After days of sleeping on buses, trains, and airplanes, we were met early in the morning by our good friend Shinith’s brother Shinoy.  He was an amazing sight to see.  We took a taxi to his family’s house in the village of Thellacherry.

Not sure what our expectation was for a house in the village but this was not it.  Their house was huge, beautiful, and such a comfort.  When traveling or living abroad, I can’t put into words how amazing it feels to have people take you in and treat you like you’re family.

We had coconut juice fresh from the trees, amazing home cooked food, and Shinoy to show us around the town.

We went for some sightseeing trips that included a 20 plus km drivable beach, a carnival, and a long drive through the hills.  Shinoy wanted to make sure we didn’t come all this way to just to sit around his house, even though we were really enjoying having tea, chatting with his dad, and relaxing in the quiet village.

It was sad to not have Shinith there, but his family was amazing.  Shinoy did so much to make us feel welcome.  We stayed for 2 nights and left on Christmas day to catch a train to Cochin.

Christmas day had a few amazing moments.  Our day started with a short drive in an auto-rickshaw to a local temple to witness Theyyam.  This includes dancing, blessing worshipers and in the end the sacrifice of a live chicken.  Rorey would not be very excited to see an animal sacrifice on any day let alone on Christmas.

Chicken Sacrifice

The people at the small temple were very welcoming, and made us feel comfortable about being the first tourists to come to the temple and witness this.  If ever in Kerala, there are many chances to see Theyyam.  They host nightly dances in some tourist areas, or during December just ask around and you will find one in a nearby village.

We were met with a surprise Christmas dinner that included noodles and a Christmas cake.  This was an amazing gesture from a family that has never celebrated Christmas before.

Christmas T.V. special with hyped up classic Christmas songs.

Shinoy got us in contact with a friend of his to help plan the rest of our trip.  It was the best thing we could have done.  The next few days were going to be no stress travel.

Now, not only was the bus and absolute disaster, but we had also been warned about the journey in a round-a-bout way by a woman we met at the market the day before. After telling her where we were from and where we were going she told us a short story. It went like this: Oh, Mangalore. I was engaged to a lovely man once who lived in Mangalore. My mother went down to Mangalore on bus to meet the groom and family and to finalize the union. When she got back she said the marriage was off because no daughter of hers would ever be taking the bus trip from Goa to Mangalore, never ever. She was scared out of her wits and thought her daughter would surely die.

Well, that is what we were up against and after seeing the bus, I assumed all hope was lost. The ride was definitely as bad as the woman made it out to be, but there was one saving grace. We stopped at a small town for a bathroom break and there just happened to be a holiday celebration going on. There were all of these art pieces made of colorful rice outside of small shops and houses that were beautiful and festive. Walking around was definitely a mood lifter and we almost hastily decided to bag the trip and just stay there for the night since, it was so terrible on the bus, but decided against it. In the long run, it would have been much harder. But the pit-stop was truly a diamond in the rough.

Luckily, we arrived in one piece  and no thanks to our driver) at four in the morning. It was just as crazy as the old woman’s trip was, and we are fortunate to make it without toppling over the side of the road. Overall, experiences like this can only make us stronger, right?

With wobbly knees and a fuzzy head, we stepped out of the bus, got our bearings and stepped inside a friendly man’s auto-rickshaw. He took us to a great little cheap hostel that rents rooms by the hour. This may sound seedy, but for travelers, it actually means that you can only pay for the 24 hours you are there. For example, if you are there, say from 4 am to 4 pm like we were going to be, you only pay for one day, not the night before and the night after like typical hotels. It had hot water and was close to the train station so it was fine by me.

We slept another few hours in a bed, for the first time in days, and then got up and headed out to the train station. By now, this was getting quite tiring, but we had no other choice, we had to get to Kerala. When we got there they sent us away again without tickets and said to come 30 minutes before the train left at 5:00 in the morning to get tickets and that this was the only way. We had nothing to do but trust them, so we turned around and headed out to see what Mangalore had to offer.

