Category: Tanzania 2015/16

I Fought a Dirty Cop for my Life in Tanzania

I Fought a Dirty Cop for my Life in Tanzania

I Fought a Dirty Cop for my Life in Tanzania -Live transcript of my friend Mr. P. [su_dropcap]I[/su_dropcap] was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and wanted to do the Kilimanjaro climb.  Really looking forward to it, and then I saw how much money they want for it, fees and park fees and all that guide shit.  I would’ve done it on me own, cause it’s only a hike, and I’m that type of person.  I would’ve just walked it myself. ...

Mbeya to Lusaka: Bus Boy

Mbeya to Lusaka: Bus Boy

Mbeya to Lusaka: Bus Boy. March 1 I wanted to get on the move from Tanzania to Zambia, so I got going at about 08:00.  The hot water shower I was promised lasted for about 90 seconds.  Well, that will help save water from shower abuser like myself… 😡 I went downstairs in the hotel for the free breakfast of chapati (African pancake things) at the hotel and then packed my bags.  The guy who checked me into the hotel last...

Arusha to Mbeya: Leap Year Country Crossing

Arusha to Mbeya: Leap Year Country Crossing

Arusha to Mbeya: Leap Year Country Crossing. Feb 29 [su_note note_color=”#b0b1b6″ text_color=”#030303″ radius=”6″]I should make a series of my leap year blogs together to see how much I have changed every four years.  It might be an interesting activity…[/su_note] Up at 04:48, showered, checked out of my dungeon hotel room and rushed off to the bus station.  Found a ticket from Arusha to Mbeya for 56,000 ($25.50). Likely paid too much but it was too early to think. Found out...

Nairobi to Arusha: Blagging Immigration

Nairobi to Arusha: Blagging Immigration

Nairobi to Arusha: Blagging Immigration. Feb 28 So I realize that it is a leap year and that means tomorrow is a fancy day. I feel like I need an explanation as to why some months have 30 days and some have 31. What is the reason that February normally only has 28 for ¾ of the time?  Who came up with this nonsensical number system…and now that I think about it, why 24 hours?  Why did they not base...

East Africa Tourist Visa

East Africa Visa Battle: Tanzania to Uganda

East Africa Visa Battle: Tanzania to Uganda Jan 23 It was a crazy and stressful morning, but I really did not care that much and knew life would find a way to work itself out somehow… My friend Jasmine and I arrived at the bus terminal in Bukoba, Tanzania by 6:20 via motorcycle taxi.  She had to pay for my motorcycle because I only had $0.40 worth of Tanzanian money left in my pocket.  We climbed onto our Greyhound-sized bus...

Bukoba: Beachside on Lake Victoria

Bukoba: Beachside on Lake Victoria

Bukoba: Beachside on Lake Victoria. Jan 22 I woke up far too early, expecting to arrive between 05:00 and 06:00 in Bukoba like they had told me.  Yea, we arrived at 06:40.  Africa.  I believe too much in what people tell me here.  I read somewhere that Africans say, “Europeans have watches, but we have time.” [su_pullquote] “Europeans have watches, but we have time.”[/su_pullquote] I got off the boat with my new friends Jasmine from China and Mike from Manchester.  Yesterday,...

Ukerewe Boat Mwanza Ferry Gone: Demeanors

Ukerewe Boat Mwanza Ferry Gone: Demeanors

Ukerewe Boat Mwanza Ferry Gone: Demeanors. Jan 21 So some days are strange…You start out with a bad day and then it becomes a fantastic day.  When you are up, you are up and when you are down, you meet the right people to bring you up… I met Consolatha, the girl I had made plans with last night, as we were going to Ukara Island today.  Consolatha showed up to meet me at a juice bar an hour late. ...

Ukerewe: Making Babies Cry and Children Terrified

Ukerewe: Making Babies Cry and Children Terrified

Ukerewe: Making Babies Cry and Children Terrified. Jan 20 Dear Tanzania, Thank you for pointing to Coca-Cola and explaining to me that it is soda.  Thank you for pointing to the outlet in my room and explaining that is where I will get electricity.  And thank you for explaining to me that the wheel in the bridge of the ship is for steering. Sincerely, The dumb white guy from a different culture than yours. I decided to catch the ferry...

Inspiration, Condoms, Dental Floss, and Local Yelling.

Mwanza: Inspiration, Condoms, Dental Floss, and Local Yelling

Mwanza: Inspiration, Condoms, Dental Floss, and Local Yelling. Jan 19 [su_note note_color=”#b0b1b6″ text_color=”#030303″ radius=”19″]And just when I think how tough it can be in Africa as a Caucasian man battling through the touts, the would-be scammers, and the relentless drunks, I meet a young Chinese girl staying in the guesthouse who is traveling all alone and barely speaks English.  Yeah, I know.  And that makes me think that I kind of suck and am being a little bitch.  Imagine the...

