hurt him so we put some hydrocortizone cream on it, ate yet another big breakfast, and jumped into the truck with Damas. Our last day on safari took us around Lake Manyara National Park. Compared to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, Manyara is tiny. At its widest it is no more than 10 km across, sandwitched between Rift Vally escarpment on one side and the edge of the lake on the other. We saw most of the same creatures that we encountered the previous four days.  What was really amazing was the numbers of baboons we saw.  We spent some time just sitting and watching the antics of baboons in the hundreds. It was also funny observing the black faced monkeys, which are also called blue balled monkeys.  Funny because the testicles on the males are a really nice powder blue colour. :-)

After our picnic lunch at some hot springs, we headed back into Arusha.  Boo hoo the safari was over.  We had a quiet drive back into Arusha where we settled into the Outpost Lodge.  By this time, I wasn't feeling not that well so it ended up being an early night.  We were also a little concerned by a rash on Aidan's arm that appeared overnight.  A bright angry looking marks up his forearm, which later raised and started turning into a blister.  We decided that we would take him to see a doctor in Kenya.  We are being picked up at 7:30 in the morning to head by mini-bus the 350 km to Nairobi.

Both Michael and I agree that the Serengeti safari was one of the top 3 things that we saw and experienced on our trip around the world. We definitely will be coming back to this part of Africa to try and see the migration and, when Aidan's a bit older, go visit the mountain gorillas.  A young man named Justice, who is studying to be a safari guide, wants to take us to the Mara River during the migration to see the big crocodiles eat the zebra and wildebeest as they try and cross the river.  How fun would that be! 

Happily watching animals eat and be eaten

Day 2 of our safari started out with a big breakfast in the lodge while we watched the birds and other wildlife outside. I use the term outside loosely as the dining room had no windows. We spent the morning driving across the conservation area in search of wildlife. Most of the time Mike was standing up with his head poking out of the top of the Land Cruiser  The great thing about this is that the vehicles can go off-road to find the animals; the bad thing is that you often end up with 5-10 vehicles surrounding anything interesting (e.g. cheetahs lying in the shade or an elephant and calf), and the tires rip up the soil. Still, it was an absolutely incredible day for wildlife viewing and we spotted more types of animals on this day than any other. Highlights included watching a heard of elephants with a baby not 15 ft from our truck; spotting 12 cheetahs (the most our guide Damas has ever seen in one day) and seeing a leopard up in the trees with two kills hanging in the branches. We also got to watch vultures and Maribouu storks fight over the head of a wildebeest. Yummm.

Wildlife list (mostly new animals listed): Marshall eagle; Love birds; Weaver birds; Hunter's sunbird (beautiful black and red bird); hartebeasts; cutthroat birds (the ones that eat the flies on wildebeest); warthogs; family of 5 elephants close enough to touch; Blacksmith plover; lots of flies (!!); Secretary bird (huge black and white bird); yes 12 cheetahs; 3 female lions (1 pregnant); Crown cranes (national bird of Uganda); kori bustard bird (largest African bird that can fly); white stork; tawny eagle; various ugly carrion birds (Ruppels griffon, Marabou storks, white backed vulture, Nubian vulture; Augar buzzard); hyenas; honey badger; ostrich; bat-eared fox; leopard; Hammerkop bird (king of the birds because the nest is huge and has 25 chambers); more zebra, wildebeest, gazelle; tope; and water buffalo. 

We discovered that you really do need a 4-wheel-drive truck to go on safari. It rained while we were eating our lunch at Nudutu Lodge and we were surprised to see that most of the water was still on the ground afterward. This made for some very interesting and impressive driving by Damas. The beating the vehicle took that day was unbelievable. Roads, where they existed, were all pot-holes and washboards with deep ruts cutting through at odd angles. Off-road, we were constantly slipping and sliding around and bumping over small ridges and hills. There were also innumerable mud pits and streams to be crossed. According to Damas there are only two vehicles up to the challenge of the Serengeti - the Land Rover Defender and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Land Cruisers outnumber Defenders by about 4 to 1 and are apparently less prone to breakdowns. We were really impressed by our Land Cruiser. Wish we could get one in Canada, its one tough truck!

