Windhoek on a whim

Since boarding the Tazara Express in Dar es Salaam, it seems like I haven't stopped moving. The forty-hour train ride was wonderful--the mix of scenery, travel companions, and overall comfort made it one of the most enjoyable train rides I've been on. After becoming friends with a Tanzanian man who uses the train on a regular basis, we convinced the conductor to upgrade my ticket from second to first class. The first class section was great--we had four beds to each train compartment, and in the caboose was a bright red lounge with very comfy chairs (unless I was sleeping, this is where I was). The train passed by a couple game parks in Tanzania, which offered views of elephants, giraffes, and warthogs. Because I was sitting in the lounge with my nose buried in "Angels and Demons" (which I finished on the trip), I unfortunately missed the wildlife show out my window. One thing I didn't miss, though, was all the children running alongside the train, shouting, waving and laughing. From Tanzania's coast to central Zambia, the children in each village never tired of running alongside our windows.

To me, traveling by land is usually a great experience; I love seeing how the landscape and people change as I leave one place and approach another. Looking out my train window, I watched tiny villages, beautiful national parks, tall mountains with waterfalls, and the occasional well-populated town pass by.

I arrived in Kapiri Mposhi at about noon, two days after first boarding the train. Once there, I purchased a (very expensive) visa and found a taxi that agreed to make the two-hour trip to take me and a few friends from the train to Lusaka. Once in Lusaka, my friends (siblings James and Emily, originally from the UK) and I made our way to the city's main bus station with the goal of finding a bus to Livingstone, located eight hours southwest of Lusaka. I hope this bus station was Zambia at its worst, because it was a dirty, incredibly hectic place with someone trying to take advantage of us literally every step we took in the station. Fortunately, James, who lives in Malawi, has been to the station once or twice, and knew how to navigate the chaos pretty well. We eventually boarded a bus for Livingstone that, we were promised, would be leaving soon. It left four hours later.

After waiting for the bus to leave for four hours, then being on the road for eight hours, James, Emily, and I arrived in Livingstone, the gateway to Victoria Falls, at about 3am. Fortunately, even early in the morning we were welcomed into Jolly Boys Hostel. In spite of the name, Jolly Boys is one of the best hostels I have ever stayed at, complete with a pool, pool table, a bar, a nice pillow reading area, and a kind of treehouse feel to the whole place. And it costs $8 a night! While visiting the Jolly Boys restroom, I noticed an advertisement for a trip to Namibia, a neighboring country that is extremely difficult to navigate without a tour group or your own 4x4. The tour was so attractive, well-priced, and convenient that the gears in my head immediately started turning.

In the morning I visited reception. They reassured me that, with only one month, traveling from Livingstone to Cape Town via Namibia would be a much better idea than making my way to Cape Town via Mozambique. After a bit more research, I booked my ticket to Namibia's capital, Windhoek. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Before noon, I put all my necessary items in a ziplock bag and headed to Victoria Falls with James and Emily. These Falls, traditionally called the "Smoke that Thunders," are intense. Because we are currently in the rainy season, the enormous curtain of water (1 mile wide and 108 meters tall) and the mist coming from it were much heavier than normal. The Falls are fed by the Zambezi River, which also serves as the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. On the Zambian side, the best place to see the Falls is from an island that sits directly in front of the enormous curtain of water. Even standing directly in front, it's extremely difficult to comprehend the size of Victoria Falls--due to the heavy mist, it is extremely hard to see the Falls in their entirety unless viewing it by air.

Having been to Niagara and Iguazu, I can say that Victoria is definitely the least developed park. In a way, that was a good thing--I was able to sit on the banks of the Zambezi with my feet in the water, literally ten feet from where the water plummets off the edge. For much of the park, there are no guard rails, only dirt trails that lead to the river's edge. Victoria is also definitely the wettest waterfall. Standing on the island in front of the Falls, the "mist" comes in like powerful rain in all directions--from above, from in front, and even from below your nose. Standing in the mist of the Falls, in awe of its sheer size and power, was a highlight of my time in Africa thus far.

After returning to the hostel, packing my things, getting a good night's rest, and getting advice from James on my further travel through South Africa (he lived in Johannesburg), I boarded my bus for Windhoek, Namibia. Though the battered, grey bus was far from posh, the wind blowing in the cabin, the occasional elephant sighting, and some very friendly Norwegian passengers made the ride very enjoyable. I also had a chance to read a good amount of my new book, Nabokov's "Pnin."

