High five, still alive!

I'm a millionaire!! 1,000,000 Zambian kwachas (approx USD$200)

Greetings from Livingstone, Zambia! This is the final destination and it's been one hell of an adventure. I have a whole newfound respect for Dr Livingstone for doing this journey in the mid 1800's. It's tough terrain to cross (yes, even in an overland truck) and requires nerves of steel to deal with feisty wildlife, money-grubbing
"officials" and adventure sports. OK, so there may not have been adventure sports in Livingstone's day, but I am on holiday after all :)

Livingstone town is named after Dr Livingstone, the first European to  set eyes on the Victoria Falls. The locals call the falls Mosi-Oa-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders", and at 1.8km in width it is the longest single stream waterfall in the world. Zambia has about 20% of the falls, with the remaining 80% belonging to  Zimbabwe. The Zambezi river, which feeds into the falls, runs through a treacherously steep gorge and forms the boundary between the two countries. The falls are a spectacular sight and the spray that flows upwards can be seen f or miles around. This makes it a popular tourist destination and a converging point for overland trucks on northbound and southbound routes, which in turn has helped make this an adventure sport hotspot. On arrival at the Waterfront campground we were shown a DVD of all the activities we could do, including things like helicopter and microlight flights, white water rafting, river boarding, bungee (of course), lion encounters, elephant safaris, game drives, village visits, and the list goes on. The hardest part is trying to figure out how you're going to fit in all this cool stuff in 2 days, and how you're going to pay for it all...

My adventure began on the first night we arrived at this campground when I was innocently walking through the carpark and spotted a vervet  monkey sitting on the railing. We'd been warned there were cheeky  monkeys that like to steal things and cause trouble, however I wasn't prepared for the violent attack on my behind by the wingman (wingmonkey?) who snuck up behind me when I was taking a photo of  monkey #1. Luckily his teeth didn't get through my jeans because I haven't had my rabies shot and I don't expec t there's a world-class hospital here in town. This episode has caused an even stronger dislike of monkeys that I had already fostered in Japan at Arashiyama, and I even lay awake in terror last night (admittedly, after a few
beers) listening to the scufflings outside my tent and shadows dancing on the tent wall. I don't think I'll ever be the same again.


Yesterday a group of us got personally introduced to the mighty Zambezi river on white water rafts. I've done this a few times in NZ  but this was definitely the most exciting; we somehow got paired with the 2 craziest guides on the trip who were intent on giving us the FULL Zambezi experience and hitting the biggest rapids in the most extreme way possible. We hit some grade 5 rapids aptly named "The Terminator" and "Oblivion" and flipped the raft a couple of times. I  had a bit of a panic attack when I got stuck under the raft while they flipped it back upright, swallowed quite a bit of Zambezi water and  lost my bravado after that. But it was a great trip, very scenic, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Enjoyed a lovely sunset cruise with the Gap team that night which was our farewell dinner. Most of them are continuing to Johannesburg but this is the end of the line for me and a few others, so there were a few sad goodbyes.











This morning was the highlight of Livingstone. We did a tour of  Livingstone Island and learned about this history of explorations. The island is located just off the Zambia side of the river and sits right on the edge of the falls. Our guide took us right to the edge of the falls, we were literally looking over the edge and got absolutely drenched by the spray. We were even allowed to swim in the pools right on the edge, not even 1m away from the dropoff!! Truly an amazing feeling to stand on the edge and look over.


 
 
Tomorrow the adventure ends, back to real life, goodbye Africa :(  It's been an amazing journey and I will definitely be back one day!

