Zanzibar
Mood:  happy
Monday, August 2nd
Zanzibar N Spice Tour
Mood: happy
So here's the group: Brit is from Phoenix and along with Chris W. from Australia is a game developer. This means that Brit and Chris spend lots of time talking computers and game lingo that is beyond my comprehension. Jacki works with a nonprofit group fundraising for her local public school. Chris P. is a transportation consultant living in Cambridge, MASS. Jerome and Emmanuel are our wonderful guides. They are both from Lushoto, a village that we will be passing through. Chris and Brit are the youngest, late 20's and I am the oldest.

We got up early today (not nearly enough sleep) to catch the Spice Tour. This entailed a bus ride around a large farming area on Zanzibar. We got to see, taste and smell cardamom, ginger, coffee beans, pepper, lemon grass, cloves, turmeric and more. We sat on woven mats in an outdoor kiosk savoring a lunch that included many of the spices that we'd seen earlier.

In the afternoon we once again strolled our way through the tempting shops of Stone Town. It was hard to resist the gorgeous fabrics, jewelry, carvings, and batiks. We were hesitant to buy a lot since it's only the first days of our trip and things seem to be a bit expensive here on this touristy island.
The sights and sounds today are dream like.
More on the negative side of this experience: Emmanuel got arrested over, i think, a contrived charge of acting as a hawker to get me into some shops. It seems that one of the street hawkers saw Emmanuel with me and felt that he was steering me to other shops than the ones that this hawker wanted me to visit. Jerome had to bail him out for about $20 US. It seems like there are so many scams going on around here. We have to be constantly on our toes. We have a late dinner again tonight. We have to be up early for the ferry ride tomorrow.


Sunday, August 1st
Zanzibar trip begins

We were up and putting the bikes together this morning. My front wheel was not true (I think it got smashed in the suitcase on the plane trip. Chris P and Jerome got the wheel straight and the front brake adjusted. The tour of the slave quarters and the church built on the sight of the auction block was a powerful experience. These slaves were sold and sent to Arabia, not the US. Slaves were kept underground in two very low dirt rooms. A salt water canal ran through the two rooms to carry away the waste. I can't imagine how hot, crowded, and horrible the conditions must have been. They were treated worse than animals. After lunch we got a boat ride to Prison Island. We went snorkeling off the boat near the island but the water was murky and we didn't see many fish. It was refreshing and fun and a bit scary to just dive in and give it a try. The sunset on our return was an incredible "Kodak moment." After dinner we chanced on a couple of guys singing and playing guitar in an outdoor bar. What a way to end the day listening to live African music and sipping a Safari beer. Lights went out around midnight.


Sat. July 31st
Sailing off to Zanzibar

Mbu walked me to the ferry this morning just to make sure that i got there safe and sound. On board the ferry my ticket was questioned. My instincts yesterday were correct. The guy selling me the ticket had told me $15 for the bike but wrote on my ticket $5. Then he told me that my ferry ticket was $40 but on the ticket he wrote $30. When i questioned him about this i got a real run around. I wouldn't leave his office until he signed a note saying that i had paid him 50,500 schillings total. I noticed the discrepancy in the prices but didn't notice that he also wrote a very funny letter in the box indicating which class of ticket it was. His F had an extra little tail at the bottom that could have been mistaken for an E. This meant that the captain decided that i was Economy class and NOT First class. I stood my grounds and kept my comfy air-conditioned seat and showed him the signed note. There was a lot of discussion and photo copying of papers, and i was allowed to stay in First class and told that i paid too much for the ticket. Good grief.

I met Jacki, a very charming and enthusiastic lady, at 11am. We wandered narrow streets, discovered the colorful tourist shops of Stonetown, and had a delightful lunch overlooking the ocean. It was picture postcard perfect. Meeting time was supposed to be at 4pm so we headed back to the Garden Lodge to meet our new bike buddies and steer them to our new hotel - not nearly as nice as the Garden Lodge - but, hey, it's better than sleeping in the streets. On the way a Rastah looking guy walks up behind us and says, "Jacki?" Much to my surprise our guide, Emmanuel, was cruising the streets looking for us. I guess we are pretty easy to spot. Brit was there waiting at the hotel looking excited and just as young as we had imagined. Chris P. from Cambridge was there as well. Chris W. from Australia joined us later in the day. Jerome is our other guide. We'll deal with bikes tomorrow. We have a great dinner and head for bed. The three women share a room with 3 twin beds. There's a fan and a cold shower.