At the end of the afternoon we drove out of the Serengeti Conservation Area and into the National Park proper. The landscape is utterly breathtaking. Its impossible to convey the stark beauty of the open plains, or to capture it on film for that matter. It must be seen to be believed. Our day ended with a brief game drive through the kopis (think of Pride Rock in the Lion King) before heading up to the Serengeti Sopa Lodge.

Our room at the lodge had a spectacular view of the Serengeti and we enjoyed watching the sunset on the plains before having yet another fabulous dinner and retiring for the night. Who would have thought that sitting in a truck for 10 hours would be so tiring?

Don't Wear White Socks on Safari

Seriously, don't wear white on safari because it is really really dusty.

We traveled from Moshi to Arusha on February 21st by mini-bus and settled into the Le Jacaranda Hotel.  A nice place with an interesting mini-putt course that Aidan played at least five times.  In the afternoon we met with Barbara Cole from Safari Makers and discussed some details of the safari and more importantly paid our bill.  I was surprised to learn that we had our own driver and were not with another group of people. Yeah! We stopped at a grocery store and stocked up on juice boxes and snack foods, and we visited several bank machines getting cash.  Never assume that they are going to work or have money in them.  Always good not to run short on cash.

On to the safari...

Our guide/driver, Damas, picked us up in a Toyota Landcruiser and we headed west to to the Ndutu Conservation Area.  Along the way we were amazed by the number of Maasai people herding goats and cows and walking places, many seemed to be walking to nowhere.  The landscape is dry and dusty and sub-saharan - just like you would imagine. However, we also passed an area that we learned were tremendously fertile. Damas would become our teacher over the next five days and patiently answer all of our questions on this topic and many others.

We stopped at a Maasai Village and David, one of the residents, gave us a tour. It is actually just one extended family. The father has 24 wives and therefore there were 24 houses.  The huts (bomas) were small circles made of wood and cow dung.  In the centre of these huts was a barricade of wood to encircle the cows at night.  Surrounding the huts was a larger barricade to protect the entire encampment.  We were taken into one of the huts which was smaller than my bedroom (about 12 feet by 6 feet).  Inside, six people sleep and there is a fire pit in the middle of the floor. We asked David what they eat and he said mainly meat, milk, and blood.  Okay.  We were also treated to some traditional singing and dancing and Mike joined in jumping with the male warriors.  The women all make beaded bracelets and necklaces and sell them for a lot of money.  Mike ended up happily trading his watch for one of the bracelets.  Thanks, honey.  We also were given a tour of the tiny school house for the kindergarten children. Aidan really liked this because all of the children were smiling and waving.  The village had 35 children under the age of 7 (all siblings).  Overall, the people are fabulous and it really was like stepping back in time.  Oh yeah, and was it dusty.  Crazy wind and crazy dust blowing everywhere. 

A few hours later and we arrived in the Ndutu Conservation Area, which borders on the Serengeti National Park.  We spent the afternoon driving around the conservation area and seeing many different birds and animals.  I actually kept track of  everything that we saw.  I cannot say how amazing it was to see the acacia trees and then moments later to see three giraffe wander up and start eating.  We had a great first day of animal viewing.  By six at night we were pooped out and happy to be at the lodge for dinner.  There were two genets (related to mongoose family) in the lodge and a campfire going outside.  It was a really great evening. We all collapsed into bed after dinner.

Wildlife list: kites, tawny eagles, blue starlings, baboons, black backed jackals,  giraffes (+20), Thompson gazelles, dik diks, Grants gazelles, impalas, zebras, hartebeasts, elands, wildebeests, flamingos, vultures, guinea fowl, elephants, hippopotamus, water buffaloes, cheetahs, genets, and lovebirds.   

