the blue list of africa...

Heading north from Sesriem to Swakopmund on the coast, the land was pretty bleak. There weren't many places to stop for gas except for an aptly named place called Solitaire.

The gas station here is famous for it's delish apple strudel. Mmmmm...fresh-out-of-the-oven 10 cm by 25 cm chunk of apple strudel. I looked for strudel in Frankfurt, Germany (waiting for the connecting flight to Jo'burg, SA) only to find out that it originated in Austria. It was ironic that I found it in Namibia (out in the middle of nowhere), a former German colony back in WWI. Anyway, I'm glad I got my studel when I did because shortly after this pic was shot, the "Rollen Hotel", a massive overland truck, rolled into the station. At least 30 German tourists piled out and they went straight for the apple strudel.

The Ultimate African Itinerary.

Recently I received an email from Aubrey (whose thinking of a prolonged 8 month trip through Africa) asking for a top ten list of must see/do's on the "dark" continent. That was a daunting task to say the least. After reviewing my responding list, I don't think I did Africa justice. Here is what I came up with:

1. Egypt. all the big sites in Cairo and along the Nile. if you want to get off the beaten path, i'd get out to siwa oasis in the west. Dahab's ok.
2. Sudan. see as much of this as possible. particularly along the Nile in the north.
3. Ethiopia. If there's only place you want to see that is Ethiopia: Simiens for walking, Lalibela, Gonder, Axum (maybe), Danikil depression (if you can afford it), Harar, Omo Valley, Gambella. you can easily kill a couple of months here. such a beautiful place. Test you mettle as a traveler though. The roads and people will challenge u.
4. Kenya. Definitely head out to Lamu on the coast. Nairobbery is not so bad. Couple of days to re-charge there. Didn't make it to lake turkana. My bad. definitely next time for me. if you make it there, please post the pix.
5. Uganda. Rafting the Nile is a must (here, Zambezi river in Zimbabwe or both). Lake Bunyonyi in the south. Kampala is pretty lively (ie. chaotic), definitely worth a visit. I was going to the north but got side tracked.
6. Rwanda. See the gorillas here. You'll be able to get permits on the spot. Pricey but worth it. Kigali is nice. Lots of genocidal memorials to visit.
7. Tanzania. I climbed Kilimanjaro a long time ago. Don't know if it's worth it anymore. it's nice up there though. Zanzibar is pretty interesting. Good source of photos. Ngorongoro crater is like a zoo (animals and tourists). I really recommend getting out to Kigoma and riding the SS Liemba down Lake Tanganyika.
8. Malawi. Another hangout spot. I'd recommend Senga Bay and Point Maclear if you want to hang out by the Lake. Livingstonia's not bad.
9. Zambia. I wish I spent more time here. Livingstone is a big tourist hangout. I believe that's your base for seeing Victoria Falls. They're pretty nice. But you can't go there without rafting the Zambezi, another must do.
10. Botswana. Expensive place but you must get to Maun and into the Okavango Delta.
11. Namibia. Etosha National Park, Swakopmund/Walvis Bay, and Sossusvlei are the must sees. in fact, if you only go on safari once, i recommend etosha.
12. South Africa. I wish I could spend more time here. Capetown and Johannesburg are nice. Kagaligadi National Park was just brilliant, really wild. The Garden Route is a bit overrated. I'd certainly check out the Otter Route next time. It's a hiking trail along the south coast.
13. Mozambique. Poor poor poor place. Maputo is a must. Pretty vibrant city. Go up to tofo if you're into snorkeling with whale sharks. You don't want to miss Ilha do Mozambique either.

Ok, I tried my best (I couldn't keep it to ten items). Just too many variables to crunch.

Tell me what you think of the list, 'cause I haven't been everywhere in Africa...

Not wanting to sound corny, I should have wrote, "go and meet the people and feel fortunate everyday that you're in Africa." Well, at least that's how I felt when I was there...

Aubrey is based in Dharamsala, India, right now, hanging out H.H. the Dalai Lama. Check out his blog Ketchup with Aubs for swell pix and stories of his travels.

Kagunga, Tanzania

Amistad, Part 25. "excuse me but did you see a pile of PFD's anywhere?"
I can't believe where I am. This morning I was fretting about whether I was going to attempt Burundi or not. Then I met these 2 guys at the Hotel Martha after coming back from a useless trip to the UNHCR. I had seen them earlier in the day at Burundi Consulate.

First, I met the crazy [term of endearment] Swiss guy, Samuel. He's a gardener back home. He's here to check on his "project", Jack, a Tanzanian, whom he "sponsors". Putting it simply, Samuel met Jack on an earlier trip and now helps out with some funding. They're off to see the plot of land just across that Jack has bought with the money. Then they plan on traveling into the DRC.

We talked about what he knew about Burundi. He wasn't much help. Then Jack showed up. He turned out to be a really friendly guy. He said traveling there was no problem.

It may have been a coincidence but they were going to Burundi that very day.

Jack asked, "why don't you come along with us?"

I was completely unprepared. My stuff was strewn across my room.

