Hujambo! Ninakaa Dar es Salaam! And I can speak Swahili (of a sort).
Flew out of Dubai Sunday morning and got here around 9:30, had a mission to get the customs guys to find my visa exemption certificate and then no bag arrived for me. Apparently it's very common because if your connection in Kenya is short (50minutes) then they don't have time to get your bags. Signs of this fact: 1) the twenty other luggageless people on my flight and b) the 40 bags taken off our flight which belonged to people from the flights the day before! I remained quite zen about it, mostly due to the spare underwear in my bag and the fact that I was forewarned by Peggy: she had travelled too much to have not lost her bags, yet fate had never caught her out so it would probably aim for me next! By this logic I figure Terminal 5 at Heathrow should be fine!
I'll make this a long one because I don't really know when next I can email. I'm having trouble logging into my emails but I'll keep trying. Comments might be the easiest way to get a short message to me :)
So I got here, short of bags, and met three of my fellow volunteers. Lovely people, lots of fun et.c etc. and they were headed to the beach. So, following the rule of never say no (other than to the Tanzanian man who only knew how to say "I make love, yes?"), I borrowed shorts and a towel and sandals for a trip to the beach of Dar es Salaam. We headed to the touristy one and had a marvelous time! We swam for ages, ate a lovely lunch and played beach volleyball with some Arab men and whoever else felt like playing. And I think I have found my sport! I played briefly in high school, but I think lack of practice has improved me, I did ok! The beach was amazing, think more Fiji than Africa!
Today started our Swahili lessons and thanks to my four chapters of effort I am top of the class :) You all know how happy that makes me. Not that I'm not struggling too, there's heaps to learn and we're sort of thrown in the deep end, but I'm sturggling that little bit less than everyone else!
Now we're at the market in Dar es Salaam. It's colourful and beautiful and just a little scary. Lots of beggars and some people just walking up to us and asking for money. But the smells and the spices! Piles of cardomom and cinnamon all on sheets on the ground, very different to buying a packet at the supermarket. I've taken heaps of photos already but apparently its not very safe to flash stuff around, which makes sense since compared to everyone here we have so much. That's one thing that makes it difficult to say no to the beggers, the money is really quite little compared to NZ dollars and it could make such a difference. But we've been quite strictly told not to, with good explanations... But it's not easy.
The dollar value thing is kind of crazy. Beer is about $1, water is 50c. Because when we changed money we all got big notes we've been paying for eachother and agreeing to make it up later, but it gets quite silly when you realise that if you owe someone 3000 shillingi, that's about $4. Or less than two pounds for all the brits here.
Is this long enough? Have I missed anything? I'm really loving it so far, it takes getting used to but soon I'll be totally fluent! I better go, the others are finishing so we're going to head to a bar for a drink. Hope you're all happy and healthy! I'll try to post again soon, we're headed to Singida (on a ten hour bus ride), which is reasonably civilised so there may be an opportunity in the next few days.
And forgive any mistakes, I'm rushing and it's a strange computer!
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Dubai - Day Two
Dubai is fantastic, I highly recommend a few days here if you're passing through! I probably wouldn't recommend the end of July since it's basically unbearable. The government has decreed that construction workers have to have a two hour break during the middle of the day until the end of August after one worker died and about 4 per day are hospitalised.
I had a great time yesterday at The Mall of the Emirates, it's ridiculously huge. I only really explored the bottom floor but it seemed endless. Every time I thought I'd seen everything I'd turn left into a bit I hadn't seen. They have all the stores we'd recognise, including Winners (not familiar in NZ, sells discount name brands) which was a bit funny. There's the designer street too, YSL, Gucci, Armani... And it's decorated a bit classier than the rest of the mall so it keeps it's elite feel, like a little boulevard :) Ski slope was weird. People skiing in traditional Islamic garb with boots and puffy jacket, it's an unusual sight. I spent a couple hours wandering before getting a taxi home (taxis are really good here, I haven't had a ride cost more than about NZ $10 yet.)
Spent yesterday afternoon reading and learning Swahili because air conditioning is magical and I had no one to guilt me into exploring :)
Today is Thursday and everyone informed me that on Thursday I would go to the Jumeira Mosque, so I did. Basically the Sheik established a centre for cultural understanding and four times a week they hold an educational tour of one of the big mosques. It was very interesting, in a beautiful setting and I learned a lot. It is led by a volunteer and I learned more in an hour and a half than I have ever learned about Islam in my whole life, completely worthwhile. And I took lots of photos. I made someone take one of me so maybe I'll figure out how to put pics up here. Don't hold your breath!