Mwanza Hooker Fight Lullabies

Mwanza Hooker Fight Lullabies

Mwanza Hooker Fight Lullabies. Jan 18 Mwanza is a very pretty town. It is gorgeous.  The rocks. The colorful lizards.  And no one really hassles me in the streets…. Actually, it’s not entirely true that no one hassles me in the streets.  This town is nothing like Arusha or Moshi. Most people just stare at me in disbelief that there is someone in their town who is not an albino and has skin that is white.  I am not even...

Arusha to Mwanza - A Sore Ass and Overlooking the Obvious

Arusha to Mwanza – A Sore Ass and Overlooking the Obvious

Arusha to Mwanza – A Sore Ass and Overlooking the Obvious. Jan 17 Swahili loves to double up on the words language-wise.  Here are some examples.  Almost every word I know in the language is doubled. picki-picki – Motorcycle (because it makes the sound ‘picki-picki-picki-picki’) pole-pole – Slow peeli-peeli – Spicy boda-boda – Road haraka-haraka – Hurry I was up at 04:30 so that I could shower and check in for my Arusha to Mwanza bus.  I had bought a bus...

Karatu to Arusha - First World Complainers

Karatu to Arusha – First World Complainers

Karatu to Arusha – First World Complainers. Jan 16 [su_note note_color=”#b0b1b6″ text_color=”#030303″ radius=”1″]If you Canadians are ever wondering what happens to the clothes that do not sell in Value Village, I have found the end of the source! They seem to end up getting shipped to Tanzania. I have seen a lot of clothes in markets here with Value Village tags still attached to them. So, Canada is clearly sending those clothes. It is strange to see someone in a...

Karatu: Cleanliness is Important

Karatu: Cleanliness is Important

Karatu: Cleanliness is Important. Jan 15 It is hard to find dental floss in Tanzania.  Believe me, I have tried… I went to get my clothes washed today in Karatu, as it has been a long time since I have done my laundry.  It was difficult to explain what I needed until I started carrying my laundry bag around with me.  Eventually, someone directed me to a place that had a plywood sign painted with the words “Laundry and Dry...

Ngorongoro Crater - Safari in Africa Day 3

Ngorongoro Crater – Safari in Africa Day 3

Ngorongoro Crater – Safari in Africa Day 3. Jan 14 The food on this trip is the best food I have had in Tanzania so far!  Going from beans, rice and ugali to food with such rich flavor is amazing.  Going back to what I was eating before is going to be rough….Breakfast this morning was fruit, pancakes, eggs, toast, and sausages.  Wow! We were out of the camp by 06:30, and as we pulled out onto the road, there...

Serengeti Safari Lion Buffalo Feast - Day 2

Serengeti Safari Lion Buffalo Feast – Safari in Africa Day 2

Serengeti Safari Lion Buffalo Feast – Day 2. Jan 13 We were up at 05:20 to start our day with a fantastic sunrise.  The Serengeti is so alive. Within five minutes of us parking to watch the sun bring in the day, a jackal came walking past our Land Cruiser.  Five minutes after that, a hyena came walking along right next to our vehicle. Serenget is the Maasai word for ‘land of endless plain’.  The flat goes as far as...

Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park - Safari in Africa Day 1

Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park – Safari in Africa Day 1

Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park – Safari in Africa Day 1. Jan 12. My phone rang at 06:10 because the guy who had made a deal on a safari wanted me to take a taxi for 30 minutes to bring him cash.  I was not interested in doing such a thing at such a time and told him so.  He made other arrangements and told me I could go back to sleep.  At 09:30 I went to hang...

Karatu: Rockstar Sadness, Feminists, and BBQ Chickens

Karatu: Rockstar Sadness, Feminists, and BBQ Chickens

[su_note note_color=”#b0b1b6″ text_color=”#030303″ radius=”8″]David Bowie died today.  It really bothered me.   Lemmy Kilmister two weeks ago, and Bowie today.  It has been a rough week for me musically.  I have Rockstar Sadness.  Both have made my eyes water.  Lemmy, 70, played finished a tour and died just 15 days later from cancer, finding out two days before he died that he had such an illness.  Bowie released his final album just two days ago, on his 69th birthday and cancer...

Katesh to Karatu: Markets and Albino Limb Potion

Katesh to Karatu: Markets and Albino Limb Potion

Katesh to Karatu: Markets and Albino Limb Potion. Jan 10 I was sick this morning.  Bad stomach.  It took a month for that to happen, so I am kind of okay with being sick right now. I met up with Paulo in the courtyard of the guesthouse and we went to the Katesh (Qatesh) market which takes place every 10th and the 27th of the month.  It was amazing what was there, even though every eye in the market seemed...

Katesh: Live Chickens on a Bus and People Mattering

Katesh: Live Chickens on a Bus and People Mattering

Katesh: Live Chickens on a Bus and People Mattering. Jan 9 I met with Paulo this morning, shook hands and said goodbye to all of his friends.  Then as Paulo and I were walking to the bus station, he stopped to say hello to some of his friends and they were asking him if they could try some of my Czech sniffing-tobacco.  Apparently word got around fast about what I had shared last night.  I was clearly a hit! Paulo...