Arriving in Namibia, I can honestly say this country is one of the biggest surprises I've encountered since leaving the US. Perhaps the surprise was amplified by the fact that I arrived from Zambia, an extremely poor country with a reported HIV/AIDS infection rate of 30%. Immediately upon crossing the border into Namibia, I saw big, clean gas stations and enormous supermarkets that would have been at home in Florida. There were picnic areas along the road. And all of a sudden German started appearing all over the place. As I learned, Namibia was colonized by the Germans, and the country only gained its independence in 1990. As some Germans on the bus told me, some parts of Namibia are more German than Germany, simply because they have retained German traditions better than Germany itself has.

Namibia's capital, Windhoek, presented me with even more surprises. This city of about 250,000 has beautiful German architecture, wide outdoor malls, and Mercedes and BMWs all over the place. In a way, I feel like I'm in a city modeled on a ski village in Colorado. This morning I smiled when a brand new BMW GS motorcycle passed me. After walking around a bit, I found myself in the middle of a beautiful street market, complete with arts and crafts, restaurants, coffee shops, and even several spotless malls. Needing some medicine, I wandered into a pharmacy where a German pharmacist advised me. Earlier in the day, my taxi driver told me, "We are like a little Germany in Africa. We have Lamborghinis!" This beautiful little Germany in Africa is truly bizarre, but I'm very glad I discovered it.

Because I've heard from friends back home and here on the road that Namibia is a gorgeous, fascinating country, I decided to book a spot with a one-week camping tour that goes throughout the southern region. I will be leaving early tomorrow morning, and returning the afternoon of March 6th. Having chosen the tour on a complete whim, I'm really not sure what's in store for me, other than getting to see the tallest sand dunes in the world and a few German towns by the sea.

My plans after my tour have also changed. Rather than making a 'J' route down the coast of Mozambique, further down the coast of South Africa, and finally to Cape Town, I have decided on a 'backwards 'J.'' First, I will take a bus from Windhoek to Cape Town. Once in Cape Town, I'll either take buses or rent a car and make my way eastward along the coast, finally reaching Johannesburg. From Johannesburg I will (time permitting) take a bus to Mozambique's southern beaches, which are supposed to be a highlight of that country. I will then return to Johannesburg and fly to Asia for the next chapter of my journey!

Sorry for being a bit long-winded. I've discovered it's harder to find time for the Internet than I was expecting, so my thoughts keep accumulating in my head until I can share them on here.

In general, I'm enjoying the backpacker lifestyle, skimming the surfaces of various countries, getting a brief snapshot of their cultures and lifestyles. It is definitely a contrast to the kind of traveling I've done before, which was almost always tied to work and, thus, a single specific place. When I was working in a single place, I was slightly jealous of those people I met backpacking across the continent. Now that I'm the one backpacking, I realize I would probably be very unsatisfied with this experience if I hadn't previously immersed myself for an extended amount of time in a single foreign country and culture. Driving by thatched-roof villages, I find myself wondering what it would be like to live in such a home, to share their food, and to become a temporary member of their family. My memories of Mongolia, Chile, and Uruguay temporarily calm my curiosity and keep me from getting off the bus, halting my journey, and spending the next few months in a village in rural Africa.

train delays in Dar

I'm currently in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, waiting to board a train to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia. The train was supposed to leave yesterday, but 'mechanical difficulties' caused a one day delay. Apparently delays in Africa's train system are pretty normal.

Dar isn't a bad place to be stuck for a day. I have a basic room at the local YWCA with a bed, mosquito net, and sink. It's pretty comfortable, but the midnight curfew was a bit annoying. Last night I saw "Gone Baby Gone" at a mall near the university. Seeing movies while traveling is always an enjoyable experience for me--it's like getting a little taste of home. I've also been reading a lot lately. I'm making my way through Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons," which is entertaining. I'm looking forward to beginning some of the other books I recently bought (a couple books by Nabokov, Turgenev, and Tolstoy). In my room at the YWCA I also found "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and clay," which I'm looking forward to starting. I left "Animal Farm" in its place for the next visitor to room 9.

