The Land of Many Zeds

Victoria Falls from the Zambia side

We managed to get out of Malawi before the demonstrations started.  I will say that Malawis struck me as an exceedingly laid back and mellow people.  Things must be pretty bad for them to take to the streets, and the President, "His Excellency", must feel pretty threatened for his security forces to open fire on them.  I hope things improve significantly and rapidly.

While languishing in Lilongwe, I had been unable to face the idea of getting to the coast of Mozambique via three minibuses and a potentially multi-kilometer walk across the Malawi/Mozambique no-man's-land of the border crossing.

Breezing Through Malawi

Lake Malawi shore, early morning

When the Group of Six first picked me up, there were actually only four of them.  We met Jenni and Pete the next day just in time to be blocked from traveling down a southern Tanzanian road that, within the last two years, now runs through a national park.  Since foreigners pay entry fees for both vehicles as well as themselves for each 24 hour period in the park, it was going to cost us $600 to drive along this road.  Locals pay 1000 Tanzanian Shillings for the same privilege, which is less than a dollar.  Welcome to Africa!

And Now For Something Completely Different!

Having been in Africa since April, I knew it was time, past time in fact, for me to go on safari.  Due to my reluctance to ply the crap roads of Kenya, I had flown all the way down to Zanzibar, which meant I'd have to double back quite a distance to get to the Serengeti in Tanzania or Masai Mara in Kenya, which are contiguous with each other along each country's border.  Both of those parks get massive amounts of traffic and consequently have very high entry fees.  But they're close to population and tourist centers, and you are virtually guaranteed sightings of the Big 5 (the hunting trophies of lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo).  I was willing to forego that certainty in order to have a less populated trip.

A Stonetown Made of Coral and a Boutique in a Prison

Indian Ocean, Zanzibar Archipelago

Zanzibar, the Spice Islands, Unguja...evocative names, yes?  Perched off the Tanzanian mainland, this archipelago lures tourists and aid workers needing a break from the rigors of the African mainland.  The spice industry isn't what it used to be, so what else will bring in the dollars?  Make no mistake, it is dollars that are wanted.  Tanzania charges US citizens $100 for a visa, which is what the US charges Tanzanians, so it's "fair."  But I think it's extortionate!  The very nice woman at the embassy in Nairobi tried to sell me the line that the visa is good value since it's a multiple entry visa one for twelve months, but I was unimpressed given that I'll need no more than one month of the alotted year.  I sucked it up, flew to Zanzibar, forked over my hundo, and do you know I didn't even get a sticker in my passport?  Just a stamp.  The most expensive rubber stamp transaction of my life.  Now I wish I'd had it done in Nairobi so I'd at least have a proper visa sticker to show for all that cash.

Bussing to Lamu

Prepping the grill, Lamu in background

The air-conditioned bus I took from Nairobi to Mombasa was a delight.  First, it was entirely on paved roads, something I took for granted that day but don't now.  Second, it was air-conditioned.  Third, we were plied with soft drinks, nuts, water, and biscuits throughout the ten hour journey.  Fourth, I saw zebras on the side of the road.  Yes, those reasons are in order of importance.

You say musungu, I say matatu

Tea fields in Nandi Hills

Where you've come from has a lot to do with what you think of where you are.  Flying from Addis Ababa into Nairobi is another form of culture shock.  Nairobi's reputation is terrible, which it may deserve, but the worst thing I can say about it, from my admittedly limited experience, is that it's an overpriced UN-NGO hardship wonderland.  I spent two days there upon arrival in Kenya, and I encountered one single tout lamely try to sell me a safari and no muggings.  But I can't count the number of new Range Rovers, fancy coffee shops, and Ribena squash bottles I came across.

Drugs and Disease

Harar street scene

After convalescing in Addis Ababa, I'd recovered enough control of my innards to sit on a bus for a full day, so I planned to go to Harar, in East Ethiopia.  Still a walled city, but once completely closed off to unbelievers, it's religiously Muslim, ethnically Somali, and quite different from the other parts of the country I'd seen so far.  My tourist class bus broke down a little past half way there.