Last Full day in DAR
Now Playing: Nervous
It's Friday, July 30th.
Mbu helped me get a reservation on the ferry for tomorrow morning. $50 gets me and my bike to Zanzibar. The ferry leaves at 7:30am and takes 1.5 hours.

My bike is all together and ready to go and my bags are packed. I called Garden Lodge (our Zanzibar rendezvous point for the start of our Bike Africa trip) to arrange for someone to pick me up at the ferry when i disembark Surprise, surprise when they connected me to Jacki (from Vermont). She got a different itinerary and unintentionally arrived a day early. There is NO reservation for any of us at Garden Lodge for tomorrow night. Good grief. She is looking for other accommodations for all of us. We are lucky that she got there a day early, or we wouldn't have lodging for the night. I called David in Seattle and he hasn't had contact with our Tanzanian guides for months so no money was sent to pay for the rooms. Yikes.

Today i finally visited with and got to know Paulina who works in the internet cafe here. I want to take all these wonderful people home with me to America. I hope that somehow i can help some of these great folks to better their lives and maybe visit me in Spokane.

I'm a tourista
Mood:  celebratory
Hm, interesting. I just realized that when i record my journal entry that it's getting posted for the next day. I discovered that it's because i am registered in Japan and it's already the next day there!
This entry is for Thursday, July 29th!

Yahoo. I got to play tourist today. The hotel suggested that i not hire Ali who I met on the street yesterday. Instead they hooked me up with someone they know is reliable: Mbaruku - Muba for short- was my guide for today. We walked to a ritzy hotel with an Exchange. No problema. I was so excited and hesitantly cashed $400 in traveler's checks knowing that this will more than take me to Moshi and Kili with money to spare. I just hope that i can stash it safely and not get robbed. This is such happy news since my first stop was at the Emirates office. They say they can't grant an exemption but my Travel Agent can. I think this is bullshit but i emailed Miki in Japan and she will call Kota-san tomorrow to see if he can get me a 20 kg. exemption for my luggage on the return flight. IF all else fails - i'll mail the heavy stuff back to Japan by boat. What a hassle. The Botanical Gardens are interesting - such a struggle for plants to survive in alkaline soil and brackish water. The Germans started this project. Government helps a non-profit group now to keep it going. Some experiments with crops. Palms are a focus and flowers. I see dates, mango, banana, bougainvillea, hibiscus....nice. The Tanzanian National Museum gets me charged. Darwin and Livingston are here to introduce me to the beginnings of man that are evidenced here in Tanzania and introduce me to a history of brave pursuit and discovery of the mysteries hidden here.

We then walk to the bay and through the fish market. Fish and prawns look healthy and very appealing, then on to one of the biggest markets in DAR. Two stories - selling everything from pots and pans to Monsanto Roundup and chicken feed, bicycles and clothes. We wandered through a street market with barrels of spices - fragrant and fresh -vegetables and fruit stacked high. A barrel of clay bars caught my eye. It's for pregnant women who get the craving to eat it! I buy a kwanga (piece of fabric). It is to be cut in half. One piece wraps around your waist as a skirt. The other half wraps around your midriff as a top. This will cover my bike shorts when i stop riding during the day. $3 for this gorgeous tie-dyed piece. Back to the hotel for a quick rest and break for Muba. Then to the Jambo for a late lunch/early dinner. Dinner for two is $8. I have curry veggies/veggies and rice and a chapatti and a mango milkshake. I feel better now!

Mabu then takes me a few blocks to a street market. I buy Didik an African shirt for $10 - i think this is a bit overpriced but not sure. Two small Swahilli text books for $3. Four necklaces and a coconut shell hair clip and earrings for $8.
Amazing how tired i get from all this newness. I wish i could run and burn off some nervous energy - not safe. Back to the hotel to do some emailing while inhaling car fumes and cigarette smoke and very slow internet connection today. Brief discussion about Bush with a couple of locals in the Internet cafe. They all are angered at the lives lost and devastation caused by this administration. All over oil - it is apparent to them. In bed before 9pm. whew.

