Pole Pole- Zanzibar and Kenya

I love how slowly time moves in East Africa.  The days are long and no one seems to be in a hurry.  Pole Pole!

I couldn't seem to get enough time in Zanzibar.  It is the definition of relaxation.  Gorgeous beaches, wonderful accommodation, amazing locals, and delicious seafood!  After a few days in Stone Town, we were ready to find our own slice of serenity on the East Coast of Zanzibar.  A crammed hour long bus ride led us to Jambiani Beach.  Now, I have been to A LOT of spectacular beaches around the world but there was something truly special about this beach.

Perhaps it was our $10 beachfront villa

Or sitting back and watching the dhow boats head out to catch fish before sunset

  

Or watching sunset before eating the fresh fish

Or waking up for low tide to see the locals doing their "ocean farming"

       

Or hanging out with the locals

                             

The combination of things that made Jambiani Beach so special and unique is likely why it is one of the best beaches I have ever been to!

It was tough to say goodbye but the journey had to go on!  Once arriving back in Stone Town, our new friend Solomon showed us around the island and took us up north to the village where he grew up.  We went to a turtle sanctuary where his friend worked and we were able to chill with the turtles (one of my favorite animals!).

Afterwards, we stopped at his aunt's restaurant for lunch as an afternoon storm began to roll in .  The beach looked so incredible with the rain in the backround.  This was the perfect way to end our time in Zanzibar although we could have easily spent another week there.

With only a week left in East Africa we decided to hit a few spots on the East Coast of Kenya.  Our first stop was Malindi, which is a small laid back beach town roughly 2 hours north of Mombasa.  Malindi has a small Italian expat community so we treated ourselves to some delicious Italian food during our stay.  The one thing that I really missed in Africa was cheese so it was great to finally have some GOOD pizza!

From Malindi we took a day trip to the Marafa Depression, aka "Hells Kitchen".  For $5 you get a guide that will take you around the sandstone canyon and discuss both the local legends and natural reasoning for the rock formations.  It was a very interesting site with such amazing contrasts between the different shades of red, orange, and yellow in the sandstone.

   

Before heading back to Nairobi we spent a couple days sightseeing around Mombasa.  Mombasa is definitely a fast moving city, especially compared to Zanzibar and Malindi.  It was the perfect way to prepare ourselves for Nairobi.

Fort Jesus, Mombasa

Unfortunately Nairobi, or "Nairobbery" as some may call has a bad reputation for muggings.  Expecting the worst, we were very cautious and decided to go out in daylight with the only necessary possessions in a money belt.  I actually felt very safe walking around downtown and was glad that I didn't stay holed up in the guest house.    Although I did not end up doing any real sightseeing in Nairobi, I got a decent taste of the city.  Julie and I parted ways from Nairobi after backpacking together for 4.5 months.  While it was sad to say goodbye we were both excited for our next destinations!

Take me to ZANZIBAR

As Julie and I hopped onto the bus to Jinja, Uganda, we turned out the window to say goodbye to our mom as we continued on our journey.  There we were, back on our own, roughing it with no set agenda and just a deadline to return to Nairobi for our flights! By nightfall, we arrived in Jinja and had no clue where to go. The only option was a motorcyle, and despite my skepticism, I was shocked it could fit me and my beastly backpack.  It was mildly terrifying, but we made it to the hostel without any broken bones!  The next day, we wandered aimlessly, ended up at the source of the Nile River, and got a firsthand look at the Class 5 rapids that we would be up against the following day.

From Jinja,  we made our way down to Rwanda to spend four days in the country before making our cross country journey through Tanzania.  Being in Rwanda was intense, as all I could think about was the horrendous genocide that occurred during my lifetime.  But, I truly was inspired by the resilience of the people and couldn't believe how warm Rwandans were and how developed the country has become.  We were in Rwanda for Easter and made our way through the countryside, to a small lake town, Kibuye, to relax and hear the voices of the choir at a local church.  Upon returning back to Rwanda's capital, Kigali, we visited the Genocide Memorial Museum for the anniversary of the genocide.  It was chilling to hear the wailing cries of local people in the background who were reminiscing about the atrocities that occurred not too long ago.

As we caught the bus to the Tanzanian border, there was the realization that we had a huge task at hand: getting to paradise, aka, ZANZIBAR! After thinking of every possible route, we made a plan. Essentially, the quickest way to get to the opposite coast of Tanzania was to go back through Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya, but we refused to have to deal with the hassle of border crossings!  So instead, it became an epic cross-country journey, taking an "8 hour bus ride" to Mwanza, Tanzania.  As the bus approached early morning, there were already 30 people standing in the aisle as they piled the rest of us on.  The bus ride was unbelievably exhausting, lasting 12 hours, but quite entertaining.  When a lady with a baby came on board, they would just pass the baby to a random person while the mom stood up.  Africans truly have a community mentality wherever they go!


Although Mwanza is the second largest city in Tanzania, there wasn't really much to do there! Our only goal was to get to Zanzibar ASAP.  The decision was made to suck it up and splurge on a ticket to Zanzibar!  Realistically, it saved us days of packed in buses, breakdowns, and just some crazy adventures that I don't know if I was ready to handle.


