Oct. 16 Livingstone, Zambia

We are doing well. It is roasting here - just like every october in zambia. We had a great train journey, ok bus ride and spent today viewing the rock and gorge and saw a couple of kids kayaking. The flow is minimal at this time of year so instead of falls it is rock formations. Reminded us a little of Western australia.

Saw where we lived in kabwe, where jenny and andrew were born and where dad worked. Certainly a trip down memory lane. Kabwe and Zambia generally have progressed so much and things in Kabwe look great. Food is available, a new generation has emerged, the roads are great and everything looked freshly painted and pretty tidy. Dad was really touched by the train journey - and I really enjoyed it. Dad loved looking at the bridges and the length of the train as it went around corners. Today as we walked we felt the dry parched earth and the intense heat of the hot African sun. We saw an elephant beside the road as we were in a taxi away from the falls! Monkeys were a problem at lunch at the restaurant - had to close the windows to keep the monkeys at bay. We were the only ones having lunch at the hotel - it is pretty hot and pretty off-season right now.

The house in Kabwe - the yard was so big - I knew that it was large but it appeared gigantic now. The pool is derelict and the garden has vegetables and the back chickens. The hospital looked clean and lots of staff and not too many patients on the day that we visited. Dad's worksite has been sold off and now they produce cotton bales there. Dad thought that was a great way to use the large space. I guess that the distribution system was actually a result of the government taking a bigger hand in managing stuff and not allowing the Asians to do it all. The streets in Kabwe are so wide and so many large trees as you walk along. It felt great to revisit - just never imagined that it would be possible.

Oct. 11 2007 Zanzibar

We enjoyed the beaches and laid back atmosphere of the northern beaches of Zanzibar. However, the town that we started and ended in reminded us of the difficulties of our time in Morocco. The people can be great and I am sure if you were on a tour that you would have no idea of how persistent these people are to be of assistance to you. It makes it difficult to think and converse with each other as they keep nattering at you. However, we did get a ticket and the boat back to the mainland today! We had planned on coming tomorrow but it may be 'eid', the end of Ramadan for the Muslims and then the boats sail late or not at all. Information in the distant future like last week seems definite but then today noone knows if the boats will run tomorrow - and we need to catch our tain to Zambia. And the 'fast' boat of 100 minutes was 2.5 hours so it is a good thing that we caught it today. No squeezing things in, in the uncertainty here.

This is the third year that we have hit Ramadan! but on the beaches of Zanzibar we got great pizza in wood fire oven and lager beer called Kilimanjaro to washit down. In the evening our favorite was the Italian resort with top food (Italian and local) served to the discerning Italians by the Egyptian run hotel.

We snorkelled one day - pretty good - but just enjoyed the whole experience of a dhow - one of those canvas sails up on a wooden pole - great to see how they build and maintain these boats. - hand-drilled nail holes, hand-made nails, canvas sails and rope tying it together. Everything from boats to houses are made of wood, cement, thatch roofs and that's about it - some string and amazing ingenuity.

Enjoyed a little traditional music and dinner last night. Really enjoyed my black pepper tea. Choices included cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, masala in either teas or coffees. Lots of fresh fish as well.

So we are on time for our train tomorrow afternoon to go to Zambia.

Take care,

Oct. 17, 2007 Livingstone, Zambia

We enjoyed the beaches and laid back atmosphere of the northern beaches of Zanzibar. However, the town that we started and ended in reminded us of the difficulties of our time in Morocco. The people can be great and I am sure if you were on a tour that you would have no idea of how persistent these people are to be of assistance to you. It makes it difficult to think and converse with each other as they keep nattering at you. However, we did get a ticket and the boat back to the mainland today! We had planned on coming tomorrow but it may be 'eid', the end of Ramadan for the Muslims and then the boats sail late or not at all. Information in the distant future like last week seems definite but then today noone knows if the boats will run tomorrow - and we need to catch our tain to Zambia. And the 'fast' boat of 100 minutes was 2.5 hours so it is a good thing that we caught it today. No squeezing things in, in the uncertainty here.

This is the third year that we have hit Ramadan! but on the beaches of Zanzibar we got great pizza in wood fire oven and lager beer called Kilimanjaro to washit down. In the evening our favorite was the Italian resort with top food (Italian and local) served to the discerning Italians by the Egyptian run hotel.

We snorkelled one day - pretty good - but just enjoyed the whole experience of a dhow - one of those canvas sails up on a wooden pole - great to see how they build and maintain these boats. - hand-drilled nail holes, hand-made nails, canvas sails and rope tying it together. Everything from boats to houses are made of wood, cement, thatch roofs and that's about it - some string and amazing ingenuity.

Enjoyed a little traditional music and dinner last night. Really enjoyed my black pepper tea. Choices included cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, masala in either teas or coffees. Lots of fresh fish as well.

So we are on time for our train tomorrow afternoon to go to Zambia.