We are so glad we decided to do a safari!

Getting our Mojo Back

As my sister Reagan reminded us, everyone should have the problems we
were experiencing in Nungwi. We agree, however it was the first time
on our trip that we were feeling low. Not bad considering that we've
been traveling for almost 5 months now. I'm happy to report that we've
got our traveling mojo back and are really starting to get into the
groove here in Tanzania.

We've spent the last few days in Moshi, which is a small town just
below Mount Kilimanjaro. As the traditional jumping-off point for
treks up the mountain we've run into a fair number of people either
just heading out or just returning from this adventure. Having seen
the mountain now, we have new respect for anyone that makes it to the
top (way to go Michele Moroz!). The summit of the mountain is actually
higher than the base camp at Everest. I'm also happy to report that
Kilimanjaro still has snow on top. We can only see it in the early
morning and later in the evening as most of the day its shrouded in
clouds.

Moshi was a pleasant place to spend a few days. The climate is very
pleasant as the humidity is much more reasonable than Zanzibar. We
spent much of the time researching the next stage of our trip in Kenya
and making travel arrangements. The Keys Hotel was quite pleasant and
we appreciated having a relatively high-speed (for Africa) internet
connection which allowed us to catch up on picture uploading and
e-mail. We've booked 3 seats on a minibus to take us to Nairobi (via
Arusha), and what looks like a neat place to stay in the city when we
get there on the 27th. Now we're looking at options for safaris in
Kenya up the rift valley. Sitting on the beach again around Mombasa
just doesn't appeal to us after spending so much time in Zanzibar.

We've mentioned before that some of the prices here are queerly high.
Laundry is a good example. We have paid anywhere from $2.00 to $10.00
to have our clothes washed around the world; we have also done it
ourselves by hand many times. At the Keys Hotel they were charging
1,500 Shillings (about $1.30 CDN) just to wash a pair of socks! If we
had asked them to do 4 days worth of laundry it would have cost us
over $25. Why it would cost this much in a part of the world where
there are underemployed people on every street corner is beyond us.

Today we took the minibus from Moshi to Arusha. Eventually we will
continue on to Nairobi on the same minibus, so we were happy to see it
was in good condition and reasonably roomy. The scenery between the
two towns nothing short of spectacular; its not hard to see what would
draw Europeans to the area. Leaving Moshi you have views of Mt.
Kilimanjaro and arriving in Arusha you see Mount Meru. Between the two
are plains with several villages along the way. The market towns are
particularly colourful and Susan was quite impressed by the beautiful
clothes the women wear. They may be poor, but they all have a certain
dignity. We also caught our first glimpses of the Maasai people,
including several boys and men in traditional garb hearding cattle and
goats.

The minibus dropped us off at Le Jackaranda hotel around 1 pm. Its the
first place in Tanzania where we feel the price is reasonable ($50 per
night). Our room is basic, clean and comfortable, and the grounds are
beautiful. They even have a funny 9-hole mini-put course that Aidan
has done at least 5 times now. There are lots of travellers and budget
tourists here - our kind of place.

Arusha is a pretty town and we had a good time looking around. Our
first stop was Safari Makers to pay for our safari. Barbara Cole was
very nice and we have a good feeling about the outfit we chose. She is
an American who has been living in Tanzania for 11 years and is
co-owner of the company along with a Tanzanian gentleman.
Interestingly this month has been very good for the company, but
bookings are off by almost 50% next month. Not surprising given the
state of the world economy. The rest of the day was spent browsing
stores, getting some safari supplies from the supermarket and visiting
ATMs until we found one that worked.

Tomorrow our safari starts and we're just pumped. Our first day will
be spent getting out to Serengeti National Park with a game drive and
stops at Olduvai Gorge and a Maasai Village en route. We will be
overnighting at Ndutu Safari Lodge.

Bad things happen in threes...

