Since I last sent updates we have traveled some serious distance and made some truly remarkable memories. I experienced my first mosquito bites over here, as well as my first injury (fear not - it's only a couple of big blisters on the bottom of my feet). I also finally feel as if I've entered into the community of Africa and that we have evolved beyond spectators to the foreign world. I have been able to connect with people through charity as well as through community, and have broken bread with many. The intensive travel has become more natural, and I am no longer bothered by the very early mornings and the routine of packing up the tent, kitchen stuff, and all of the food. I have gained some acclaim on the truck for my ability to sleep, and I've also made some strong progress through my summer reading list - both of which have been enjoyable. The others on my journey are great, and I have a lot of respect for our driver and CEO. I am amazed by the spirit others have for travel, and the passion with which they can tell their stories of times spent in far away lands.
The last time I updated the blog we were on day 9, and now it is the end of day 16. In that time we have traveled back from Zanzibar to Tanzania and experienced 2 more camp sites, crossed the border in Malawi for 3 camp sites along the lake, and crossed the border once more into Zambia to arrive at our first camp site in Chipata.
Day 10 was not terribly exciting, and it encompassed a lot of travel. In fact, we were on the road for 8 hours, but we made it to our camp site while the sun was still high in the sky which allowed me to go out for a run. I was terribly excited about the prospect of exercise, but because I didn't bring tennis shoes with my backpack I attempted the jog in my Chacos. We traveled about a mile or two down the road before the skin over my arches began rubbing raw and I had to turn around. The run was great though, and it was the first time on the mainland of Tanzania that I felt as if I was able to interact with people in their towns. A couple of little kids even started running behind us for a bit. Day 10 was somewhat interesting because I decided to practice Ramadan to gain an understanding for the islamic culture and the hardships of fasting that were experienced by the majority of the population in Zanzibar. We had our breakfast before the sun had risen, and I refrained from food and water (and gum and anything else that would enter the mouth) for the remainder of the day until after the sun set. The food part wasn't all that hard, but the water was challenging.
The next day we departed Tan Swiss (the name of our campsite) and made our way to Kisolonga Farm in Iringa over a 5 hour journey. The campsite was incredible. It was owned by a woman who was born in Tanzania but who grew up and completed her studies in England. When her parents passed away she and her siblings made plans to sell the property, but she had a bad dream about the consequences of the sale and decided to stay and develop it into a lodge. She has built a beautiful set of cottages, great, clean facilites, and a very fashionable bar and restaurant. The property also had a huge number of walking trails and beautiful stars, which made the stay very enjoyable. I even saw a couple of shooting stars!
Day 12 (which happened to be the Fourth of July) began really early - 4:30 wake up, 5 am breakfast and 6 am departure. The truck ride was long and bumpy, but at some of our rest stops we took some silly pictures and played some pick up soccer with plastic bottles found on the side of the road. We traveled through the southern part of Tanzania which I just found to be remarkably gorgeous. There were rolling hills and agriculture fields everywhere. It looked very similar to the Tuscany region of Italy. Our CEO Massivu will purchase fruits and snacks as we travel, and at one stop a lady stood by our truck patiently with a bucket of fruits. We were curious as to what they were, so Massivu bought the entire thing off of her, and tipped her 2000 shillings (1600 tanzanian shillings is one dollar) She was so overjoyed that she starting hugging all of her family members and the other women around her. It was a beautiful sight to see her joy. When we crossed the border to Malawi I was able to share some joy as well. The truck had stopped for a restroom break, but Elysia and I had decided to stay in the truck while everyone else departed. A couple of men had walked up to the side of the truck, and while smiling they asked us for a shirt or for shoes. I had the socks from my airline packs, so I got them out to give to the men. They were both absolutely ecstatic and called out in joy and shook my hand. There were also two little boys who arrived at the truck so Mike gave them pens and I added a pad of paper after they asked if they could write a letter. I am still conflicted about giving things to coals for fear of fostering a begging dependency (quoted from the travel company's manual), but the joy I saw in the man's face when he had something to put on his feet was amazing. Malawi really made a quick impression on me, because beyond just the ability to connect with someone through gifts I was also able to feel somewhat useful by helping a woman in the market to get her loaf of bread in the bag when her hands were too full with her baby and other purchases. These moments are truly small and probably insignificant to write about, but the relief it gave me in feeling like I was finally a member of a place and not just an intruder was so important to me. I feel dejected when I can't help others, and the first week I really didn't feel like I had the ability to do so.
The campsite that we arrived at in Malawi for our first night was wonderful. It was called the Chitimber campsite, and it was located on the lake and had a beautiful beach and view of the table mountain. It was absolutely breathtaking - and challenges all of the other places I have ever traveled for the most naturally beautiful. When I made it out to the lake, I was instantly greeted by many men who introduced themselves and shared some information about their homes. They also were selling bracelets and wood carvings. There were also tons of little kids playing on the beach with a homemade soccer ball created out of plastic bags and rubber bands. They were extremely happy kids, and so eager to have their pictures taken and to play with the guests of the campsite. I sat in the stand and talked with a local that went by "Fantastic Steve." He taught me about the local school system, farming, traditional diets and fishing. We talked about economics and I admired the beauty of the area. After this I went to explore the wood carving shops and purchased some really pretty but little carvings. I wish I could have gotten some larger items, but I have absolutely no room to bring them home. I also had my first experience in trade, and was able to give 4 batteries and a pen in exchange for a xmas tree ornament of Africa.