Patience is a Virtue
Mood:  smelly
Wednesday, July 28th
The good news is that my bicycle is here in the hotel with me. yahoo. The bad news is that it took 6 hours to get it out of Sky Cargo today. I shipped it freight because of the exorbitant fees they were going to charge me on Emirates Airlines. They only allow 20 kg and my two bags weigh in at a measly 37 kg. Anyway, the amount of paperwork took two agents 6 hours to weave me through. I can't remember how many papers that i signed and how many people i talked to. Customs is looking for tax evaders and drug smugglers, i think.

Anyway. There went a day of sightseeing. The streets are fairly safe during the day but i'm stashing my money in a vault when i'm out. Warnings are everywhere about theft. This is an extremely poor country and i am being very, very careful.

Tomorrow i have hired a guide, Ali, to take me on a walking tour of the town. I could walk by myself but the amount of hassling that i get from begging kids, hustling taxi guys and street hawkers just isn't worth it. He will shield me from a lot of that.

Another major hassle is that my traveler's checks from Japan are definitely not popular here. I haven't found a bank yet that will cash them. Luckily, my Magic Visa Card works in the cash machines. Ali will get a $5 bonus tomorrow if he can find me a place to cash a few traveler?s checks.

And the tale begins. I still can't believe that i am here. This morning i got up at 5:30 am to begin meditating and started the meditation by listening to the morning chant from the local mosque. What a beautiful way to start the day.

Trivia: It doesn't feel so hot but it was 86 degrees today with a low of 66 - that's comfy to me - 51% humidity.

Shalom Aleichem (peace be unto you) Hebrew

Dar Es Salaam
Mood:  bright
Tuesday, July 27th flight from Dubai to DAR took about 7 hours. We had a 1-hour layover in Nairobi. I got some pretty cool aerial photos of Kilimanjaro. The land is spectacular from the air. The red soil and muddy, winding rivers look like a painting from the sky. DAR is incredible with people everywhere. My driver was waiting for me at the airport at 3pm local time. He speaks no English and didn?t understand that I wanted to pick up my bicycle at SkyCargo before heading into town. Also, the airport wouldn?t cash my Japanese VISA traveler?s checks so I had no Tanzanian currency to pay him. Rats. We drove all the way into town to meet with the hotel manager to translate for this driver. Communication can be such a problema. Since the banks close at 4pm we tried two different cash machines before my Magic VISA Credit Card enticed the machine to spit out some schillings. Yippee. Then we headed back out to the airport only to discover that we were too late to pick up my bicycle. ?Please come back at 10am tomorrow.? $10 taxi fare one-way to the airport cost me $25 (I got a discount for going out and back twice!) and still I didn?t get my bike. Patience is a virtue.

My hotel ($8.00/night) is minimal but ok: worn sheets and pillow, ceiling fan, no air conditioning, no toilet paper, hot shower. The cupboard in my room has a latch for a padlock. ?Warning: management not responsible for anything stolen from this room. Valuables should be locked in the office.? I used my bike lock to lock up everything while I was out of the room. There are three computers in the lobby and for 300 schillings I called home through a modem phone and left a message for my folks. Internet is 500 schillings/ 1/2 hour. 1100 schillings/US dollar. There are many tourists here. I met some girls from the UK last night at dinner. Dinner at the Jambo Inn just around the corner was $4.50. Warning at the restaurant says to make sure you keep track of food prices and don?t pay until you are served.

DAR is flat, dirt streets. Guys are selling things through car windows when stopped at traffic lights. The street leading to my hotel is ?auto row? and there are swarms of guys working on broken down cars. I have to go through a gauntlet of men to pass through the red gate with an armed guard at night and down a dirt dead-end alley to get to the entrance to the Safari Inn. Women in colorful African fabrics with baskets on their heads are everywhere. Huge papaya and pineapples tempt me on the streets. It?s warm in the taxi and car fumes are bad but there?s a cool breeze when we are moving. The 4th floor hotel room is not so warm when the fan is on. I?m a bit stressed with the shock of it all but doing well.