Bad things - or at least really annoying, frustrating things - happen in threes.  We ended up staying a total of 6 nights at the Munganwi Beach Resort on Zanzibar.  Not really by choice.  

Based on a suggestion by the resort we contacted Zenith Tours in Zanzibar Town to make some arrangements for us to travel to Moshi or Arusha. Michael spoke with them on Saturday and sent them a supporting e-mail. First they said "no problem", then they misunderstood the request, then they were closed on Sunday, then they lost the e-mail (twice), then the phones didn't work, and then finally made the arrangements on Tuesday night, for a flight to Moshi the next day! And that was a day after we originally wanted to depart. 

Compounding this difficulty in communicating was the fact that both Michael and I were both suffering from some food poisoning.  There were about 10 people at the resort also with the trots.  After 4 days of stomach pains it was clear things would not go away so we started antibiotics.  Aidan's bland diet meant that he was fine.  We were quite sad that we were at a great spot and were unable to get to Mnemba to do some snorkeling.  It is supposed to be spectacular, but we just were not feeling up to it at all. We did a quick 1/2 day snorkeling trip to another spot, but conditions were not great.  

The other "bad" thing that spoiled our otherwise good experience happened while checking out.  We were told that we could pay by credit card and so we didn't bring a lot of local currency with us.  Unfortunately, the credit card reader wouldn't accept/read any of our cards (we carry 4) and so we had to dip into the last of our emergency travellers cheques to pay the bill. Our credit card woes are magnified by the fact that we had large expenditures for flights and safaris coming up in the following days.

I should really be focused on some of the fun things that happened on the beach.  We shared experiences with some wonderful people from all over the world:  Bruce and Page from Georgia, USA who had been everywhere in the world and at 75 years old were still going strong; the nice Australian guy who is in the UN police training force stationed in the Sudan; the fun Swede who did a 21 day lion safari and loves hard rock; and the young guy who did tsunami relief in Indonesia and was now living in Hong Kong. What a great group.  We also had the opportunity to visit a turtle conservation area and see some very large green sea turtles in a natural lagoon adjacent to the ocean.  Aidan fed them seaweed and held the small ones.  We are also thankful for the hot sunny days, beautiful sunsets, and the mass of stars out at night.  Seeing Venus was an added bonus. Last but certainly not least, we really enjoyed the turquoise waters and white sand beachs of Zanzibar. They are truely world class.

The travel day to Moshi was long but nothing major went wrong.  Our Mastercard ended up working, but the VISA was declined.  We don't know why but are trying to get in touch with the bank and find out.  We had a nice air conditioned ride to Stone Town and a nice lunch at the Archipelago Restaurant.  Here we ran into an Italian lady that we met a week prior and she told us wonderful things about Spain and Italy.  We picked up some snacks and met our driver who took us to the airport.  At the airport we ran into several people from the resort or the spice tour that we went on.  The flight left about 1/2 hour late and it the flight to Dar was only 20 minutes long.  Rush seating.   

Once in Dar we followed a very poorly signed maze to our next departure gate.  Honestly, a few clear signs would really cut down on the number of questions, and there is really no need for officials to start yelling at people. We ended up going through three more security checks before boarding the same plane that we were just on.  The flight to Moshi was only an hour and I ended up sitting beside the Managing Director of Tanzania's only Tanzinite mine.  We had a good chat and I learned a lot about this precious gemstone. The decent was quite bumpy due to the 65 km hour winds.  Thank you to the good pilots on Precision Air.

A driver arranged by Key's Hotel picked us up and 45 minutes later we were in Moshi, the main town at the base of Mt. Kilamanjaro.  The hotel is older but nice and has a pool.  As I have said before, everything here is really expensive, and a room that we would pay $50 for anywhere else in the world is $95. Not worth the price, but not much choice. If we go down market, we end up in a hole. We plan on staying here until the 21st and then head to Arusha (1.5 hours away) for the safari that departs on the 22nd.

