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Africa 2003-2004: Collected Emails No 1. | |
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13th December, 2003: Arrival in Africa: Zanzibar A quick note from Zanzibari internet cafe to let you know I arrived safely. My brilliant plan to take only carry-on luggage didn't work out. The size was fine, but it was 6kg too heavy, so I was forced to put it under the plane. When I got to Zanzibar at 8am yesterday, my bag was gone. I had EVERYTHING in it! So the African adventure begins... I spent 5 hours in the Kenya Airways office, making them go far beyond "waiting and hoping" as they were suggesting. Eventually we got a manager at Nairobi airport on the phone, and he was able to locate the bag and put it on the next plane, which I met at the airport at midnight. Phew! The good news is that, without my even requesting, they gave me $80 compensation. I had to make sure it was not IN LIEU OF of getting the bag back! That is a lot of money here. The airline must be hemoraging money, as I saw several other people with the same problem, at the office, within just a few hours. Zanzibar is lush and beautiful, the people are amazingly friendly and enthusiastic. African men love to practice their English, and on parting, they all want to make an appointment to meet the next day. I try to explain that I'm trying to avoid appointments. A cosmopolitan mix of swahili, masaii, arab and indian people. Life is quite primitive and low-tech. People are poor, except for the fact that everyone is talking on mobile phones! Mine does not work, though. There seem to be less tourists than I was expecting. It is very hot and humid (perma-sweat). The architecture in the Stone Town is a gorgeous mix of influences, and they certainly know how to make beautiful doors here. My guesthouse costs $10 per night, including a cooked breakfast. At sunset yesterday, I had a beer on the roof terrace of Emerson & Green Hotel ($150 per night) - which has got to be one of the loveliest spots in the world. Tomorrow I will travel up to the northernmost point on the island, to stay at the beach and relax for a while, before embarking into the African heartland. ------------------------------------ 9th January, 2004: Greetings from Lushoto! I just arrived in Lushoto, which is a beautiful village in the mountains, a few hours from Tanga. It's so nice to be in such a lush and temperate environment, and everyone seems so happy and friendly. It's a great place for hiking and nature walks. Tanga was very interesting place, and I went to see the Amboni caves, which were beautiful. I went on a bicycle, which was also a great experience, riding through little villages of mud huts, with all the excited children shouting "goodbye!" at me -- I wondered why they did not learn "hello!" it would match their happy faces better. Now I feel I am really travelling, and it is really different, and very agreeable! ----------------------------------- Jan 21st, 2004: Greetings from Arusha! I am still in Arusha, where I have been for 10 days now. First was Safari, etc. I was nearly eaten by a lion when I went outside my tent to pee. No kidding, I heard the growl, and shined my flashlight to see the enormous eyes light up in the bushes about 45 feet away... then I heard stomping and turned to see a tusked elephant 100 feet in the other direction. Moral. Stay in your tent. Don't urinate in the dark in Africa! Ngorongoro crater was unbelievable, and definitely one of the most incredible places to visit on this earth. Saw every animal (even lions having loud "beep" ten feet away from our car!) imaginable in just a few hours. Today and yesterday I went to watch the proceedings at the Rwanda Tribunal, where the key prosecution witness, General Dalliere was being questioned this week. Fascinating stuff. Can't tear myself away... That's also how I feel about the Africa Trip in general: I travelling much too slow to get to Cape Town by mid Feb, so today I changed my ticket to fly back to London on March 10, and then will return to LA around March 15-20. I'm loving not having a schedule, and letting the trip take on its own life... I think the travelling idea was a great one! love rolf --------------------------------------------------------- (See next installment) |
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