Dubai again
Mood:  on fire
Wow, silks from India and spices from Iran, Iraq and who knows where. The gold,textile, and spice souks (markets) were like something out of a movie. I felt like i was in an "Indiana Jones" scene. The temperature topped 43 degrees Centigrade today. Shops are closed from 1-4pm and i can definitely see why. I was walking back to the hotel at 1pm and just about melted my shoes getting back.

The Sunday evening cruise on Dubai Creek was so very romantic last night. Air conditioned wooden dhow (about 30-40 tourists on board). The buffet dinner was delicious with curries from India as well as lots of local dishes. I sat next to two guys from India on a holiday break from university studies. B-Com (bachelors in Commerce) seems to be a common college degree. Another sweet older couple originally from India but living in London also were close by my table. The night cools off just a bit here. Out on the top deck is lovely for awhile and the photo opportunities are great. I have to retreat back to the air conditioning after about 1/2 an hour. The creek is studded with dhows of all sizes strung with little yellow lights. The city lights outlining the many skyscrapers of outlandish architectural design are capped off by a sliver of a silvery moon. The belly dancer is not the best, but she gets quite a group up gyrating happily at the end of the cruise.

Ok, so here's a funny story on my first part of this trip. I was so tired after boarding the plane from Osaka that my first trip to the bathroom i just grabbed a paper cup next to the sink and downed 3 cups of water before heading back to my seat. On the second trip to the toilet after a dinner and a snooze i again reached for a paper cup and went to fill it from the faucet when - much to my surprise - i read the big red sign next to the faucet that had a bar thru the picture of a cup with a written warning that this water is NOT fit to drink. GOOD GRIEF, SO WHY DO THEY SUPPLY THE PAPER CUPS THEN!!!! My nerves were a bit on edge wondering whether i was going to come down with an extreme case of my favorite - diarrhea. Luckily a day later, all is well. whew.

Buy, buy, buy, Dubai should be this town?s mantra. Shopping seems to be the favored form of entertainment. Last night?s cruise cost 200 dirhams. Tonight?s dinner at a local vegetarian south Indian restaurant is 12 dirhams. (3.67 dirhams/US dollar) This is definitely a Muslim town with 5 times-a-day broadcast prayers over loudspeakers everywhere. Pretty liberal and most women walk around with no head coverings.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Now Playing: When you're hot - you're hot
Well, i'm off on my big Africa adventure.

Boy, it's difficult to not bow and say "sumimasen" when trying to get someone's attention here. i have slipped with an "arigato" or two since i've been here. It makes me giggle when i get a surprised look from someone.

So, wow, i'm in Dubai. Woo, i'm in an internet cafe! oh, my gosh. Can you believe it?

I flew out of KIX, Osaka International Airport, on Sat. July 24th at 7pm. There were a few glitches getting here, but nothing that i couldn't handle with a charge card. I couldn't read my Japanese plane ticket and didn't realize that the total weight limit for BOTH BAGS was 20 kg. Well, with even a light-weight bike that is impossible. It was going to cost me an extra $1,000 to get the bike on the plane. Good grief. I managed to take all the tools, pedals, and other heavy objects out of those damn bags and stash them in my carry-on luggage and still walk straight. The wonderful lady at the ticket counter totally ignored the fact that now i was way overweight for the carry-on baggage. After weighing the suitcases three times, i got the total down to 31 kg. She must have felt really sorry for me because she charged me for only 5 kg. over - $240 - what a deal, eh?

I am staying in Dubai for two days and then will have the same problem getting my bike on the plane again so I had the presence of mind at 4am local time after a 9.5 hour plane ride to ask at the airport in Dubai if i could send my bike on to Dar es Salaam without having to pay this exorbitant rate again. They sent me over to cargo and i sent the bike on for a measly $150. Hopefully it will be waiting at the airport in DAR for me when i arrive on Tuesday. I HOPE.