First, we had some incredible south indian food at a local restaurant. What was funny though, about our situation, was that the packed dining area for locals was not where we ate, the manager sat us in a dark, small, quiet, air-conditioned family room and we were one of two tables. No matter, we let him do what he wanted. If he wanted to keep the riff-raff out of his dining room, so be it. (He actually probably thought he was being nice, but it was just strange.)

After that, we headed out to the mall to go shopping. A little spree was in order. There is not much shopping in Dar and what is there is expensive, so we bought a couple of places out of exciting things like work pants, under shirts and socks. For not really shopping in months, it was not the most exciting shopping trip, but it served its purpose.

Then back to the strange restaurant for dinner and back to the hotel for a rest before heading to the train station. Everything did work out as planned at the train station and before we knew it, it was 5:30 am and we were heading to meet our friends family in Kerala.

Nothing much was too eventful or important to note about Mangalore except maybe that the traffic police wore white cowboy hats… no kidding. I really wish I got a photo.

I was tired, hungry and hot. Our fifteen minute to walk to get train tickets in the morning turned into a six-hour escapade, so I headed back to the hotel to get lunch and rest. Luckily, Cody was up for more, so he went out and acquired some bus tickets on an overnight coach that left at 9 pm. We decided to make the best of it, so we rested, ate dinner and headed out to the station. The bus was lovely. Comfortable, quiet, warm and spacious. They even showed a Bollywood movie that we really got a kick out of.

Once in Goa, it was a little of the same, just on another day. Arrived in the am. Headed to about 4 travel agents to try to get train tickets, took a local bus out to the train station 10 km away only to find that there, yet again, all of the tickets were sold out. Well, that meant that another bus was in order. We booked another set of overnight tickets and headed out to make the best of another wasted day.

The small town in Goa offered a wonderful meal and a beer, a great 5 square block market and some cards at a local watering hole. The only photo I took in two days in India was a picture of the back of Cody’s head. It was just one of those days… actually two of those days. Exhausting, frustrating and yet, completely fun thanks to a great traveling partner.

Dear FutureMe,

I am sitting in the hotel room in Bangkok after just two days ago signing our contract to move to Tanzania. I know right now you might be asking yourself “what were you thinking?” but I hope that is not the case.

Remember the couple Chip and Judy who had Tanzania as their first choice? Remember the hugs you got from David when you told him that you were going to sign the contract? Remember how excited Tony H. was for both of you? Remember talking to Kathy and Rick about this amazing experience? And most of all, remember talking to Cody about making a life of this and sharing many life goals and ambitions.

You were in Bangkok because you wanted this, and I hope that is is everything you wanted it to be and more. You went on Safari, broke into the general education field, probably have some awesome upper graders and have met some cool friends.

Have you missed family and friends terribly, been eaten by mosquitoes, cried a little, had some power outages or water shortages, forgotten important things at home, missed Taco Bell and chex mix and roti channi, or questioned what you are doing?

When you get discouraged, remember all of the positive things and keep your head up. Call a friend on skype, go work out, talk to Cody, cook something, read a book or even write your future self a letter on futureme.org.

Just know that there is definitely one person proud of all that you have done and had the strength to do…me!

Here’s to one more fantastic year!

Kerala Backwaters

Today has been a tornado of unpacking, cleaning up after the Dar es Salaam flood (more to come on that later) and getting our lives back together before school starts. Cody is already napping and I am getting ready to delve into our journal and photos to put some posts together, but wanted to share some things before I start the daunting task of uploading a ton of photos to share given our internet situation.

Things about India that were totally surprising:

• Everyone is friendly and helpful for the sake of being friendly and helpful. They really do not want something from you other than to be a kind human being.
• Lots of people speak English from young children to older adults. There are very few travel challenges due to language.
• Caucasians are often attractions. There will be more on this later but it involves lots of giggling, cameras and Cody replying “sure.”
• People drive crazy here and this is considering all of the other crazy driving countries I have lived or traveled in. Mom, you can never go to India…. ever.
• You often have to pay to use your camera. The fee is nominal and they typically post a sign stating this. It is not a big deal, just different from other places I have been.
• Families do lots of things in public together. These include the mother and father with their children.
• Many people are Christians and we visited quite a few churches. (I got lots of photos in memory of my Aunt Frannie.)
• Everything smells delicious. There are aromas that please the nose at every turn. These delightful odors sneak up on you from a variety of sources including oils worn by locals, street food, crops of spices on the side of the road or the incense seeping out onto the street.
• You often have to pay for the toilet and don’t forget to bring your own tissue.
• Alcohol is not readily available and women rarely drink in public.
• In cheap hotels, hot water showers are like three-horned purple unicorns… non-existent.
• While traveling in India, you can easily escape the crowds which was my biggest deterrent for traveling to India. It is truly not a concern if you plan the right trip.
• Train tickets are hard to come by during the holidays.
• Indian locals travel all over their own country as tourists (see above.)
• The country is beautiful and the landscape varies drastically.
• I loved it and cant wait to go back.

The weather was cooler and overcast and it was the perfect day to spend outside. Our tour guide did a wonderful job of explaining spice related facts to us such as:

• It is one of a few places in the world where saffron is produced
• Cinnamon roots are used as medicine similar to Vicks
• Cloves and cinnamon are the king and queen of spices

It was very fun and educational. During the tour, the guides made us some banana leaf glasses, found us some natural lipstick, sang a song and climbed a coconut tree barefoot, made us a bag, crown and ring and quizzed us on the identification of each spice. I recommend it for every visitor of Zanzibar.

View From the Dhow

Snorkel Masters

Our group decided on taking a dhow boat to a little island off the coast of Zanzibar to go snorkeling. The day was sunny and beautiful and the price is right, so we booked it and hopped on board. The ride out was quick and the captain used the motor. After suiting up, and hopping in the water, we took a look around.

The snorkeling was good, but not spectacular. We got to see some cool smaller fish, and Cody and I spend about 10 minutes watching a baby clown fish hang out in an anemone. We also spied some puffer fish. I held back the temptation to scare it, since I remember what Jess and Jeff taught me back in the days of owning a salt water aquarium. You may not know this, but evidentially, when they “puff” it puts stress on their little bodies. With that said, we watched it from afar and checked out all of the other cool things under the water.

Catching a Ride to Lunch

After snorkeling, we hopped back on the boat and headed to a private beach for a fresh cooked lunch of fish, rice, vegetables and fruit. It was quite good for cooking on the side of the shore.

Zanzibar Lighthouse

Fishermen

Fast Approaching Boat

The Boat Passing Us

Then we hopped back on the boat and hunkered in for the long ride back. We did not know it at the time, but we were in for a long, long sailing journey since they did not use the engine. It was odd, because since the trip is popular, there were a lot of dhow boats out there. I would see one catching up to us, and pass us quickly without even using their engine. I guess we just had some bad wind. It was not all bad though; at one point on the horizon, I spotted 72 boats! The sight was beautiful.

Spectacular Dhow Boats

Dhow Boats on the Horizon

It is a trip I would recommend. The price was very affordable, the water and island are beautiful, and it was cool to ride in a dhow boat. We even befriended some fellow teachers working at an international school in Moshi, Tanzania. It was cool getting a different perspective on life as an expat in another area of the country. Overall, the day trip is just one more reason to go to Zanzibar!

Shop Sign

Meandering our way up cozy, stone streets that reminded me of Venice, we found the shop Upendo, which means love in Kiswahili. The Upendo mission is to empower local women through education and work. The organization has evolved into a sewing school, workshop and store which sells wonderful clothing for adults and children. The workers use traditional fabrics from Zanzibar full of amazing colors and patterns and the clothing is simple and comfortable. All of the proceeds go to the school and organization with the mission of helping more women in the future.

If you are in Stone Town and searching for a fantastic store worthy of your dime, please check out Upendo.

Mozzie Nets are so Romantic

Next, we suited up and headed outside to check out the beach. With beautiful white sand, blue water and a beach bar nearly 50 yards away, there was nothing to complain about.

While we were in Kendwa, we went on a dhow boat sunset cruise. The weather was touch and go, but we decided to go for it. The reward was ours when we found out we were the only ones on the boat due to the weather.

