Our Overall Impressions of Tanzania and Our Arusha Adventure

One of the people we've spoken with on this trip - and we've spoken to soooo many - asked if we'd been to Africa before. We replied that we'd been to Morocco, but this was our first time in Tanzania, and he replied "ah, so now you get to see the "real" Africa!" And he's right. Morocco now seems to be a westernised version of Africa, more a blend of Europe, the UK, with some Africa thrown in for good measure.

Tanzania is a fairly new country, as it was formally founded in 1964. It merged to existing countries: Tanganyika and Zanzibar. According to our Stone Town tour guide, it was a merger of the people, by the people, after years of corrupt government rule. It is a developing country, with a frenetic energy of both hope and despair, hustle and exhaustion. It reminded us a bit of Ecuador, with it's cinder block building, partially complete, chaotic streets teeming with people, animals, tuk tuks, motorcycles and vehicles. (Not to mention the dala dalas, boda bodas and scooter - oh, and donkeys.)

We've been told these are tuk tuks or boda boda
and then another person said they're tuk tuks,
boda boda have only 2 wheels - who knows?

Almost everyone is friendly - or stoic - there seems to be no in between. Tourism is the #1 industry in Tanzania, so they are heavily reliant on foreign dollars for basically everything. I suspect that a lot of people are tired of white people's BS and would like to get on with their lives without having to smile and cater to people who don't speak their language,or understand their culture. I can't blame them, and honestly, I think it's a sentiment that is blossoming within the tourist-centric places in the world. Don't take that to mean that you don't get good service and friendly people. We've been treated very well throughout our travels here. For me, it's just seems like a feeling, maybe lurking under the surface for some people.

Teddy vibing with a quiet part of the city

Arusha is the jumping off point for a lot of the safaris here and the economy relies on those tourist dollars. Strangely, if you range out of the hotel zone, on foot, you're suddenly the only white people around and you spark both curiosity and concern. (Honestly, they mostly think you're lost, either looking for the Masai Market, the clock tower or your hotel.) As is our habit, we wandered around the city, tour guide-less, just trying to get a feel for everything. It was quite overwhelming at times, as we weren't sure whether someone was trying to sell us something, hustle us or just be kind. We stumbled across a large open air market where the locals shopped and it was one of the most enjoyable surprises of our stay in the city.

We also found a lovely little art co-operative, nestled down in a garden by one of the streams that flow through the middle of the city. After the complete madness of the press of humanity, it was an absolute oasis.

How can we resist?

There's a small sign at the bottom saying "enjoy"

Open air art...gotta love it

We even adopted a painting, because it was beautiful. The artist is a young man (Ray) working on improving his art and he was excited to sell a piece. 10% of the sale goes to the collective and he gets to keep the rest.

We met these lovely young artists before we made the long walk out to the African Art Gallery, a privately owned centre of all things African, at least when it comes to art.

It's a behemoth of a complex, with working studios, a gift shop (of course) and immense gallery with 5 levels or absolutely stunning artwork, most of which is for sale.

The entire lower floor is dedicated to capturing, sharing and maintaining the rich culture of the African people. It's a testament to the owners passion for the amazing art of the continent. If money were no object, we would have still managed to impoverish ourselves. It was hard to walk away without any of the incredible pieces we saw. Happily, we still have Ray's beautiful painting of that zebra! Profits go to the artists and back into the community, so said the owner - a Tanzinite magnate.

Channeling their inner Fozzy Bear

As I said previously, Arusha is a safari town. Trekking jeeps are a dime a dozen, almost overwhelming the main roads. There are over a 1000 safari companies here (and it feels like it when you see the trucks out on the road), but the biggest one is foreign owned by a Dutch company. Ron chose our safari company carefully and we found one that was run by locals: Meru Slopes Tours and Safaris. With the help of our safari coordinator, Gift (an apt name, he was a marvel!) we custom designed a private tour and was it ever a doozy!