Dubai is incredible and here are some facts about UAE:
"The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a union of seven sovereign sheikhdoms, formed when the British withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971. It boasts mountains, beaches, deserts, oases, camel racing, Bedouin markets and the legendary duty-free shopping of Dubai, all packed into a relatively small area." Lonely Planet Guide
To look at a map of where Dubai is: CLICK HERE


It is a true desert. Until recently it hadn't rained here for 25 years. The swimming pool on the roof top of my hotel is so hot i couldn't stick my hand in it for more than a second! I think it was about 107 degrees today. Not bad considering that it isn't nearly as humid as Japan. You just want to stick to the shade and avoid standing in the direct sun for too long. I went on a guided tour of the city and went to the Dubai Museum. Tonight i'll do a cruise on the river after sunset and watch the lights of the town.

Construction is everywhere. The biggest airport is being built as well as the soon-to-be-the-tallest-building in the world. They are advertising "Palm Village" which is a series of islets connected to look like a palm tree when viewed from space. Good grief.

So that's about it for now.

This internet cafe is a block from my hotel and, by the way, my hotel rooms are larger than my apartment in Japan. If my luck continues and i find more internet cafes, i'll keep you updated.

peace and love


Photos now up on my Tanzania Website

Power Bars
Mood:  vegas lucky
Masa and Didik came through for me again. Masa found 5 hiking stores to explore in Kobe yesterday. I found Power Bars! yahoo. I really wanted something compact and lightweight to take on the Kilimanjaro climb. Power Bars may not be the best tasting, but they have proven to give me an extra boost when i need it when hiking or biking in the past. Also, I found a really nice backpack for just $40! I can't believe my luck. I had a 15-year old day pack that was very inadequate, but i didn't think that i could afford to replace it here. Now i will climb Kili with two water bottle holders on the outside of the pack. A mesh screen to keep my back from getting so sweaty and a hip belt to take the load of my shoulders. yippeee, hooray.

I also found a pair of gaiters that go around my boots to keep the rocks out. On Fuji-san i discovered that lava rock is very light and has a way of finding its way into your boots. What a hassle to continually have to take your boots off and shake out the irritating rocks.

Also i am very fortunate that Jackie in the states has ordered me a waterbottle/purification system. She will bring it with her to Africa for me. I'm still trying to find some water purification tablets but no luck yet. I will go to the doctor today and see if he can prescribe me some. We hear that even the bottled water in Tanzania might not be safe. I've never had trouble with water before. Even in Zimbabwe, if we found a bore hole well, it was very safe to drink. We are taking extra precautions because there are some nasty bacteria and viruses in the water there.

After spending a bit o' my money in Kobe it was a pleasant surprise to walk down to the Port and discover the Port Festival in full swing. Listening to live music, watching very talented Japanese belly dancers, and sitting in the shade trying to stay a bit cool and feasting on watermelon and pineapple is quite the way to end a shopping spree.

Love and Happiness
Mood:  hug me
"We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it." George Bernard Shaw.

"Shopping for things we do not need, even if it is only window shopping, wastes a lot of vitality; energy flows out with every little desire. It is a surprising connection, but an extravagant shopper will find it difficult to love. He or she scatters love like largesse all over the department store. We can become bankrupt in love this way.....
So if you want a good, stiff test of your capacity to love, go into your favorite store some day - preferably when there is a sale - and see if you can walk straight through, looking neither left nor right, and come out unscathed. It may sound unbelievable, but it can be done!" Sri Eknath Easwaran

Paul, Karen & Hongwanji
Mood:  on fire
Thursday, July 15th

Paul and Karen are friends from the Spokane Buddhist Temple. They flew into Tokyo and then took the shinkansen to Kyoto. They will be here for just a few short days and then off to Beijing and India. I met them at their hotel in Kyoto on Wed. evening and spent the night with them. Then we attended services at the Hongwanji at 6am this morning. The Nishi Hongwanji is a World Heritage Site. It was a pleasure accompanying Karen and Paul on a great English guided tour of this compound.Tabitha, who works at the Hongwanji and is a college student here in Kyoto, gave us the tour. She used to live in WA and her Dad was the Buddhist minister in White River sometime ago. Now he is a minister in Hawaii. The site includes many museum quality buildings housing ancient wall and ceiling paintings, a traditional Japanese dry landscaped garden, a floating pavilion, 2 outdoor Noh stages, not to mention the place of worship - the Amidha Buddha Hall. The big Founder's Hall is under construction and won't be completed until 2008.