Take care,

Africa Oct. 5 2007

Hi all,

More exciting times as we just travelled through Kenya and Tanzania and got ourselves to the paradise of Zanzibar. We didn't manage to see much of Kilimanjero or Mt. Kenya on our way through as they were both mostly covered in cloud. I am sure that it clears up later in the day!

Zanzibar was a pleasant boat ride away from Dar es Salaam. India's touts didn't have a patch on these guys that greeted us at the pier. They are called papasi here and that means ticks. They were worse than we have ever seen. Guess that means that life is tough and employment difficult. So from the pedestrian tick, we switched to one in a taxi. We did find a hotel and are quite enjoying life here. After the first day or so - without suitcases and some recognition, life settles in and the people seem quite pleasant and friendly. Everyone pays everyone else in the tourist food chain - hope some of it gets down to the bottom. Even at the food stall the guy that ushers you in gets a tip from the propietor. The buses are cheap but of course, everything that you do or consume has a commission built in. So friends are definitely required to do business here - and the more the better.

Spent the morning trying to snorkel with the dolphins. It was a very interesting experience. they are totally wild and unhabituated. The little boat that we were in would spot them and we would try to get somewhere in front, jump out of the boat and try to swim with them. We got pretty close sometimes. I learned that they can swim quite quickly (it took most of my energy to keep up - considering the waves, etc.), they can change directions at any time, and they can swim quite deeply. We jumped in to chase them 5 times. At one point, I saw three playing in the water below me. I got pretty close a couple of times but not close enough to touch. It was exciting and I gained some appreciation for them. We followed them to the 'playground' where they apparently stay most of the day.

Tomorrow we are off to the north to do some snorkelling.

Stone Town here is an Arab town with all the tiny streets that form a maze. Great fun - though it needs a large dose of money and care to put the white coat on it and repair works.

Take care,

We'll continue to enjoy,

Oct. 2007 Nairobi, Kenya

Hi gang,

Well, we have just arrived back in Nairobi after 7 days on the safari trail. It was wonderful!! Enjoyed it all - well most of it - the roads definitely need major work and I practised like I thought one should sit on a horse! Guess that I should try a real horse next. Anyways, we were extremely pleased with the company that we selected for our safari. It was difficult to choose. Now I can give everybody my tips. We saw so many animals, different terrain (besides the bumps) and enjoyed the guide. He added a ton to the trip and he told his views on a few things besides animals because of course I was the one who chatted about stuff with him. Yes, he thinks that the current president will be reelected in December. He likes the free primary school - up to age 14, free health care and progress that is happening in the country. Female circumsion is on the decrease through education though we did see three girls who were pretty aggressive stopping our vehicle in the middle of nowhere for a bit of money and dancing on the road.

I learned today that of the 4million people in Nairobi, one million live in the slums.

Next year they are going to ban plastic bags in Kenya. The streets in Nairobi are "clean" - really dirty or grimy but no garbage and no cigarette butts. For the past 2 months there has been a clean up campaign and it is illegal to smoke on the street.

Back to the safari. There are animals everywhere. We saw lions playing (9 of them), a mom and 3 cubs, we watched a leopard, saw more kinds of deer and antelope than I ever knew existed. New kinds appeared everyday. Gradually a picture emerges of the link of all the animals and who eats whom and their numbers and hangouts. We looked at big and small birds, hippos, rhinos, flamingoes, giraffe, zebras and so on - and when interesting stuff happened all the minivans and land cruisers arrived. They contained the human animal. The drivers jockey for the best spot - we were so big and had a superb driver so we towered above and a little beyond. I guess in July and August there are even more of these vehicles.

Everyone loved our experience - the huge truck with drop down glass windows and a platform at the front to stick 4 or 5 of our heads out. The vehicle carries about 20 and we were 10. We were higher and bigger than all of the minivans around so that was superb. Highly recommend our viewing. Everyone mostly like to sit except me and the guide. I loved standing and having the wind blow on my face with a 360degree unobstructed view and a guide, to boot, beside me.

The group was great - brits, germans, belgium, american and israeli and us - to make a total of 10. Everyone enjoyed everyone else and the group gradually opened up --even the quiet ones.

A word about the food - definitely cater to the european or western palate - but then that seems true everywhere here. We had three meals each day - they carry exactly the right amount of food,serve fresh fruit and veg everyday and a good portion of protein at each meal. A pretty healthy diet. The chef even managed fresh pizza cooked over his charcoal fire - truly amazing - and a beautiful looking cake (tasted ugh) on the last night with icing saying I love Masa Mara (the park name).

so a great start to our holiday in East Africa. Tomorrow we are venturing off to Arusha - a 4 hour bus ride. No protection of a tour operator anymore. We have to fend off some of the touts - but then we got good practice in India. The bus leaves from across the street from our hotel. How handy! Such an easy start - or so we hope.

Take care,

susan and clive