I am really looking forward to the safari.  I am also feeling a guilty about Tanzania.  I don't like it as much as I had hoped I would.  I know people who have travelled here and through other parts of Africa and love it.  I am having a hard time loving it.  Perhaps my feelings will improve after the safari. 

Nungwi

After 4 days in Stone Town we decided to head up the coast of Zanzibar
Island to explore some of its fabled beaches. On a tip from some
fellow travellers we decided to go to the Mnarani Beach Cottages in
Nungwi, which is at the extreme northern tip of the island. Mnarani is
Swhaili for 'at the light house' which is just next to the resort.
Because we knew the place was half full, we were able to call and get
a reduced rate for our room and half board (breakfast and dinner).

Nungwi is a fascinating place and we're very glad we landed here. On
one hand, it is one of the island's major tourist destinations, with a
number of guesthouses, hotels and small resorts; on the other hand,
Nungwi is a traditional Muslim village and the centre of dhow-building
for the region. Dhows are the sailing boats with triangle shaped sails
that are commonly seen plying the Arabic / Indian seas. We struck up a
conversation with a South African couple who live in Dar now and are
having a dhow built here. Total cost: $5,000.

On a typical day in Nungwi we have breakfast and then walk down the
beautiful white sand beach to watch the fishermen repairing their nets
and restocking their boats. During low tide there are many children
out in the sand digging for bait for their own fishing. As the tide
recedes, they head out and catch small fish and octopus in the tide
pools. Later in the day, when the tide starts coming in, groups of
local women head out with nets and walk in a line in the water. They
are all dressed in long colourful skirts and head scarves and it is a
pleasure to watch them beat the water with sticks to circle a school
of mackerel and force it into their nets. Cries of jubilation when
they are successful and shrieking and laughter when they are not.

The afternoon usually sneaks up on us and then its pool time. Aidan
enjoys swimming in the pool and we are happy to that there are other
young children here for him to have fun with. Lately he has taken to
perfecting handstands in the pool.

There are a couple of phrases we have learned in Swahili, which are:
Asante (thank-you), Nzuri (good), Sawa (okay), Jambo, Habari yako
(Hello. How are you?), and who could forget Hakuna Matata (No
problem!).

We finalized our Serengetti safari booking yesterday and need to be in
Arusha by February 21st. Earlier today we set the next stage of our
travel in motion and sent an email off to one of the travel agencies
in Stone Town. Options include flying to Moshi, spending a couple of
days around Kilimanjaro and then busing to Arusha in time for the
Safari. We decided that it is a long way to Arusha and, after some
discussion, decided that our preferred option is to fly north rather
than take the bus. It is a good distance north on not-so-great roads,
on not-so-great buses. Then we have the added complication of another
ferry ride. [Susan's note: Please, please let the quotes be
reasonable as I don't want to take the ferry!].

We changed rooms to one with some air-conditioning. Coping with
insufferable heat just isn't for us when solutions are available.
After that we flaked out, swam and generally were lazy for the rest of
the day. We are also enjoying meeting the other guests and discussing
there adventures. A South African family that recently moved to Dar is
having a dhow built for themselves and will be sailing it back.

Wow, this is probably one of the more boring blogs we have written.
Sorry to disappoint. We realize,as Martha Gillman said, "The only
aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster."

The Spice of Life

Its taken us a few days, but we're finally starting to get the hang of Africa. There is no place in Tanzania like Khaosan Road in Bangkok, which kind of acts as a decompression stop for people entering or leaving SE Asia, but Stone Town comes close.  

The Zanzibar Archipelago is a collection of islands that includes Zanzibar and Pemba and are better known as the spice islands.  Zanzibar's main hub is Zanzibar Town with the hear of the town known as Stone Town. Arabic, Indian and African cultures collide here in the town's jumbled labrynthe-like maze of alleys. There are also quaint shops, coral-rag houses, baazars, mosques, and the most amazing carved and decorated doors. The other drawing card is the spectacular turquoise sea and fine white sand beaches. 