After the tour with Tabitha's help, we went shopping for some ojuzu and a kesa for Paul. The shop, next to the Hongwanji's International Center, served us tea and cookies after Paul had finished shopping. While his purchases were being wrapped we were invited to go upstairs and visit the costume museum. This museum included a series of miniature scenes from the Tale of Genji, a very famous traditional Japanese saga. There were meticulously dressed dolls in dioramas of specific scenes from this drama. Wow, gorgeous.

After shopping and a really nice vegetarian lunch back at the train station we decided to hop on the subway and experience part of yoiyoiyama (the eve of the eve of Gion Matsuri). This is one of the 3 biggest Festivals in all of Japan and one of the longest in duration. It runs for practically the whole month of July.

It was probably 90 degrees and a bit humid. The floats are scattered in the streets for blocks and blocks. There are 32 floats all together and they are ancient. Connecting the floats are uncountable street vendors selling all sorts of taste sensations from takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki (cabbage and egg omelet with ????) to ichigo and ringo ame (strawberry and apples on a stick dipped in syrup that dries hard like our candy apples). Fans and parasols are everywhere to fight off the heat and glare of the sun. It's almost too bright to take good photos during the heat of the day but the crowds are small so far.

Gion Matsuri actually started under very oppressive circumstances in 869 when a plague raged through Kyoto. A priest of the Yasaka (or Gion) shrine led a procession of people through Kyoto in an attempt to appease the Shinto gods. The plague soon ended but this event became a popular festival with large floats (Hoko & Yama - rolled and carried) now being paraded through Kyoto.

The floats, some of which weigh over 10 tons, are very elaborate and many are decorated with Dutch and Turkish tapestries from the 15th century.
Each of the large Hoko floats carries musicians and truly looks a couple of centuries out of place as it is pulled through the streets. The Hoko floats are so big that they must be pulled by a large team of attendants.

I may try to attend next year on the day of the parade but after experiencing the crowds two days before this event I can see why there are many warnings to stay away. It is so hot and with over 200,000 attending it could be miserable!

Paul and Karen were drooping. I can't imagine why. They had done a tour in Tokyo and on Wed. had done a tour of Kyoto in the morning and then taken a 1.5 hour bus ride one-way to Nara and toured there in the afternoon. Good grief. So i put them on the subway and headed them back to their hotel for a much needed nap. I stayed for an extra hour or so and took some more pictures and pigged out on fresh iced pineapple on a stick. Barbequed chicken on a stick and bought some french fried sweet potatoes for Paul and Karen. During this time by myself i discovered some of the homes that are open to the public. Families are displaying their treasures for everyone to see. I was able to see some centuries-old painted folding screens, tapestries and hand woven silk fabrics, and also glimpse a little of the insides of a traditional old-style Japanese home with enclosed gardens and all! Lucky me.

Through the wonders of this cursed cell phone i was able to contact Connie and David headed to Kyoto from Osaka. I met them in the train station and headed over to pick up my overnight bag and introduce them to Paul and Karen. Since they were leaving for Beijing early the next morning they declined our invitation to visit the Matsuri this evening. David, Connie and i stashed our non-essentials in a locker at the train station and caught a subway for the festivities again. We arrived on the streets of Shijodori (5th Street) around 5:30pm Crowds were spilling into the streets. By 6pm streets were roped off and quickly filled with people in summer yukata and the intensity of the mood heightened. Hawkers selling chimaki (bamboo wrapped shrine amulets) got to me and now i have one hanging over my door which will keep me healthy till next Matsuri. The sounds of the repetitious matsuri music (percussion and high-pitched flutes and/or whistles are everywhere - in the stores, malls and stations. To tell you the truth it can really grate on your nerves, but here in the crowd with all the colors and excitement it fills the air with festive energy.

We are carried through the streets snacking and drinking as much water as possible to stay hydrated. I wait till we are leaving to sample a heavenly amber ale made by a local brewery. It seems so strange to be standing on the street at 8pm with a beer in my hand asking a policeman for directions to the subway! hah. So back we go to head home - foot sore and tired but with a buzz of happiness at having been able to experience such an evening.
And they lived happily ever after. amen