Immediately, I felt instant serenity seeing Zanzibar in the distance.  After settling in, we explored the cultural heart of Zanzibar, Stone Town. Full of winding alleys, bazaars, and charming buildings characterized by carved wooden doors, it was easy to get lost in time as I wandered through this maze-like town.  I truly loved everything about Stone Town.  The people were warm, the markets were bustling, and the local scene was very unique.  I particularly loved the night market, where all of the seafood caught during the day was showcased by the fisherman.  Not only was the food fresh and delicious, but it was cheap!

Zanzibar is known for its spices, so we figured we would go on a spice tour to see what they were growing in the rural areas of the island.  The tour was enjoyable and a bunch of locals followed us around, making us souvenirs out of the leaves while we smelled the many different spices and sampled fruits grown in the area.  Afterward, we explored an old slave site, and then had some down time at a quiet isolated beach.  Overall, it was a great budget day trip.

Zanzibar and the rest of my East African adventures are to be continued...

East Africa: Love at first sight

The Masai children showing us a traditional hut

Well, there is a Swahili saying used consistently throughout East Africa. “Pole Pole” or “slowly slowly” could arguably be the motto of most places in this region. If a bus is supposed to come at 5, it will probably come at 8, and if you order food, don’t expect it for an hour! Life in Africa is several paces behind life as I know it and there is definitely something very charming about it! So, I must say, I adopted the “pole pole” lifestyle since arriving in Africa which may explain why it has taken me this long to write an entry! That and the fact that the internet goes “pole pole” EVERYWHERE!

It has been four months since I arrived in East Africa but it would be completely unfair to skip out on my adventures in this stunning region. During my five and a half weeks here I went to four countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. The trip began with my mother joining her daughters for the first two weeks of our East African adventures. First, we stayed with a local family at a Masai village about two hours from Nairobi. It was a unique experience to be in a small village and see how the Masai people maintain their simple way of life.  Daily, the woman were hard at work with their intricate beadwork while the children were eager to show us around when they didn't have school.  The Masai lifestyle is completely different from life as I know it but I truly enjoyed all of its simplicities.

After two days, we were Serengeti bound and met up with our wonderful guide, Rashid, and our camping cook, Faraji. These two guys were awesome and made our Serengeti safari unforgettable! Rashid had a lot of experience as a safari guide so he went above and beyond to ensure that we would see every possible animal in the Serengeti! It was unbelievable driving through the game parks. Every minute Rashid was pointing out a new site. During the few days of game driving we managed to see tons of elephants, zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, vultures, leopards, cheetahs (including little babies), hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, hyenas, a pride of 25 lions, and the list goes on. Our tour guide said that the pride was the largest he had ever seen. We literally pulled up to a small pond and were within 10 feet of these lions…you could almost pet them, although I wasn’t daring enough!

Here is a taste of what we saw on the safari:

                                

                       

Apart from game drives, we had a great time hanging out at our camp sites. Faraji prepared us some surprisingly delicious meals, and every meal was a feast! I must say that if you are up for it, camping is the best way to enjoy the Serengeti. The view of the stars is perfect, the breeze is refreshing and you are truly among the wildlife. At one campsite, there was elephant dung everywhere, which actually was quite intimidating when I thought of the possibility of an elephant stomping on our tent in the middle of the night. All in all, the Serengeti safari was such a unique and unforgettable experience.

From the Serengeti, we made our way towards Uganda to begin the second part of our trip with my mother. We took a night bus to Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, where our next tour guide, Brighton, waited for us. Churchill Safaris organized our entire trip so we were taken to their headquarters in the city to get our itinerary for the week. Brighton was hilarious and provided endless entertainment during our 8 days with him. We headed south from Kampala towards Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is home of the silverback mountain gorillas. The drive on the way to the park was breathtaking, full of stunning mountains with villages embedded into them.
The actual trek began by meeting local guides who took us into the jungle with their rifles and other armed goods! It was unreal! And then, just when I felt like we were not going to find the gorillas, there we were, standing within touching distance of these massive creatures. We had an hour with them, and had to keep quiet and not use a flash so that we wouldn't disrupt their natural environment. I couldn't believe how little they cared about us. It was as if we were invisible. They would literally walk right past us as we froze, not moving a muscle. This was definitely the most   unique wildlife experience I have ever had in my life.

Apart from our crazy wildlife excursions, there was a lot of interaction with the local culture, including purchasing some beautiful artwork and playing with the local kids.

Our final stop before mom had to return home was Uganda's capital, Kampala, which was a blast. We stayed at a great guesthouse run by two wonderful ladies who had their children around.Our guide Brighton also took us to a cultural dance performance which was absolutely incredible!

So all in all, mom's visit to East Africa was a huge success! Stay tuned for the rest of my crazy African adventures! Still left: more Uganda, Zanzibar, Kenya, as well as West Africa and Egypt!

Ugandan dinner with our new friends!