Kendwa Beach

View from the Boat

Watching the Sail Being Raised

Cold Me

That evening, we learned a great Spanish card game called escoba. One evening, while playing, we ordered some dessert. As soon as the banana pancake was placed on our table, I noticed something strange. An avocado. It was interesting, but fantastic. Maybe it is something I will bring back with me… banana’s and avocados.

Manual Labor

On the way to Kendwa our van got a flat tire. The road seemed to chew up the entire tire into a hundred shredded pieces. Luckily we were able to stop safely on the empty road and change it without a hitch. There were a few houses by the side of the road and we turned into the main attraction for the day. All of the children and women came out to see what was going on. As our driver changed the tire, we got to practice our Kiswahili and you won’t believe how the locals responded. There were screams, screeches, giggles and a few children ran away yelling. I think it was a positive reaction though because there were lots of smiles.

Villagers Posing for a Picture

Some highlights of the experience were the rogue chickens trying to eat the drying grains while everyone had their backs turned, the large knives that the little girls were holding, and all of the smiles we got. It could have been much worse with a flat tire in some other foreign country.

Rainy Day Pool

Hotel Lobby

Tiled Bathtub

After our evening festivities, in the morning, before we got a ride to our next destination, we decided to take a walk around. The town is quaint, peaceful and beautiful, especially after some rain. We walked down to some shops, past the waterfront and towards the ferry. We only had about an hour but it was plenty of time to realize that we had to come back and explore more.

Stone Town Street

Stone Town Tunnel

Stone Town Waterfront

Rainy Zanzibar Puddle

All in all, Stone Town was a great place to visit and it is so nice that it is only about two hours away round-trip. We will definitely be spending more time there and look forward to exploring more.

Birthday Celebration at the Airport

A short taxi ride later and we were at the airport waiting for our small puddle jumper to take us 20 minutes across the Indian Ocean. I got to sit in the front next to the pilot and be a silent co-pilot. I only had one slight mishap as co-pilot. I crossed my legs which did not allow him to pull back on the steering wheel to get us off the ground. Quickly I uncrossed my legs and pulled them tightly to me so I would not impede any further actions taken by the expert.

The plane landed safely with no help from me, hopped in a taxi that Mr. Zanzibar had waiting for us and went in search of the hotel. We found it, dropped our bags off and went to dinner. The restaurant was lovely and right on the water, although it was too dark to see the scenery. Afterwards, David found us a popular place to go get some drinks called Livingston Restaurant & Bar. It was a fun night filled with drinks, dancing and some lovely entertainment provided by a very drunk solo-dancer. Pole in Kiswahili is pronounced po-lay and means sorry, so we named him the “pole dancer” due to his sorry moves and sorry state of being.

During the evening, we learned two Spanish Birthday traditions. First, if it is your Birthday and you are from Spain, you pick up the tab. This was quite a shock for Cody and I who tried to pay for dinner, since it is our American tradition to treat the person having the Birthday. These two traditions are in direct opposition, but David insisted since it was his Birthday and he is from Spain.

The second tradition was fun to learn about and I think that Cody and I will bring it back to the US with us. When it is your Birthday in Spain, everyone who is around you gets to pull your ear lobes. One pull equals one year of life. I will not mention how many times we pulled on David’s ear lobes, but I can guess that after the three of us, they must have been pretty sore.

Spanish Birthday Tradition

We closed the night with a late-night Zanzibar burger and a short walk home. I would not really recommend the burger, not because I don’t even eat beef, but because the boys both tried it, said it was awful. Pole sana…

Try It Cody, It Is Tasty

All in all, it was a great night and an excellent start to our holiday!

Happy Birthday to David!

Karibu From Us

Some include…

• amazingly friendly local people of Dar and all other places we have already traveled to
• wonderful sunny weather that is not only hot, but comes with seasons
• beautiful beaches and water within walking
• full holiday vacations only 40 minutes away
• small villages to visit
• farm animals at almost every turn
• spunky and rhythmic local music
• energetic and enthusiastic dance partners
• a shopping mall and many grocery stores full of most needed amenities
• an adequate two-screen movie theater
• brilliant and colorful fabrics everywhere you look
• afternoon drinks on the beach
• tasty local barbequed chicken, lamb and beef
• tons of fresh veggies
• ripe and sweet tropical fruit
• our reliable and generous driver Justin
• our Kiswahili teacher, Mama J
• and friends, friends, friends

So if this and the next many posts do not convince you all that Tanzania is not a fantastic, wonderful and safe place to visit, I guess I need to work a lot harder on this here little blog.

