Poll question

(Tanga to pangani, about a 1.5 hr drive on bad gravel roads)

How many people do you think were in this taxi ride at one point? Take a guess.

Ok now for a real blog update....sorry for the delay.

It definately has been a while, a few weeks a large number of kilometers, and an even larger amount of greetings of 'My friend, you need a special taxi? Ill give you friends price'. pretty funny but to be serious we were thinking of making shirts that say 'NO WE DONT NEED A RIDE' or something along those lines. the big towns are definately the worst but everywhere you go and seemingly everyone you meet is a official tour guide/owns a taxi/ or has a gift shop you can not afford to miss. but with a whole variety of lines we now miss most. The offers/ the shops/ etc are all getting to be the same, but I guess it is our fault that this has come about. Lately, somewhat out of spite, we have begun bartering with people sheerly for pleasure and to see how low we can get them from their original price. It may seem mean but especially on the beach it somehow doesnt feel all that wrong.


Gorilla (obviously, but we actually saw them in the wild)
At any rate it has been a while since we updated and you are probably wondering where weve been and where we are, so I will start from where we left off.

From Kampala ( a very crazy city) we headed down by bus through Uganda to the southern city of Kabale. We heard that a Lake which is near to this town (Bunyani) was very nice, and also free of parasites etc as it is quite high in altitude. It turned out to be a good time, although the poor weather limited our stay. In fact we got caught out in a big storm paddlign our rented canoe, and had to dodge a few lightning bolts. From Bunyani we stayed one night at a nice hostel in Kabale, before venturing across the border into Rwanda.

The geography of both Uganda (the parts we saw) and Rwanda is absolutley phenomenal. It is extremely lush and mountainous and was very interesting to drive through. This was a nice change, especially after coming from the Masai lands of Kenya which have been in severe drought. The Rwandan border was no problem to get through and soon enough we were in Kigali the capital city.

Us, another trekker, and our guide for gorilla trekking.

In Kigali we booked a ticket to go see Gorillas in the Volcans National park. This park was very nice, and a rarity for the tiny country. It seems nearly every part of Rwanda is cultivated, all the slopes etc, and much of the national parks that previously existed were given out to displaced people and returning refugees from the genocide (more on that later). Anyways we tracked the Susa group or family of gorillas, famous because of Diane Fossey. It was a neat experience, and the two hour hike through the rain forest was very good. Once back to Kigali however we were short on funds, and the banking system wouldnt recognize our cards or banks so we had to go pretty budget and walk for hours around the city. Kigali is very nice, and has obviously benefited from international aid etc. Getting out of the country to Tanzania was a bit tough by ground, especially without funds, we decided to fly to kilimanjaro airport with Rwandair. It worked out great as they accepted visa.

But back to the Genocide. All around the countryside were reminders, graves, signs (Jenoside in Francais) etc. We were also informed that it is now an offence to mention anything about tribes (hutu, tutsi). Automatic jail apparently, everyone is now a Rwandan. We also went to the memorial in the capital which was very interesting and quite eye opening.

Boat to the island of Zanzibar (4 hour trip, with an hour for snorkeling)

From Kigali to Kilimanjaro International airport was a nice flight on a tiny little twin prop. Very nice views flying over lake Victoria, and the Ngorongoro Crater among others, it was definately worth the extra money, and saved us a couple days of bad roads and cramped buses.

After arriving in Kilimanjaro, we were able to see the mountain, although with the clouds we originally thought that Kili's neighbour, MT Meru was the highest point in Africa. And if it was it would have been a let down. But on the way to the nearby town of Moshi, we saw the snow capped peak breifly and were thereby able to check Kilimanjaro off the too do list.

Zanzibar (enough said)
Tanzania has been hot from the start. Very warm inland and as we made our way by bus to Tanga (on the coast) even warmer as we headed over the Masai Steppe and through various mountain ranges. The people here are much like the Kenya, with decent english, but it seems everyone is trying to hustle you. Giving you wrong change (to see if you notice), trying to get you to buy, acting like a pal and then expecting money for a service you never wanted. Pretty exciting stuff.. but we are managing. Tanga itself was a let down, with only a small chunk of INdian Ocean beach, and at a cost no less. So we took off to the small town of Pangani, which was gorgeous. Both of us got cooked swimming in the ocean and kicking it on the white sand beaches. Good times, but as we have found out the last couple days, it doesnt hold a candle to Zanzibar. We took a small wooden boat, (which we actually have a pic of above) to the island with a few other mzungus (white people) and were dropped off at the northern town of Nungwi (For those following along). It was unreal, which didnt help the burnination of our backs. From the there we headed to the actual town of Zanzibar, and the old Stown town (Which is where you find us at press time). The old town is quite something, easy to get lost, easy to get ripped off and even easier to get hustled by the appropriately named "ticks" (i forget the swahili name). Anyways everyone here is a amuslim it seems, and all the women wear the clothes. It has been good though, seeing the sites, as well as experiencing a bit of the culture, while also eating some good food evening markets and small shops.

But our trip must go on, so tonight we are heading back to the mainland, Dar es Salam to be exact. We are taking a night ferry which is the cheapest and also the longest unfortunately. It doesnt dock till 6 am tomorrow morning, due partly to being slow, and partly to the fact Dar is deemed to unsafe at night to drop hundreds of people off into. Good to know, and another reason we wont be staying too long. Off to southern Tan (Mbeya) and then Malawi Lord Willing. And this is where we leave you followers for now. (all five last time I checked?) Not including my mom and dad though, who I assume do not know how to become followers. All the best every one!