"Could you pack in 20 minutes? We're in a hurry."

To which i replied, "yep".

l to r: Jack, Samuel. Jack's a pretty funny guy. I told him alot of Canadians are scared to come to Africa 'cause they're scared they'll die or get mugged. His solution was for Canadians declare to any bad Africans, "I have a nuclear weapon in my pants"... he pronounced nuclear correctly not like some jackass President we all know.

So, I'm on my way to Bujumbura [capital of Burundi] of all places. So much for fretting. Take the plunge. I'm beginning to like this travel business. I packed like a mad man and headed down to the dock to catch the next boat. I had only time to load up on a few bottles of water then jumped aboard a 40 foot creaky motor driven dorry with at least 50 other passengers. We'd sit on the rim while the burgeoning load sat on the bottom of the boat.

We left at 1420. I slathered on the sunscreen. The boat was uncovered and the sun was just blazed away. As Kigoma port slid out of sight, I texted my brother about my "plans" for what may have been the last time.

Before: pristine old growth rainforest of Gombi. No, Jane Goodall didn't come out to greet us and we didn't see any chimps either.

After: where are the trees? Instead, we saw alot of erosion.

Slowly, we chugged along the shore. Close enough to enjoy the hills that came all the way down to the turquoise waters of Tanganyika. Most of the them were denuded of trees unfortunately. Farmers have cultivated fields that appeared nearly vertical along the contours of the land. I could see the massive erosion (slumped soil) caused by the summer rains from hill to hill. The only "wilderness" area I saw were the dense rainforests of Gombi National Park. That only lasted 30 minutes on the cruise.

Kagunga English School...

Took us nearly four hours to reach here, Kagunga. It appears to be a tiny village clinging to the slopes above the lake. Any time past 6 PM and it gets dark. There was time to hold an English class for a small group of kids that congregated around us. [ed. note: can't believe I taught these kids how to say "i have a nuclear weapon in my pants"].

Samuel and Jack: hunkering down at the Kagunga Hilton. I was a little worried about where we'd stay that night. Kagunga's pretty small.

Tomorrow: Bujumbura!!

Kigoma, Tanzania

Finally reached the port city of Kigoma after 4 days. [the geek inside me yells out S04 52.407 E29 37.898]. I need some zzzz's. Sometimes it's difficult to understand how exactly taxed your body is until a long stretch of travel comes to and end...

...Oguda, my roomie on the Liemba is quite the man about town. He had his car stowed down by the docks and was nice enough to drive me about town to find accommodation. Good thing he did. Kigoma is set amongst the hills and seems to go on for ever. Reminds me of the urban sprawl of Calgary.

I'm staying in a really nice, safe spot called St. Martha's Hostel run by the Kigoma Catholic Diocese. I've never stayed in a nunnery before but just my luck, eh?

I bought Oguda dinner at the Sun City Restaurant. Nice chicken dishes. Quite a few ex-pats dining as well. Kigoma seems to be NGO central. None of the ex-pats seem to want to interact. What's wrong? I'm a fellow white guy, eh? Anyways, so much for payin' for dinner. I forgot my cash back at the hostel. Oguda had to pay. So much for being a fat cat mzungu. We went back to the hostel. I paid him back plus a little bit for showing me around. I sensed be wanted more then I gave him. I didn't what to do...as usual.

for January 23, click here...
for January 24, click here...

SS Liemba - Day 4

Mid-Lake rendezvous...
It's pissing down rain right now. Came down really hard last night as well, coupled with a pretty impressive light show. More stops for passengers and cargo. I hope this sucker doesn't sink. The ship is being buffeted by some pretty big waves.

We got word that the end is near. I've really enjoyed the voyage. The crew and fellow passengers have been really nice to me.

If it weren't for Oguda's computer, I think I would have went nuts. Just kidding.

SS Liemba - Day 3

Life, particularly in Africa, seems to hang on a thread. A delicate thread. Traveling the way I am, I can see up front sometimes the daily struggle to survive. It's probably beyond my scope of reality to fully comprehend how poor most of these folks are. But, getting back to the reality of the struggle, we got a dose of it today on the boat. The Liemba came across a partially submerged dhow (sail boat of questionable integrity). I was having lunch when the Liemba made a donut, and most of my fellow passengers piled onto the port side.

Clinging to the bottom of the dhow was a group of 3 adult men and 2 women. Floating nearby was the body of a young child. It was dead.

I made it to the deck late, but I saw quite a few rescuers floating about. News had it that they'd been in the water for 2 days before being found. A fourth adult male perished we encountered them. A sad day on the lake. Lots of people were crying.

I saw Saving Private Ryan and Platoon on Oguda's laptop today. It helps pass the time. The ship's progress is slow. The ship's hold is loaded but it's made numerous stops at tiny villages to pick up passengers and small loads. This happens at all hours of the day. The Liemba stops about 500 metres off shore and what seems like the entire village heads out to meet her in tiny boats.

I'm not in a hurry, but there's talk that we'll be arriving in Kigoma tomorrow night. That wouldn't be very good. I've adjusted to the rhythm of life on board. I've made alot of friends. I love it on board.