Jacob, our guide with his trusty Toyota jeep

Us, ready for adventure

But, I'll leave the details of that for another day. To sum up our thoughts on Tanzania: it's a pretty amazing place with incredible people and they really deserve better than what they have, both politically and financially. It's something they're actively working towards and I wish them all only good things.

Next up: Safari of a lifetime (but I'm sure everyone says that!)

Back for the Dead - A Bucket List Adventure

Hi! Yes, we're still alive. After our debacle in Ecuador, Ron decided that we needed to plan a whole new adventure...a grand adventure...so, here I am, writing from the very lovely (and very hot) island of Zanzibar, Tanzania, Africa. (That's just in case you weren't sure where, exactly Zanzibar is.)

This trip has been a year in the planning, which is WAY too long, but if you want to safari (I know, safari isn't really a verb, but I'm moving the English language forward) you really do need to plan a good ways out. This trip is replacing our big birthday and anniversary bash that got washed out by COVID, back in good ole 2020 - like you've forgotten.

I think Africa must be on the exact opposite side of the globe, as we had to take two long flights to get here after a short flight to get to Toronto, from where our "real" flight left. We routed from Toronto to Amsterdam (8 hours +) and then on to Zanzibar City (almost 9 hours). It was one of those strange moments of travel that felt both eternal and fast at the same time. (Schrodinger's travel?) Can I tell you a secret, though? We really committed to a bucket list trip and booked the flight in business class. (My first time ever, except for a short trip between Mexico City and Vancouver (where it was the only option left), but it wasn't like this flight, at all.) When we boarded the plane (in group 1!), we got to go left once through the plane door. I know! We had pods, the one's where you can lay down flat, if you want, or partially cradled, or however you want it. AMAZING! There were hot towels before meals and welcome beverages. Oh, and I can't forget the little amenity bag with eye mask, ear plugs, fuzzy socks, lip balm and face cream. They also provide sound cancelling head phones which were amazingly comfortable and had a neat magnetic interface. (I presume this keeps  "permanent borrowing" to a minimum.) The tickets also include lounge access at the airports, which is pretty lux. 

Sunset in Toronto

 

Livin' Large

OMG, leg room!

Even with all of that abject luxury, it was a long haul. We arrived in Zanzibar  after 9pm, so really didn't get to see much, as our driver took us up to the north east coast to an area called Matamwe. Our host, Laucin, got us settled and took care of the most important house keeping (breakfast time) and let us crash. Weirdly, I felt fairly awake, but knew that going to bed was the first step in adapting to the 7 hour time change.

Not surprisingly for most of the world, but surprising to us, we slept long and hard that night. We woke up at 8am and got to enjoy our first breakfast on our private patio, overlooking the pool and gardens of Matemwe Ocean View Villas. 

We somehow missed a photo of Ney's beautiful chapati & pan bread

 There are only two villas on site and the main house, so it's a cosy and comfortable little get-away.

Steps to our villa

Pool and part of the garden

After breakfast we headed out to a little nearby beach. We were instantly befriended by a trio of Masai men, who after a quick conversation were excited to show us their wares. They weren't too disappointed when we turned them down, explaining that we had just arrived and just wanted to get a feel for the area. (This will be a recurring interaction with many different vendors.) Most were happy that we were polite and spoke to them, before saying no, but I can see why they might not always be greeted with a smile. It's exhausting after the 10th, 25th sales person and can be quite off-putting eventually.

We retreated quickly back to the property to arrange to go get some supplies, so that we could prepare our own lunches. The ride cost about $25usd (plus tip, of course), to take us to two grocery stores, a pharmacy and an ATM. (Side note: ATMs aren't quite as few and far between as Google Maps will lead you to believe, but they aren't a dime a dozen, either.) Ensconced back in our little villa, we opted to have dinner in house. We enjoyed an excellent meal of dorado (a white fish) with a nice salad & mashed potatoes. It was excellent. Then we passed the evening sitting on the front porch, enjoying the night sky. So ended our first day in Zanzibar.

So, for us, a new adventure. I'm not sure how the follow ups will come, but we'll share our journey, as we can.