So we don't forget - a bit about the history of Zanzibar.  By the 1st century there is documented evidence of Arabic settlements on the mainland and by the 12th century Zanzibar became a major hub and city-state with trade links to Persia and Arabia, supplying gold, ivory, slaves and wood.  The island fell under Portugese control in the early 16th century and very soon after was taken over by the British, and then by the Omani Arabs.  By the 19th century Oman had control and was exporting slaves, cloves and ivory out of Zanzibar.  Zanzibar gained its independence in the 1960's and soon after joined with Tanzania.

Africa, we are discovering, is not a place to go for a cheap holiday.  Prices are comparable for what we would pay in Canada for lodging and food. It is a shock coming from SE Asia, however the magic of the place makes up for the cost. We spent the first four nights at the Clove Hotel, which is a wonderful mid-range hotel on the edge of Stone Town.  We would have liked to stay longer, but we were lucky to get any room at all.  Most places are booked solid because of the Sauti Za Busara Music and Dance Festival, which, of course, we knew nothing about.  To sum it up, we had a great time at the Clove and would recommend it to anyone.  We had a large family room with a queen bed and two single beds.  The hotel is about four stories high and has around 10 rooms.  One of the best features was the open air roof top patio with a view looking out to the ocean. It was a spectacular place to enjoy the sea breeze and escape the heat of the streets below.  This was where we hung out and drank Kilimanjaro beer in the evening, and ate a great breakfast (included in the price) in the morning. 

It is easy (and fun) to get lost in Stone Town. The 'streets' are all about 8-10 feet wide and there is no rhyme or reason to how they are laid out, so every corner brings another discovery. The largest structures are along the waterfront and include the old fort and palace of wonders. There are also the Forodani Gardens, but they are being redeveloped and were not open while we were there. We toured the Beit El-Ajaib (House of Wonders), which was built in 1883 by Sultan Barghash as a ceremonial palace.  Here we learned about the shortest war in history, where in 1896 the palace was the target of a British naval bombardment that lasted 45 minutes.  Inside are some good exhibits on the dhow (fishing boats) culture of the Indian Ocean, Swahili civilisation and 19th century Zanzibar and the history of Stone Town.  Aidan really enjoyed all of the large model sailing vessels, including the life-sized mtepe, which is a traditional Swahili sailing vessel made without nails (coconut fibres and wooden pegs).

The people here in Tanzania are amazingly friendly. Most people greet us with 'Jambo', which is Swahili for 'Hello, I can speak English too'. The children, in particular, are very cute. Of course we also have to put up with a fair number of touts and aggressive shopkeepers, but that is no different from anywhere else we have been. Being a Muslim country, most of the men dress in full length robes or at least pants and long sleeved shirts while the women are covered from head to toe with just their faces showing. The big difference from Asia are the fantastic colours and patterns of the women's clothes. They are more impressive than pictures you might have seen would lead you to believe.  

Other news: Aidan has developed some small bumps on the back of his knees. After some discussion with Lisette, the Clove Hotel owner, we took Aidan to see one of the local physicians.These small raised bumps first appeared in Cambodia (we think) and we initially thought that they were insect bites.  However, three weeks later and not only are they still visible they are now a bit red and spreading.  Not insect bites.  So we were helped by a kindly older doctor who took a look, asked a few questions, and felt that Aidan had picked up some kind of skin infection.  He prescribed a cream and some antibiotics.  Anyway, we got the medication in his office and the visit, pills and cream cost $20. I am happy to report that it has been three days and it seems to be clearing up.  I also met a really nice local woman in the phycians office who just found out she had malaria and was telling me how horrible it was.  Sad.  Most of the medications in the glass case in the office were related to malaria.