My train should leave at 3pm today (7am EST I think). The trip from here to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia, will take just over forty hours. In Kapiri Mposhi, I'll find a bus to Lusaka (Zambia's capital), then to Livingstone, the gateway to Victoria Falls. After Victoria Falls, I plan to take public transportation back to Lusaka, then to Malawi's capital, Lilongwe. From there I'll head east to Mozambique (I got a 2-month, multi-entry visa without any problems). I plan to make my way down Mozambique's coast to Swaziland and South Africa. But I should be posting again long before that.

I hope you're all doing well. I got to see a good friend from Florida, Katie, here in Dar. She's studying abroad here, and invited me to explore a bit of the city, and to visit an English class she teaches for local craftsmen. It was a wonderful experience, and I was very impressed by their dedication to their studies.

Dina left for New York City a few days ago, which means I'm now officially on my own. It's a bittersweet transition, but I'm excited about the adventures that lie ahead, and the new friends I'll make. Backpacking usually provides a constant supply of interesting and unique characters.

I hope you're all doing well! I'll be back soon with an update.

Tanzania, Zanzibar, and the next chapter

Hello from Zanzibar! I just took a few minutes to include links to some maps that I hope you'll find useful--the links are in the sidebar on the right side of the screen (over there------>>>>>). Thanks to UT-Austin's Perry Castaneda Library Map Collection, definitely the best I've come across. I've left the Fulbright-related links up in case anyone decides to read my older posts from Uruguay.

It's strange to think that a few months ago I associated Zanzibar with Tenacious D and Disney World, and now here I am wandering around its busy markets and resting on its beaches. For those who are like I was, the island of Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, and is located a short distance off the shores of the mainland part of the country. I've posted a map of Tanzania--Zanzibar is just off the coast.



Zanzibar is a great place for resting--it is a unique paradise with beautiful beaches with bright blue water (comparable to Cancun), amazing food that showcases the many spices grown on the island, and a very strong Islamic influence that is apparent in the various calls to prayer one can hear echoing throughout the city and the apparel worn by both men and women. The people are very friendly, and Stone Town (the section of the city where I'm staying--a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is a great place to get lost among the many winding alleys. At almost every turn I'm tempted to take a picture of what I see--Zanzibar is incredibly photogenic, from its architecture to its inhabitants, and, finally, its beautiful sunsets over handmade boats that sail along its shores.

The past couple weeks have been filled with amazing experiences, which I'll try to summarize while still doing them justice. Dina and I arrived in Zanzibar early yesterday morning (just as George Bush was wandering around Dar es Salaam, a short distance away). For the week before our arrival, we were wandering around the game parks located in the northern part of Tanzania (very close to Kenya). We were very near to Mount Kilimanjaro and the city of Arusha, which you can see on the map (as a side note: contrary to what Toto sings in their hit song "Africa," Kilimanjaro is not visible from the Serengeti). To be more specific, we spent one day on Lake Manyara, three days in the Serengeti, and a couple days in or around the Ngorongoro Crater. All three places were spectacular.

Dina and I really lucked out. We arrived at the safari company we booked with to find out that no one else had signed up for our trip--it was a private trip with just us, our guide, and a cook. Voyaging around the parks in a beefed-up Land Cruiser was a magical experience. At Lake Manyara, a large family of about thirty baboons wandered along the road with us, a couple babies lagging behind to roll around next to our truck. Elephants and giraffes blocked our route on several occasions.

Ngorongoro Crater, the result of the collapse of an ancient volcano, is breathtaking not only due to the animals that live there, but also due to its sheer size and beauty. Inside the crater I felt as though I was wandering around either dinosaur territory or a fantasy world--a land that seemed untouched by humans. There were large, green hills, a mirror-like lake covered with flamingos, and, constantly in the distance, the enormous walls of the crater. I have a hard time describing Ngorongoro; Dina called it "Eden."

The Serengeti lived up to its reputation. At this time of the year, millions of wildebeests migrate through the Serengeti National Park, and many of the animals give birth there. As you can imagine, this provides a ton of food for the lions, cheetahs, and other predators that inhabit the Serengeti. Watching the drama that plays out is like being in an interactive show on the Discovery Channel, or really several shows--we wandered from "Leopard Country" to "Elephant Country" to "Lion Country," and each region in the Serengeti's over 14,000 square kilometers had a distinct character.

