The Allure of Tanzania

After our outstanding Safari experience, the 5 of us flew to Zanzibar to relax on the beach for another 5 days.  Zanzibar is an island just off the coast of mainland Tanzania.  It’s surrounded by the beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean, an ocean none of us had ever taken a dip in. 

Zanzibar itself has an interesting history as it once was a powerful city-state made rich by supplying slaves, gold and ivory to other parts of the world.  Traders from Persia, Arabia and Portugal all once ruled here.  The trade from Islamic countries left its mark on Zanzibar’s religious makeup as the majority of its inhabitants are Muslim.  However the Tanzanians have added their own personal flair, as their Islamic clothing (headscarves and such) is far more colourful and lively than those we saw in the Middle East.

Activity wise the time spent was uneventful which was pretty sweet.  Di and I realized it was the first time on our travels where we could just sit around, read and nap by the ocean.  Relaxing on a white sand beach with my parents and sis was a great way to finish off our little family vacation.  The Indian Ocean is spectacular, and hopefully we’ll return to its waters in the Maldives or somewhere like that before our year is up.

After we left Zanzibar we went to Dar Es Salaam for a day before Andrea and my parents were to leave.  There we met up with a friend of my dad’s who ended up being one of the most interesting guys we’ve talked to so far on this trip.  He worked for the US government and took us into the US Embassy where he had the biggest office (George W. Bush stole it when he was in town).  For years he has been working in a lot of different countries in Africa and Asia for USAID (US Agency for International Development) and thus had some pretty crazy stories.  After my family left for home Di and I actually stayed at his house for a couple days where we were able to learn about US foreign policy and their aid programs all over the world.  It was also pretty cool to hear about the foreign policies of other powers (such as China) in this region.  He had keen insight as to why many countries in this region are mired in poverty, struggle and war.  It’s been easy to debate these topics with other people on our travels but to really get information and thoughts from someone whose job it is to deal with these issues was really educational.

We met someone in Israel who told us we were making a mistake by not visiting the other countries of East Africa, namely Uganda and Rwanda, especially to track the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas in the jungle.  Others told us that getting close to these amazing beasts after searching for them in the wild on foot was an experience that was really hard to top.  So with our Lonely Planet East Africa and our Skpe account we tried to organize said track by calling those countries to get a permit.  Unfortunately only 50 or so of these passes are sold per day at 500 US dollars each, and they are reserved up to 2 years in advance.  So no, there weren’t any last minute cancellations to open up 2 free permits for us.  The recent tragic bombing in Kampala, Uganda (July 12, 2010) that killed over 70 people didn’t inspire much confidence either so we decided to return to at a later date in our lives. 

For those looking for a 2-3 week vacation that envelops adventure, animals and relaxation Tanzania is a perfect destination.  Kilimanjaro will challenge you, the safari will amaze you, and Zanzibar will rejuvenate you.  Personally I’m kind of happy that they didn’t have any gorilla permits for us to buy, because that means that one day we’ll have to return to this part of the world.  In addition to seeing gorillas there’s still a lot left for us to do here, including contributing time to helping the people.  There are plentiful volunteer opportunities, and in the future we plan to come back to do some humanitarian work.  East Africa has huge public health issues to deal with, especially with regards to HIV/AIDS and malaria.  We met volunteers from all over the world here doing their part and we hope to as well.

Our friend from USAID is quite confident that even with the problems that afflict the region, East Africa is on the up and up, especially Tanzania.  His 4 year service term was supposed to be up a couple of years ago, but he has decided to stay and I can see why.  There is an undeniable allure in this country, whether it be the stomp of the elephant, the turquoise of the ocean, the melting snows of Kilimanjaro, or the smiles of its people.  There is a beauty and simplicity here that’s taken hold of us, leaving us no option but to return.