Once again we have been very pleasantly surprised by the food.  Due to the Arabic influences and the availability of spices, the local dishes are infused with flavours of cinnamon, anise, cloves, and cardamon.  Indian influences also abound and Aidan has become a fan of samosas.  We stumbled across the local food hawker place by the sea and very quickly became fans of Zanzibar pizza.  I actually want to go back to Stone Town so that I can eat this again.  It is like a Thai pancake but is stuffed with a mixture of beef, cheese, egg, cucumber, tomatoes and onions.  This is fried as a large pancake and then served with both tamarind and hot sauces.  Delicious.  Add a Tusker beer and all is well with the world.

Oh and as far as food firsts go - Aidan had a hamburger and decided it was delicious.  Mike is so proud. We have a normal 7 year old now. Actually we both very pleased at how much more Aidan will eat than when we started this trip.  Of his own accord, he decided one day to try pasta WITH sauce and actually liked it!

We arranged a spice tour through our hotel in Stone Town.  We headed out with four others in a mini-van to one of the spice farms on the island.  To our surprise two of the four were Canadians!  The other two were from our hotel (a very fun couple that me the previous evening).  At the spice farm we saw, smelled and tasted fresh spices and fruits, including cloves, ginger, tumeric, cardamon, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, pomellos, starfruit and mangoes.  We were then taken to a local villagers house and were served a great lunch.  Seated on the floor with large plastic bowls in front of us, we all dug into spiced rice, spinach, and some kind of coconut vegetable curry with potatoes.  Delicious and one of the best meals we have had on this trip.  We were also entertained by numerous children outside the eating area who were giggling and laughing.  After lunch we were taken to a beach and a large cave where slaves were formerly held prior to being taken out to the ships.  Spectacular white sand and a quick dip in the turquoise water made for a great end to the day.

Once again we met some fabulous people and hope to keep in touch with the couple mentioned previously - Morten and Milanie.  They have lived all around the world and Morten is freakishly like Michael.  We all got along well.  They left on the 12th to head out on a four week overland tour all the way down the coast to Cape Town. Their mode of transportation is a converted transport truck that holds camping gear as well as passengers. I  can hardly wait to hear how there tenting tour turned out.  Despite Morten's trepedations, it sounded like they were in for a great time.

Yes, Tanzania is definitely starting to grow on us.  We have been working on getting a safari set up and did manage to get that settled today.  We leave for a five day Serengetti safari on February 21st out of Arusha.  Now we need to figure out how to occupy ourselves in the meantime. We have discovered that this isn't the best place to hop between towns on local transportation. 

We are now relaxing at Nungwi Beach and will describe our adventures in the next blog.

Loving Zanzibar

This morning we got up early to catch the 7:15 ferry over to Zanzibar. The guidebook says that the trip should take 1.5 hours, but as usual it lies. We left Dar in fairly wavy conditions and landed at Zanzibar Town 2 hours and 20 minutes later, motion-sick and grumpy. This time, Aidan was the one that got sick (just once) and Susan managed to hold it together while I didn't have any problems. When are we going to learn our lesson you ask? Well, this is our last long-duration ferry trip....ever.

Arriving in Stone Town, we filled out immigration papers again (what's the purpose when its part of the same country?) and walked over to the Clove Hotel where we have a lovely family room that looks out over the rooftops of the city towards the water ($90 night). All the beds have canopy bug nets so we can open the windows to the wonderful breeze off the ocean and there is a great rooftop lounge.

After settling in we went out to grab lunch and ended up at the Tower Restaurant, where we dined on the highest rooftop in the city. The views are spectacular, and we enjoyed some reasonably good food while we fought with the same stiff breeze creating those damned waves this morning. After lunch Susan and I had a nap while Aidan played. When we got up it was time for schoolwork and play with Aidan, followed by lounging around and reading. That took the rest of the afternoon, so we never really got out to see the city today.

In the evening we walked over to the Mercury restaurant, which is named in honour of Freddy Mercury - lead singer of Queen - who was born just down the street in 1964. Ironically there is not much else linking the restaurant to the singer, just the name. We did however enjoy some live music (traditional Zanzibarian) along with our food. Tomorrow we will go and explore the city.