Show me your passport, welcome to Zambia

Hi all, just a quick hello from the capital of Zambia! We crossed the border from Malawi yesterday and camped on the outskirts of Chipata, we're now making a 2-day driving mission to Livingstone, where the mighty Victoria Falls are located. The border crossing was... interesting, I've seen some hairy border crossings before, with large numbers of soldiers with AK-47s standing around (admittedly, looking bored), but this is the first time one of them boarded my bus to ask me what the suspicious-looking black pouch was underneath my clothes and would I please show the contents to him. This was obviously my money belt, with 2 passports and a considerable amount of USD in it. I was quaking in my jandals at this point, as in Kenya one of the girls had to hand over her passport for inspection and when she got it back all her money was gone. Luckily this time was relatively uneventful and after a brief pause in heart activity we were allowed to go on our merry way. This morning we experienced a killer 4am wakeup and a broken fan belt, but we're now only 10km and a grocery shop away from our campsite at a private game reserve on the outskirts of town.
Next update will come from Livingstone: waterfalls, white water rafting and natural wonders!

Lilongwe, Malawi

Hello readers! I'm well and truly in the heart of Malawi right now. This morning we left Kande Beach at 7am after a great pig-on-the-spit bbq and gorgeous sunset, and hit the road for Lilongwe, the capital. Being Malawi, we found out that a very important bridge on our route had been washed out so we had to drive all the way back to Mzuzu and take an alternative route to Lilongwe. 3 police checks and a roadside toilet stop later, we arrive in the vicinity of the capital, and it's still daylight! We have been covering some serious distances the last few days and it's nice not to be in the bus all day long. First port of call was the Shoprite in central Lilongwe for grocery shopping (read: water, chips, candy) followed by the local craft market. Malawi is well-known for it's master woodcarvers, and we took this chance to stock up on authentic hand-carved tables, bowls, chairs, salad servers and bracelets. The wood they use is teak and ebony, beautiful dark wood that's really strong and carves beautifully. The motifs feature the Big 5 (Lion, Buffalo, Rhino, Leopard, and em..... one more). I bought a pair of wooden bangles, one featuring beautiful cut-out animals and another with a rose motif. Love! Only problem is the vendors are more persistent than the Vietnamese, and that's saying something! You have to be a good bargainer to not get ripped off; my guy started at 5000 Kwachas for the 2 bangles but I got them for 1500 in the end. Helps that I simply didn't have any more kwachas to spend! Hendrik got a hideously ugly giant mask for the front of the bus called Freddie - he's going to be our mascot for the last leg of the trip. Rock on!
This afternoon we just chilled by the pool and discussed our imminent arrival into Zambia... Zambia is being difficult with visas at the moment and can't decide how much they want to charge. It could be anywhere from USD$50 to US$100, depending on where you're from. I'm planning to get a multiple entry visa so I can cross over to the Zimbabwe side of the Victoria Falls, and maybe do a day safari to the Chobe National Park in Botswana. We're expecting a looooooong processing time at the border so expect a fairly frazzled post next
time!
x ML

Mzungus in Mzuzu

We've crossed the border into Malawi and are currently parked up on the shores of Lake Malawi, also known as The Lake of Stars, at Kande Beach, about one third of the way down the lake. We're at a beautiful campsite right on the water and are here for 2 nights, which means no packing up the tent at 6am today! AWESOME.





T.I.A. is fast becoming the trip motto: "This Is Africa". It's the excuse people give when things don't exactly go according to plan. Anyone who's travelled to less-developed countries before will know  what this means, and the only way to deal with it is to just roll with the punches. Take our border crossing: a quick check-in check-out turned into a hour of faffing with paperwork (our paperwork was exemplary, for the record), then a few kms into Malawi we were stopped at a police checkpoint (read: a bunch of guys in semi-official looking uniforms and a hi-viz vest sitting under a tree holding a bamboo pole across the road) and weren't allowed to pass through until Steve, our Kenyan driver, made a call and Hendrik (our South African tour leader) handed over a wad of cash. Frustrating to say the least, taking into account we'd had a 4am wakeup call to hit the road at 6. But we were all entertained by a pig that decided to cruise in and eat the grass in front of the police check point…

Anyway, Malawi is nothing like what I'd expected. It's surprisingly green and lush, lots of crops and farming activity. The main crops are maize, cassava, bananas and mangoes. Well, mangoes aren't actually farmed, they grow like wildfire and there are mango trees everywhere. We're actually camped under a big mango tree and foraged for breakfast this morning  :) The people are delightful, everyone is  really friendly and they greet you with a big smile everywhere you go.

