In the previous post we had already announced to have a looong bus ride to Kigoma ahead. And we were not to be disappointed, the journey was exactly as adventurous as it should be when you go to the place where Stanley met Livingstone. We had to be at the bus station at 5:30 in the morning, where the bus would leave at 6. This was approximately the time when nearly every other bus at the terminal left. But ours took time until 7 to appear. Then we needed an hour to embark because passengers had too much luggage with them and it was total chaos. Each thing they do here you have the feeling they do it for the first time. Eventually we started our 1500 km trip.

We lost one hour in the traffic jams around Dar Es Salaam, another 30 minutes at several police check points and the same amount of time at various bus stations on the way, where they were forced by law to make pretty senseless halts. Yet the best was still to come: Around midday, not more than 200 km away from Dar, the bus had a breakdown. We waited and waited and were quite surprised that after another hour they managed to repair it. We were supposed to arrive in Kahama at 5 in the afternoon to spend the night there and avoid a night ride. We estimated how delayed we actually would arrive but all guesses were much too optimistic – we reached Kahama at 1:30 in the night, after some horrible hours for Eli (who otherwise proved to be very brave). The next bus would go at 5:30 and all hotels were closed, so we slept on the dusty ground directly at the bus station, in the cold and with the music of the adjacent “Chipsi Mayai” restaurant. Continue reading →

Considering our experiences with Ethiopian, one could expect we would have been happy to leave the country. The contrary is the case. Back in Addis Ababa, we even regret not to have more days there. Our great couchsurfing host Ahmed turned out to be such an interesting person that we would have loved to spend more time with him, listening to and learning from his stories. He actually is from Yemen, but grew up in Quebec in Canada. After finishing his studies, he managed to make his jobs follow his way of life – and not the other way round. Working for NGOs, development or environmental companies or foundations, among others he has lived in Brazil, France, Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia and currently is in Ethiopia. He had so many things to tell about the experiences he made from all over the world, and even better he was still really down-to-earth and interested. We enjoyed the short but great time we spent together, are very thankful about his awesome hospitality and definitely hope to meet him again – wherever it may be.

Before seeing the “real” Tanzania, our next destination was Zanzibar, island famous for its paradise-like beaches, birth-place of Freddy Mercury and also known for its infamous history as center of slave-trade. We had expected Zanzibar to be rather unauthentic and “made” for tourists, but we were positively surprised and in fact are glad to have been here. Of course, there exist expensive beach resorts and the typical souvenir-streets with some touts hanging around. Yet, the island has not given up itself and kept a lot of its authenticity, tradition and charm. The atmosphere in Stonetown was quite relaxed and calm, especially due to ramadan. Nearly 95% are Muslim and Islam plays an important role, influencing the everyday life of the population. During the day, all local restaurants were closed and most inhabitants tried to find some seat in the shadow to have a rest or talk with friends. But in the evening a bit before sunset, it was like the whole town would wake up and prepare for the big event to come. You could smell the freshly cooked food at each corner and feel the anticipation that fasting would be over soon. Also at the main park, street food vendors built up their selling stalls and then started selling some specialties to the tourists. Even if – compared to the remote untouched areas where the locals meet – this place was more touristy with slightly higher prices, the ambience was still nice and enjoyable, mainly because here the tourists seem to be keen on having a local experience and mixing up with Zanzibar’s people. Continue reading →