We watched as hundreds of thousands of wildebeests grazed along the vast Serengeti plains, as a pair of cheetahs gnawed at their kill while ducking from buzzards that hovered above their heads, and as hippos fought with each other only a few meters from the shore where we stood. At one point, we found three cheetahs gazing into the distance, looking for food. We followed them for an hour as they stalked a family of gazelles, only to be noticed and left hungry. In defeat and searching for another target, they wandered right by our truck, only ten feet from us. While watching the way the cheetahs stalked, walked, and waited, I understood just how different it is to see them (and all the other animals) in their natural habitat instead of up close and caged in at a zoo.

Each night we found a campsite and put up our tents. There are no barriers between the campsite and the rest of the park--at night we could hear the sound of hyenas wandering around our tents, and one night I literally walked within feet of a grazing water buffalo. Once, at 4am, I awoke to the sound of water buffalo "mooing" in the nearby wilderness. Suddenly, this sound was followed by a roar--in the morning my guide told me he had also been woken up by the sound of lions hunting the buffalo.

And so, carrying tons of memories and hundreds of pictures, I left the parks of Northern Tanzania and arrived here in Zanzibar. I only plan to be here a few more days--just long enough to visit the beaches along the northern coast and to plan the next leg of my trip. Dina will be flying back to New York in a couple days, which means I'll soon be forced to begin my journey as a solo traveler. It's been wonderful traveling with Aditya and Avani in India and Dina here in Africa, and now I'm excited to see what kinds of experiences I'll have on my own. Of course, I am going to be taking a few precautions--tomorrow I'll be visiting a tailor to have pockets sown inside my blue jeans, and on the underside of my belt.

Although my plans are very tentative at this point, here's what I'm thinking (I hope this map helps!):



I plan to fly from here to Dar es Salaam later this week. From Dar es Salaam, I'll take a train west to Zambia, where I'll visit Victoria Falls (which is on the border with Zimbabwe, south of Lusaka). From the Falls, I plan to go back east to Malawi's capital, Lilongwe. Once in Lilongwe, I'll find a bus and head south to Blantyre, where I can take another bus to Mozambique's border. Once across the border, I'll make my way further east, all the way to Mozambique's coast where I'll arrive at Ilha de Mocambique (supposedly a beautiful island). Once in Mozambique, I'm planning to make my way south along the coast, past Swaziland and into South Africa.

Of course, all these plans are tentative, but I'll do my best to keep you all posted on how things play out. Since arriving here in Zanzibar, I've received some advice (and inspiration) from some of the people I've met, including social workers, Peace Corps volunteers, and even a man who backpacked from Cairo to Cape Town. No matter how much I travel, I'm always impressed by the variety of people I run into. I'm going to stay flexible to the advice and information people share with me, which, in addition to my guide, will be the main influences on where I go from day to day.

I hope you're all doing very well, and I'm wishing you the best.

a quick update

Hello everyone! I have only a few minutes here in Kampala, Uganda to write, but I'll start by saying that things are going very well. Uganda is a beautiful country, with rolling, green hills, tons of flowers and vegetation, and some of the friendliest people I've ever met. Riding in a taxi, all the kids wave and yell "mzungu!" which means "white person!" Fortunately, Uganda is very stable, and the people seem to take a very active interest in the events of their neighbors. This has given me some great opportunities to learn about the turmoil that often affects Africa from a perspective I've never had before.

Last week, Dina (my college friend and travel companion) and I went hiking in the Bwindi impenetrable forest to track down a family of mountain gorillas. The experience was spectacular and unforgettable--we got within 10 feet of the gorillas, including a silverback. They were incredibly docile as they munched their leaves, and seemed to only be mildly curious in us.

Yesterday was another highlight, as we went rafting the Nile. We rafted about four class 5 rapids (the highest allowed for rafting). Contrary to what I was expecting, the experience was really intense. Two times our raft was flipped, and I was held underwater for about 15 seconds (the first time only to come up under another raft!). The second time a kayaker had to rescue me--I was coughing up water for about five minutes. It was pretty awesome!

Tomorrow Dina and I will fly to Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, in preparation for our trip to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Following that, we will head to Zanzibar, where I will plan the next five months of my journey!

I'm wishing you all the best--I'll write again when I get a chance!