 

We stopped at a place called Mzuzu on the way to Kande Beach to stock up on groceries and change money. Steve and Hendrik had to visit an official-looking office to fight some crime and said we had a good hour here, so I decided to pop into a local salon and get my hair braided :) The poor ladies had never touched mzungu (white person) hair before and looked at me and whispered to each other for a good few minutes before getting started. But it looks great and I think I'm earning some points with the locals with my new hairdo, plus it's extremely practical: nice & cool, out of my face, no washing/brushing required!

 

On the outskirts of Mzuzu we made an express stop at a local market. Hendrik had given us a very serious mission: on our full day on Kande Beach we would have a feast op epic proportions including a pig-on-a-spit, which of course calls for us to get dressed  up in our best. The twist: everyone pulls a name out of a hat and has to buy a party outfit for that person at the local market with a budget of USD$3 and a time limit of 20 minutes… the challenge was on!  It felt like an episode of The Amazing Race, ducking through stalls and piles of clothes, dried fish, bbq meats, everything and anything. All the clothing is 2nd hand and some of it is just atrocious, so the dress up party is going to be very interesting. I got a beautiful 3-piece outfit for one of the girls, can't wait to see her in it! Stay tuned for party photos!

x ML

Spices, Sand and Sunburn

On Saturday I met the Gap Adventures group at the Garden Lodge in
Stone Town. After a great intro/welcome dinner at Mercury's, named
after Freddy Mercury who was born Farouk Bulsara right here on
Zanzibar, we headed off the next morning for a spice plantation tour
en route to Nungwi.

Zanzibar is known as the Spice Island; its tropical climate is perfect
for growing everything from coconuts to pepper to saffron, all of
which is readily available at local markets and souvenir shops. First
thing we were shown on the spice tour were what looked like green
beans, but were in fact vanilla pods. In the early stages they don't
smell yet, but after picking they are left in the sun to dry for a few
weeks and turn black and fragrant. Also grown on the island is
nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, pepper, and a whole host of
tropical fruits like rambutam, bananas, pineapple and mango. Of
course we got to sample a bit of everything! The most interesting
fruit was the soursop - never heard of it either? Join the club - it
looks a bit like a big cherimoya, both inside and out. It's also
called a custard apple. Beautiful sweet white fruit inside with large
black pips. The group unanimously decided we should stock up on local
fruit for the truck before we get going again. There was also a
curious plant called the lipstick plant, so called because when you
split it open there are red seeds inside a bit like a pomegranate, but
when you crush the seeds you get a very strong red/orange paint that
the women used as lipstick back in the day. When in Rome, right? Us
girls decided to give it a go, but I don't think we looked that
fetching :P

After the spice tour we drove another hour to Nungwi Beach, at the
very northern tip of the island. THIS is the place that dreams are
made of (and where a lot of postcards are shot)! Coral white sands,
impossibly blue ocean, balmy 30 degrees and ocean breezes,
restaurant/bar hanging over the sea... this is what holidays are all
about. The team uniform changed from modest, loose flowy clothing to
bikinis and towels as we hit the beach like a force to be reckoned
with. Hendrik, our Gap tour leader, had arranged a sunset cruise for
us on a traditional dhow boat (read: a tub made by nailing together
some coconut trees and stringing up a sail), and we sailed off into
the sunset.

The next day most of us went on a snorkelling tour which involved
another 2-hour sail to a faraway island. I felt like I'd been
transported to a different time & place as I stood on the top deck,
watching the world go by with the wind in my hair and the sun on my
back. Words can't describe how beautiful it was, hopefully my photos
can give you an idea.

Unfortunately the sun was a bit too much for us, particularly those of
us who'd spent a snowy winter in Europe, and despite multiple
(MULTIPLE) reapplications of SPF30+, most of us were a bit discoloured
that evening, ranging from a delicate shade of pink to an angry red.
I blame the doxycycline myself, having forgotten it makes you more
sensitive to the sun. But by today it's eased off a bit and I've
burned away my pasty whiteness - en dat mag altijd!