Like the day before, we saw many different elephant families around the park.  This would be a continuing theme for this trip.  The “Tembo Trip” I guess we could call it.  Tembo is KiSwahili for Elephant.  The best area for watching wildlife on each trip into the park was the small hippo pool.  We were able to see a large group of elephants with many young kids enjoying the water.

Small hippo pool

Along with the elephants, we saw zebras, giraffes, impalas, and warthogs.  We witnessed an impala battle between two males, but it didn’t last long enough for a photo.  The warthogs were one of my personal highlights.  The kids just wanted to find lions.

Small hippo pool

And then, finally to the students glee, we came upon 4 lions.  All female, sitting along side one of the tracks.  They would get up and walk a few meters, then sit back down.  Up again, a few meters, then back down.  From what I heard this is pretty common and the lions have a couldn’t be bothered attitude.

At one point, they were just walking down the track in front of the bus, where one lion decided to take a rest.

My favorite photo is when I was fortunate enough to catch a sleepy lion yawning.

This is just one of the many reasons I love living in Tanzania.

The bus ride is about 5 hours depending on traffic and the driver.  I rode in the large bus with 20 students and 4 other adults.  The ride there was great without a hitch.

Once we arrived at the camp, the students went to their Bandas to settle in and get ready for our first game drive.  I decided to take some pictures around the camp.  The elephants were out in force.  There was a large group by the closest watering hole.

Elephants at the Mikumi Camp Watering Hole

As I was watching a noticed one of the larger elephants breaking from the group and walking past me.  I took a couple of photos of him and then continued to watch the large group.

Elephant breaking from the herd

When I checked back with the lone elephant I noticed he was heading toward the bandas at a leisurely pace.  I thought “Hmmm, how close will he get?  I bet the kids are going to love this.”  I took a few photos.  He stopped moving, and I thought all was well and again, went back to the elephant group.

Lone elephant heading toward the bandas

Then I took another look back and he was on the move again, heading straight through camp.  While the students were supposed to be in their bandas I was a little worried that they would be curious enough to get too close to the elephant.  I ran over to the student bandas and we put them all on lock-down.  ”Look out your windows, but nobody is to go outside on the porches.”  Some staff came out to speed up the elephant moving on, but he didn’t seem to notice.  We stayed on lock-down for about 15 minutes as he roamed around the camp.

Elephant heading into the camp

Staff attempting to shoo away the elephant

Once he moved to a safe distance, the students came out and we heading out on our first game drive.  We had only been in Mikumi for an hour and this was already a great trip.  I couldn’t wait to see what was coming next.

Beautiful Ant Home

I love being in Tanzania because the nature is so much different from what I am used to. For example, not only did I find these on the play field, but just yesterday, one of my girls came in after recess with a huge snake-skin in her hand. So cool!

Mr. Peter usually performs with a 5-6 foot snake, but the snake had just eaten and like you and I, no swimming (or performing) for 1 hour after a meal. It was very interesting seeing Mr. Peter come in off the street in his street clothes, petition for us to be his audience, and then change into this. He was a regular one man band and his voice was amazing.

David Debating a Purchase

Cody Giving the Marimba a Try

He sang and danced for about 15 minutes and then he came around selling some handmade marimbas. A couple of us in our party bought them as souvenirs. The sound was awesome and it will serve as a lovely reminder of our first weekend on Zanzibar.

The Gang of Zanzibar Travelers

Hopefully soon, I will be able to upload my 2 minute video, but it has not worked yet. Keep your fingers crossed because it was really cool!

The low tides gave us a chance to walk out and meet people who work doing seaweed farming. The nets are staked with wooden carved stakes and within the seaweed, there are urchins that set up their homes there so when you are in the water, you have to be cautious.

Seaweed Transport