The next day we traveled a little further down the lake (which is MASSIVE - 365 miles long by 52 miles wide). We stopped along the way in Mzuzu where we purchased RIDICULOUS outfits for someone else in our group to wear that night at our party. I got the guy I was assigned to silk heart boxers and a lacy camisole - it was a cruel move but he could definitely take it. We also stopped at a supermarket that was fully stocked with anything you could need - including washing detergent, hair clips and more. It was the first of its kind that I had seen since being in Africa. In the parking lot we met a man from a neighboring village that was selling handmade cards who shared his story about how he is going to train to be an ambassador for HIV/AIDS treatment. 5 years ago Malawi had a 65% rate of HIV, but today the number is down to 35% of the population - still a formidable size. The only failure of the day was the need to go to 5 separate ATMs before being able to withdraw money in the local currency.
That night we arrived at Kande Beach and the locals had an entire pig roasting on a spit for us. We made a punch out of our collections (we had to pay $1 every time we accidentally called the truck a bus), and everyone wore the outfits that were picked out for them in Mzuzu. Saori, one of the girls from Japan, had picked out my outfit and gifted me with a Chilean flag shirt and Disney XS genie pants. The night ended up being a blast, and I met travelers, volunteers, and expats from around the world while watching the World Cup game. After the game we went down to the water to admire the stars, and I learned a bit about the peace corp from an American who had been volunteering with it in Malawi for 16 months.
The next day was unbelievably action packed. After breakfast we departed the campsite for a village tour. Walking out of the gates and into the village was a surreal experience. There were just masses of people waiting to introduce themselves to us and greet us. For each person in our group there were about 3 men talking to us. We walked through the bottom portion of the village and all of these little kids ran up to us and held our hands, pointed to the things in our hands, and yanked on our arms to be swung. They also LOVED having pictures taken of themselves, and would take my camera to take their own pictures. Richard, our tour guide commanded incredible respect amongst the the people in the village. He told us to take many pictures, and to print them and mail them to him when we got home because they will serve as great memories for the kids when they grow up. In the village Richard showed us the chicken coops that each family kept, the fields of casava plants that serve as the staple crop and food item for the people of the community, and showed us the school, the Roman Catholic Church, and the health clinic where we got to see a newborn baby. He also took us to the house he is building and spoke to us about HIV/AIDS initiatives in the community, traditional dances, the clinic and ambulance system, malaria and the schools. He said that the women will dance for 3-5 days and men can tip the woman he likes and start a conversation about a relationship that way. The school was cool - it was built by a New Zealand woman and looked similar to ours at home. The issue, however, was that children had to share a classroom with about 120 other students for one teacher. Teachers in Malawi are only paid $50, but because of the accreditation process they still find it challenging to get enough teachers to bring down the class size. In between our destinations the little kids would come hold our hands even more, and when we got to the bottom part of the village at the end of the tour our original greeters from the gate rejoined us. My favorite part of the experience was going into the church during the sunday service and hearing all of the songs - they were beautiful. The whole walk took us 3 hours and we must have traveled about 10 km or more. I was thankful for lunch time, but the rest wasn't long as I had promised to meet another local at 2 with Sara to go fishing, snorkeling and cliff jumping. We got in a boat that four local boys rowed and made our way to the island. When we arrived we hoped out and clamored across rocks to get to the far side, and began to fish. The poles were just little handmade ones made out of bamboo, fishing line and a hook. There was no reel, so when a fish bit we had to yank it really fast to pull it out of the water. The fish were tiny, but the guy that we were fishing with said that it would make for a good diner for him and his sister. By the end we had caught 20 as a group (I miraculously had caught 10 of them!), then called it a day and went for some cliff jumping. The cliffs were a blast. One was about 7 meters and was an easy jump, and the next was a big 12 meter cliff that spiked my adrenaline. After 3 jumps we got back on the boat to head to shore, deciding to bypass snorkeling because the mask was a little sketchy and there was only one. Upon getting back I went to have my hair braided, which was a very dumb idea since it was wet. It was an incredibly painful experience and I think a lot of my hair was torn in the process. By the time I arrived back at camp I was beat and called it a night after a quick dinner.
Yesterday, Day 15, we traveled to our final campsite in Malawi on the southern tip of the lake in the area of Senga Bay. It was a good site, but I was so exhausted that all I wanted to do was rest and read. Today we crossed the border into Zambia, and we're currently at a cute little campsite outside of Chipata. In 2 more days we will be in Livingstone to see Victoria Falls, and I'll get to see Savanna! We have some painful travel to get there - a 6 am departure tomorrow and about 10 hours in the truck, followed by another long trek the day after. Zambia is supposed to be expensive because of all of the activities and the fact that not all of our meals are provided while in Livingstone, so I think I'll cut down on the souvenirs here and instead go for some adrenaline rushes from the activities.
Note: This blog was written on July 8, but will probably be posted at a later date depending on internet access.