Today is our last day in Stone Town. On the schedule for me is a
visit to the old Fort market to pick up some artwork, another wander
around town and dinner at the night markets. Tomorrow it's a 5am
wakeup call for a 6am departure as we head over to the mainland and
the real Overlanding can begin.

Bring it on!

Until next time

x ML

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Welcome to Zanzibar!

You could be forgiven for thinking I’d arrived in Vietnam or Thailand again. My first foray into the beautiful old dilapidated waterfront of Zanzibar saw me approached by a number of friendly Zanzibarbarians hawking everything from Maasai jewellery (there are no Maasai on Zanzibar) to t-shirts to boats… and the inevitable marijuana. I think it’s just part of the deal :P Needless to say, I kindly turned him down and carried on my merry way, eager to see just what this place was all about.



Welcome to Zanzibar! My first time on the African continent (well technicall, just off it). After 2 of the crappiest flights I’ve ever been on – do NOT fly Egypt Air unless you are shorter than 5’ – and a 5 hour stopover in Nairobi in the wee hours of the morning, I’ve finally arrived on the island paradise best known for spices, coffee and David Livingstone. It’s an interesting mish mash of cultures, architectural styles, languages, and dress codes. Not knowing what to expect, my eyes and mind were wide open on arrival. It’s a photographer’s dream; the best way to explore Stone Town is to get lost in the myriad of pathways and alleys that criss cross the town. You’ll come across dozens of vendors with hole-in-the-wall shops selling beautiful paintings, wood carvings, jewelers and a host of other gorgeous things you don’t really need. What immediately strikes me is the friendliness of the people – you can’t walk 2 minutes without someone calling out “Jambo!”, most are vendors but in general people are genuinely happy to see you. The local language is Swahili, and for anyone who’s seen the Lion King you already know a handful of key words: Jambo means hello, Asante Sana (squash banana hehe) means thank you, Rafiki means friend and Simba really does mean lion. I just need to learn how to say “no weed for me, thanks”.

I stumbled across a kindly fellow at the information centre by the Fodhani gardens, who offered to show me around for USD$25. I managed to get him down to $10 by feigning disinterest (works a treat) and had my own personal tour guide for the afternoon. It was a fantastic idea – you really will get lost in Stone Town and at least with a guide, you’re guaranteed to get out again! His name was Mohammed No.2 (his father is No.1, but I’m sure there are more than 2 Mohammeds on this predominantly Muslim island), and he knew almost everybody in town. This was a great ice breaker for the people we met on our walk; I managed to get some lovely photos of the locals and especially the kids. Always the kids! And I even managed to get a photo of a cat.

 Zanzibar is famous for its wooden doors. Back in the time it was being built, there was considerable Indian and Arabic influence, so there are 2 distinct styles of door. Those with hefty brass studs/spikes are Indian doors, the purpose of the studs is to stop elephants from ramming them down. Must work, because I haven’t seen a single elephant yet, let alone one ramming down a door. The Arabic doors are decorated with flowers and leaves, but the key distinguishing feature is the chain motif, which signifies that they were slave traders. I don’t think there are 2 doors the same in all of Stone Town. It’s against the law to take down the door frames, being a UNESCO world heritage site, so there is a lot of living history as you walk around.


I’ve managed to tick off a few essential travel experiences already: I tried the local beer, Kilimanjaro, and have bought a couple of beaded Maasai-style (or so I as told) bracelets. Tonight I’m meeting up with the crew from GAP Adventures and tomorrow we head to Nungwi for some beach time. OHHHH YEAH!


Until next time!


X ML

 

 Th beach in town

 Arabic door - note the chains

 Jaws corner - when men (only men) come to discuss things of importance.  Or, I suspect, just to complain about their wives

“Hello my friend! Where you from? You just arrive? You want to hire boat? I can take you to island, very nice, you can snorkel, I give you good price my friend! No boat? … Ok you want something to smoke? I have good mari… Very good only for you my friend, good smoke, good price…”