SS Liemba - Day 2

Spent the night with the boat docked. Finally got out of Mpulung at 1030.

First class cabins consist of a couple of bunks, loset, a table/chair, a sink and mirror, plus a couple of cockroaches here and there. Very basic... worth 50 bucks? considering the alternative (a spot on a wooden bench and/or deck), it's a damn good deal.

the night went ok. The old hags camping outside the door wouldn't shut up for the longest time [ed. note: can't believe i wrote that. but Africans are really good communicators. they love talking. i swear if mzungus didn't have TV or video games they'd be good talkers as well. wow, talking to one another. that'd be a shocker]. However, the mellow tunes played by my roomie's laptop helped sooth the situation.

D-day on the Liemba. Ironic that the Liemba was orginally a german ship. that's my pal Oguda with his wondrous Dell puter.

My roomie's name is Oguda Joshua Robert. He's Zambian [actually he turned out to be Tanzanian, my bad] on his way to Kigoma (like the rest of us). He's working on his master's degree in environmental health administration in Lusaka via correspondence with the University of Leeds. He's a really nice guy. Loves his eighties musak. I made him change rooms today for no apparent reason. according to "gopher", the ship's purser, we're in a room with better air circulation now.

Docking in Kasanga, Tanzania

whole lotta cargo. get to work boys...while i go get some toilet paper...

tough, tough, tough job...

fit for the pit...
We're in Kasanga taking on a load right now. Kasanga is the first stop in Tanzania. It's been 6 hrs so far. People are mesmerized by the loading process. Most of it are bags of corn kernels. Except for the trucks and crane, it's all done by brute force. 90 kg Bag by 90 kg bag. These "cargo handlers" are built tough, working hour after hour, building neatly stacked piles for the crane to load into the cargo hold using a net.

Life as the lone mzungu took a turn for the worse today. I've noticed that the loo doesn't provide TP. It'd been 2 days since I've gone. I asked the ticket guy, Faust, where I can get some toilet paper. I know. That's weak. In all my travels, I just cannot do the left hand assist. I dunno why. There's no shop on board. Before I knew, Faust starts asking the deck on how the mzungu can get some TP. Really embarassing... Lots o laughs at my expense later, I hopped onto a motor bike and was taken, along a bumpy dirt road, to the closest village with a TP dispensary. I bought the biker a litre of gas and called it even.

Got to go use it before I suffer some kind of toxic septic explosion.

Weak, my friends.

Mpulungu, Zambia/SS Liemba

dude on the deck of the SS Liemba
Wahoo! I'm sitting here in the mess or dining hall of the "venerable" SS Liemba, the legendary ferry (appearing in Bogie's African Queen) that cruises the length of Lake Tanganyika (from Mpulungu, in the south, to Kigoma, Tanzania). They've got a dvd player blasting a concert collection of Bob Marley. That guy's ubiquitous.

I'm the only mzungu on board... that's good.

I don't think we're going anytime soon. The Liemba got in at around noon and they're still emptying the cargo hold at the front of the boat (bag by bag). It's 7 pm now. If we're lucky we'll be outta here at midnight. not holding my breath.

Alas, it's been a long day. I'm glad to be leaving Zambia. It's the most intolerant country so far. I'm not sure where all the anger stems from. Good grief, it's suppose to be a "Christian" country. What the hell happened. Today some guy at the motel, in Mpulungu, came right up to my face and said, "mzungu, where are your from?" The restaurant lady held him off. First time I've been addressed like that... It might get better in Tanzania. Can't get worse than this.

I was thinking back to what my friend Tulya, a Finnish aid worker in Mozambique, said about the African trait of being really jealous of those who are fortunate enough to have [something]. That must have a bit to do with the behaviour I've been observing lately...

Well, I better finish up writing. Some illiterate might see me writing and break my pen in half... [ed. note: I can't believe I wrote that. I apologize.]

fubar

fubar, my friends. after only 2 months of travel, i look like hell. trust me, i've been getting my 3 meals per day. maybe it's the food... by the way that's downtown kigoma in the background. my fat head is blocking the view of the open sewage line.

i presently here in kigoma, tanzania.

nothing happening to day other than researching burundi a bit and taken care of money probs.

living amistad 2007...

just got off the MV liemba. talking about a real life version of the film amistad. for four days i was crammed on board the liemba with a whole lotta black folks.

the stories i've got to tell have to wait.

i've got a new phone number for my cell toy.

it's 255784165397. the country code for tanzania is 255 which is smack dab in front of the big long phone no. judging by the huge flood of phone calls and messages with the zambian no., i'll brace myself for a similar barrage.

just chillin' in kigoma at the moment, figuring out how to proceed next.

interesting that everyone here is suggesting that i go through burundi to get to the mountain gorillas of rwanda. that violates a big security rule of mine: do not enter war zones. maybe it's ok now. i figure it out. in the meantime i'm experiencing a cashflow problem that involves USD. you know, that drabby coloured money.

till later. go ahead ring that phone!!!