Tanzania

Zanzibar was ok, Mt. Kilimanjaro was hidden in clouds, and Serengeti was PHENOMENAL

Driving down the roads, i noticed some of the rural places looking more like West Africa than East Africa, but as soon as you get into the cities, everything changes.  The people go on doing their daily tasks such collecting water and walking or biking down the roads to get from village to village or place to place…..

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You will find Baobab Trees all over the lovely landscape of Africa including Tanzania.  I took a moment to photograph these majestic trees in what people call the Baobab Land…

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The famous island of Zanzibar, most notably known for pristine beaches and the birthplace of Musician Freddy Mercury.  I have heard good things about it from many people who have visited it.  Because of the month of Ramadan, many places were closed including the Freddy Mercury Bar, and other restaurants.  This did not put a damper on things as the spice tour around the island along with lunch at a locals house highlighted the experience.  Other than that, we just sat around the North Beach relaxing and pretty much doing nothing…

A  great guide to use if you are going to Zanzibar is named Daniel (great name).  He can organize any excursion you want on the island , as well as book hotels, ferry tickets, restaurants and points of interest.  After the spice tour of the island, he took us to his house to have a traditional meal from the island.  He also showed us around the ex slave market and around town as you will see in the pictures below…..

Daniel’s Contact info:  galagotours12@gmail.com

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We had the opportunity to spend a few days in the Merengu/Moshi area which are the takeoff points at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  While we did not have enough time to explore the mountain, we did have the opportunity to go around the village of Merangu and see how the village operates and how the people live in the lush green fertile area.   We saw the tunnels that the local people lived in and hid from Maasai warriors along with the museum of stuff they made for everyday use from animal hides and wood. The market had some of the best looking vegetables we have seen in months and the people were always friendly.  Great area if you just want to relax and have a good time…

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Going into the Serengeti area, my expectations were high.  They did not disappoint and I WILL go back again.  We had three different wildlife areas we hit:  Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and of course the Serengeti.

Lake Manyara

First stop was the lake area, which was teeming with wildlife, some of the wildlife we saw were: Blue monkey, Baboon, Maribu stork, White stork, Colobus monkey, Fire Finch, Trumpet Hornbill, Klipsspringer, Vervet Monkey, Laupin Clover, Buffalo, Plains Zebra, Western White Bearded Wildabeest, Egyptian Geese, Jacana Bird, Bishop, Pelican, Monitor, Ibis, Hippo, Elephant, Red and Yellow Babbit, Superb Starling, Maasai Giraffe, Impala, Bush Buck, Ostrich, Ground Hornbill, Speckled Mousebird, and Water Thickney.

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Ngorongoro Crater

What a place!!!! It is an old Volcano with animals actually living inside of it, trapped and usually unable to leave.  The natural cycle of prey and predators happens all the time and has been going on for years!!! With the amount of animals we saw, we didn’t think it could get any better than Lake Manyara!!!!  Can you imagine herds of Zebra crossing the road, Lions Mating, Lions eating and hour ago kill with Hyenas and Jackals trying to get the meet, a pride of Lions enjoying the weather and watching the plains as well as angry grumpy hippos during a lunch stop.  This place literally had it all!!!!!  The animals we saw during our excursion in the Crater were: Buffalo, Giraffe Zebra, Guinea Fowl, Warthog, Wildabeest, Thompson Gazelle, Flamingos, Grants Gazelle, Yellow Bill Stork, Kory Bastard, Crown Crane, Lion, Black Back Jackal, Spotted, Hyena, White Backed Vulture, Hippos, Elephants, Water Starling

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SERENGETI

The Serengeti had a lot of hype for me coming into this trip.  I have heard stories about it since I was a kid and always listen to the famous Toto song “Africa”.  We spent about 8 total hours on game drives over two days.  I didn’t think anything could beat Lake Manyara or Ngorongoro Crater, but this certainly did.  We finally got to see the elusive leopard 2 different times!!!!  Lions were a thing of the past, even though we saw a bunch of them and even saw a kill from a distance (pics are hardly recognizable).  The highlight for me as we were leaving the park was seeing a Cheetah with her four cubs.  The animals we saw were the following:  Ostrich, Jackal, Thompsons Gazelle, Hyena, Kory Bastard, Elephants, Lappet Faced Vultures, Giraffes, Zebras, Cox Hartebeest, Hippos, Leopards, Grey Headed Heron, Wildabeest, Dik Dik, Topsi, Mirabu Stork, Baboon, Warthog, African Fish Eagls, Long Tailed Fiscal Shrike, Ducks, Monitor, Nile Crocodile, Slender Mongoose, Guinea Fowl, Colobus Monkey, Lilac Breasted Roller, African Scopes Owl, Cheetahs with Cubs, and Spitting Cobra.

This is definitely a trip I will be taking again!!!

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Malawi

Stories of a small country with a big heart and a fortune telling witch doctor.

If you think of visiting Africa, usually a name of a country that does not come up is Malawi.  This country which is a landlocked sandwiched country holds many wonderful treasures.  Among them is a rich culture, friendly and funny people, and one of the biggest lakes in Africa (Lake Malawi) which shares a border with Mozambique.

Driving down the roads and highways, it is not uncommon to see people out riding their bicycles or just walking the roads in their colorful outfits.  The kids are always there to greet you with a big smile and adults always there to yell “Hey” and give a big thumbs up.  Even though the country is poor (people would rather trade clothes for their craft items) and has a high rate of HIV, people still go along happily with their lives.  Even the schools in rural parts of the country which have as many as 115 students in a classroom, does not deter the teachers and administrators from trying their hardest to make things work.

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The houses usually with sundried brick and thatched roofs, line the country side as far as the eye can see.  The land mountainous and green usually has vegetables and fruits grown along every piece of arable land.  Some parts of the country look like a dry mountainous savannah, while others resemble a dense jungle.  The most picturesque pictures are of the mountains overlooking Lake Malawi, which resembles and ocean with a lovely pristine coastline vs. what we think of as a Lake.  SEE PICTURES BELOW.

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After walking around a village one day, I decided to go and see a Christian Witch Doctor to get my fortune read.  He danced and sang to conjure up the spirits and finally, took me to read my fortune, which is something along the lines of-You will have a long happy life, be married in five years with no children and your job will keep you busy…..SOUNDS LIKE MY LIFE NORMALLY….

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Mozambique

A quick jaunt through this former Portuguese Colony provides glimpses of beautiful land

With a quick transit through Mozambique on route to Malawi, I noticed how the people reminded me of what we saw in West Africa.  From the border with Zimbabwe to the border with Malawi, people were ever so friendly speaking both Portuguese, English, as well as some native tongues of the region.

The land which was dotted with Baobab Trees and a lush green landscape in some parts with a desert like rocky terrain in the other parts.  There is a few big cities in this country bud most are rural villages with people living in them like they were hundreds of years ago.

The north part which is rarely traveled by foreigners was a great glimpse into a part of East Africa that looked like it belongs in a part of West Africa.  The adventure rages on…

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