Mbulu: Sharing Tobacco and Counting Wives

Mbulu: Sharing Tobacco and Counting Wives

Mbulu: Sharing Tobacco and Counting Wives Jan 8 When I went to meet Paulo today, he was wearing an old cowboy hat.  I guess he wanted to show me that he has groovy fashion too.  He looked cool.  His hat has been stitched in many different places to be held together.  He says he is a ‘cowboy-fake.’ It seems to be okay and in good humor in Tanzania to make fun of someone for their physical situation.  Yesterday on the...

Yayeda Chini Hadza Tribe: Hunter Gatherer Money Greed

Yayeda Chini Hadza Tribe: Hunter Gatherer Money Greed

Jan 7 It could have been one of the greatest days of my life in a quest to find the Hadza Tribe.  Unfortunately it was spoiled long before I arrived by money and greed…. [su_pullquote]I found out that the buses in this country are privately owned and some man just buys a bus or a van and puts it on the road.  And that is how the system works here.  The public transport system in Tanzania is actually really great.[/su_pullquote]...

Mbulu: Defensive Driving and Operating a Knife

Mbulu: Defensive Driving and Operating a Knife

Mbulu: Defensive Driving and Operating a Knife. Jan 6 The way they drive in Tanzania… it is truly amazing.  It is a developing country thing…  If I were to try to explain what is in each driver’s mind it would be, ‘I drive fast and I have no idea what I am doing.  I am going to honk my horn when I make any moves so that you can be prepared for whatever I am doing that I should not...

Mbulu: Out to the Countryside

Mbulu: Out to the Countryside

Mbulu: Out to the Countryside. Jan 5 I got up this morning and changed guesthouses in Mbulu. [su_note note_color=”#b0b1b6″ text_color=”#030303″]A $2.50 guesthouse is a nice price, but there was no water this morning.  You get what you pay for I guess.[/su_note] I knew where a $3 guesthouse was across town that had a room with attached shower and bathroom.  I went there to check in and when I went into the room, the water did not work their either.  So,...

Moshi to Mbulu - Local Love Proposals and Chasing Tires with Sticks

Moshi to Mbulu – Local Love Proposals and Chasing Tires with Sticks

Moshi to Mbulu – Local Love Proposals and Chasing Tires with Sticks. Jan 4 Time to get out of Moshi.  One day of a return was enough.  I said goodbye to my Danish friends at breakfast and caught a dola-dola to make a trip from Moshi to Mbulu.  The first stop was Arusha.  Arusha is a big city that I did not want to be near, yet have to use it somewhat.  There was a crowd of people waiting for...

The Danish Robbed in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

The Danish Robbed in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

The Danish Robbed in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Jan 3 I went to check my money situation this morning while on the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and realized I had about $8 in cash on me.  I could have made it work and I could have stayed another night and eaten off of that, but it would have been a very fine line and I did not want to have to deal with being $0.50 short for the dola-dola ride...

Marangu: All Business, No Pals

Marangu: All Business, No Pals

Marangu: All Business, No Pals. Jan 2 Someone was having loud sex this afternoon just outside of my room.  I had to change rooms later in the day because there was no electricity in my room, so I was moved to a different bungalow on the property, and was not within earshot of where I was before.  Late in the afternoon, someone was having loud sex again.  There seems to be no shyness about that here.  Good for the Tanzanians...

Marangu: Big Families and Exotic Expenses

Marangu: Big Families and Exotic Expenses

Marangu: Big Families and Exotic Expenses. Jan 1st 2016 I slept in until about 11:00.  It felt good to have a long lay in.  I took care of Marisa’s needs again this morning and she headed off.  I headed for the shower and decided to get out of town. One of the guys who worked at the ‘NewcastIe Hotel’ where I was staying knew of a place with cheap accommodation in a town called Marangu where I wanted to go. ...

Moshi: Happy New Year!

Moshi: Happy New Year!

Moshi: Happy New Year! Dec 31 – 2015 The circles around the sun happen faster and faster…  Here we are again… I stayed pretty close to the hotel today, aside from going to get my phone fixed by the ‘Phone Doctor’ who was really knowledgeable at what he does.  I should have gone to him right away rather than poke around in my phone myself and cause more problems that he would also have to fix.  It would be nice...

Moshi: A Piece of Meat

Moshi: A Piece of Meat

Moshi: A Piece of Meat. Dec 30 Meet Silus: – Silus is from the Massai tribe.  His village is 30 km away from Moshi, Tanzania. – There are Maasai people everywhere in Tanzania and many in Kenya.  They all speak the same language, which is amazing because there are 100’s of languages in Tanzania alone with all of the different tribes, and yet this one massive tribe across two countries speaks the same language.  – His father has five wives.  All...

Dar Es Salaam to Moshi: The Long Ride North

Dar Es Salaam to Moshi: The Long Ride North

Dar Es Salaam to Moshi: The Long Ride North. Dec 29 It can really screw you up when your phone loses track of time because it is so dead, and you allow it to set itself according to the mobile network you are using.  Then when you set your alarm for 05:20 to get to the buses early and everyone else is getting up at the same time it is really confusing.  Then you find a clock on the wall...