When I last left off I placed in here a pretty honest and blunt blog about how things have been going so far. The facts are it was how I felt and I wanted to make this blog as true to my experience as I could. I did however scare and convince some people close to us that we weren't safe and I want to assure people that while I would not recommend running down the street openly counting US dollars, if you are smart and follow the rules like we have been we are as safe as humanly possible. I have even taken to going for walks along the streets with the comfort of an iPod so I only have to see the suspicious stares, not listen to them trying to sell me a taxi or a safari!
I would like to thank a special friend Bradford who wrote me some very kind emails after my last blog. I have always had an open ear for his words of wisdom and this time was no different. My very good friend DJ also gave me a bit of a perk up, which is amazing considering what we as friends are going through with the closing down of Sarah Sans...if that joint's walls could talk.... And last of all Nan I know you were worried the most but I promise your mate upstairs is listening.
Sooooooo...having dealt with the pain of handing over a months salary for a 2 day 1 night tour we were greeted by our lovely guide Emmanual and piled on to our monstrous Land Cruiser which we had all to ourselves. Our first day was at Tarangeire National Park. Upon entry to the park old mate who worked their sprayed the car with a pesticide. I asked him what it was for and he replied with a "tsss tsss" sound. What I didn't realise was what he actually said was "tsetse" fly who pack a way worse bite than our March-flies. They are also attracted to black clothing. Kate and I didn't read that memo and paid a handsome price for that stuff up. The park was amazing as a first timer but not the spectacular animal feast I have been hoping for. The park has a lack of predators so the ground animals are quite fat and lazy. Giraffes are stunning up close, monkeys and baboons much like in the zoo have full blown orgies without a care given and zebras are such a graceful creature. We spotted a lion who couldn't give a stuff we were there during her nap time but of the big 5 that was it. On our way to that night's accommodation in Karatu - Sinners you'd be very impressed - we'd sprung a flat which was of course changed by the driver but I helped!!! Our bed and dinner was underwhelming at best for what we had paid but the constant bouncing in the vehicle and the up-down excitement of seeing things you'd never imagined to be that impressive gets you ready to crash anywhere.
Crack of dawn the next day for what has been called the 8th wonder of the world (one before Chyna) Ngorongoro Crater. I had a feeling this was going to be a highlight of the trip and it didn't disappoint. There is no way that pictures or my lack of a thesaurus could ever in here do justice to the pure beauty we saw. I mentioned last blog that God may have left Africa a while ago but what He left here is mind blowing. 4 of the big 5 were within touching distance during the day. A lion had a nap under our car. An elephant video was ruined by my David Attenborough-like commentary on the size of its penis - in my defence though the thing was HUGE. Hippos lounged about in their poo filled swamps and looked anything but the human killers that Nat Geo reports on. Buffalo stare you down with horns that could tear you in half. You are then reminded you are not in a zoo. Bones of wilderbeast and Impala cover the grasslands evidence of last nights kill. A pair of jackals are counter attacked by 2 large bulls as they try to snatch a calf from the mother during labour. The calfs lucky enough to not have this torment are given an hour to get up and get moving because if they don't their first night will be their last. And of course the shocking reality of Asians on tour taking a selfie while a once in a lifetime opportunity walks past you - bless them and their tourist ways...
I again cannot express in words how amazing these two days were. I wish we could have tipped and thanked our driver more for an experience that will live with me until I die.
Back to the harsh reality of Arusha for a night and our first walk to the bank. It took the locals 20sec to sniff out the 'fish' and we did our best to look confident while withdrawing and carrying around about $600. Like most things though your fears are worse than reality and no one has been mugged yet! A classic ride to the small Arusha airport in the taxi saw the driver try to rip us off about $30usd ended with us short changing him about $2usd - a small victory but a victory none the less. If we thought the airport was small Kate was even more delighted to see the size of our 14 seater plane that was to take us the 2 hours to Zanzibar. It was almost just as I commented how much easier it was flying domestically this way that on our first attempt to take off no more than 5 meters into the air the plane crashed back down to earth as something was wrong. I actually found it quite funny but I know I was alone there. An hour or so while the mechanics did their work and we took off on take two with no dramas. A bumpy ride was had by all allegedly but I wouldn't know as I slept the whole time. Kate was very happy to be on solid ground.
Our driver to the final destination was hysterical. Pulled over at police checks for clearly speeding he shook hands with the police, gave one a ride to the next check point and clearly was a man who knew who he needed to know. He asked us if there were any aboriginals left in Australia after learning about them in school! We were almost shocked at the randomness of the question but explained that the government is at least trying these days to look after the natives a bit better. I still am shocked that at a Tanzanian primary school the plight of aboriginals in the 50s and 60s was discussed.
That brings us to now - Paje which is on the east coast of the island town of Zanzibar, Tanzania. It is stunning here it really is. The sand is pure white and stretches in both directions as far as the eye can see. It is a Mecca for kite surfing and the enthusiasts light up the sky with an array of fluorescent colours. We started here with the intention of 2 nights in some affordable accommodation, we have extended our stay an extra 3 nights (tonight being the last of those three) and upgraded to an ocean view villa with all the mod-cons available in the 3rd world. We have decided that this is our break before heading to Stone Town (also in Zanzibar but on the west coast) for a couple of nights to be ready for our 14 day guided tour which we are both super excited about.
We might be a bit hard to catch for the next two and a bit weeks. My intention is to take as many notes as possible and blog once the tour is done. While we may not be online every day we will from time to time and check in with the people who still care we are gone. For now I have 3 more hours to work on this bronzed piece of art I call a body so better get back into the pool while gazing out into the endless Indian Ocean.
Until next time, Mighty out...