After leaving there I decided home was boring and the guidebook recommended the Dubai Museum so I got another taxi and learned all about Dubai. It's quite funny, they talk about finding stuff that's as old and 3300bce and then skip straight to about 1840 when Dubai was properly settled, so I have no idea what was happening in the 5000 years between. It was pretty interesting, highlight being the super tacky mannequins used to build a souq (marketplace), Bedouin camp and pearl harvest. Much like the Christchurch Museum but bigger and less realistic.
Left there and had a wee wander, found completely by accident the royal court which is beautiful and has its own little village of hotels and shops all pretty and traditional. Then came my big mistake, I decided to keep walking. I walked for about 15 minutes and found what must be the only taxi-scarce area in the whole city. I couldn't flag one down to save my life, which was potentially in need of saving. Heat stroke is very common (cf dead construction workers) and it was about 2pm so very hot. I bought two bottles of water and finished both.
To escape the heat I ducked into a small mall and got lots of staring and looks, I thought maybe because I was a tourist or didn't have a head scarf but when I saw myself in a mirror later I was about the colour of a beet, so probably they were deciding whether I needed an ambulance. Long boring descriptions of me wandering aimlessly, asking directions (from not very helpful people) and flagging every taxi I saw (all full or on wrong side of street) go in here. Finally found a hotel with a taxi stand, hurrah. Nice man turned air con on to the highest setting and got me safely home. I gave a tip.
That's it! Religion, history and a near death experience. All in a day in Dubai.
I had a great time yesterday at The Mall of the Emirates, it's ridiculously huge. I only really explored the bottom floor but it seemed endless. Every time I thought I'd seen everything I'd turn left into a bit I hadn't seen. They have all the stores we'd recognise, including Winners (not familiar in NZ, sells discount name brands) which was a bit funny. There's the designer street too, YSL, Gucci, Armani... And it's decorated a bit classier than the rest of the mall so it keeps it's elite feel, like a little boulevard :) Ski slope was weird. People skiing in traditional Islamic garb with boots and puffy jacket, it's an unusual sight. I spent a couple hours wandering before getting a taxi home (taxis are really good here, I haven't had a ride cost more than about NZ $10 yet.)
Spent yesterday afternoon reading and learning Swahili because air conditioning is magical and I had no one to guilt me into exploring :)
Today is Thursday and everyone informed me that on Thursday I would go to the Jumeira Mosque, so I did. Basically the Sheik established a centre for cultural understanding and four times a week they hold an educational tour of one of the big mosques. It was very interesting, in a beautiful setting and I learned a lot. It is led by a volunteer and I learned more in an hour and a half than I have ever learned about Islam in my whole life, completely worthwhile. And I took lots of photos. I made someone take one of me so maybe I'll figure out how to put pics up here. Don't hold your breath!
After leaving there I decided home was boring and the guidebook recommended the Dubai Museum so I got another taxi and learned all about Dubai. It's quite funny, they talk about finding stuff that's as old and 3300bce and then skip straight to about 1840 when Dubai was properly settled, so I have no idea what was happening in the 5000 years between. It was pretty interesting, highlight being the super tacky mannequins used to build a souq (marketplace), Bedouin camp and pearl harvest. Much like the Christchurch Museum but bigger and less realistic.
Left there and had a wee wander, found completely by accident the royal court which is beautiful and has its own little village of hotels and shops all pretty and traditional. Then came my big mistake, I decided to keep walking. I walked for about 15 minutes and found what must be the only taxi-scarce area in the whole city. I couldn't flag one down to save my life, which was potentially in need of saving. Heat stroke is very common (cf dead construction workers) and it was about 2pm so very hot. I bought two bottles of water and finished both.
To escape the heat I ducked into a small mall and got lots of staring and looks, I thought maybe because I was a tourist or didn't have a head scarf but when I saw myself in a mirror later I was about the colour of a beet, so probably they were deciding whether I needed an ambulance. Long boring descriptions of me wandering aimlessly, asking directions (from not very helpful people) and flagging every taxi I saw (all full or on wrong side of street) go in here. Finally found a hotel with a taxi stand, hurrah. Nice man turned air con on to the highest setting and got me safely home. I gave a tip.
That's it! Religion, history and a near death experience. All in a day in Dubai.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Still alive
21 hours after I left Christchurch I am in Dubai! So far it looks really cool (I have seen the drive to here from the airport, so a well rounded view!) A mix of old style and new, with a very big park in the middle, considering it's a desert country. Flying Emirates was fine, saw about four bad movies, but at least I got to choose which bad movies to watch.
It's about 40 degrees here, which is kind of a nice change from NZ winer. I'm going to the Emirates mall later today - the one with the indoor ski field. I cannot imagine a situation which involved me choosing to ski, indoors or out, but I might watch other people ski!
Customs was weird... There were two lines, one green, one red (nothing to declare/stuff to declare) but nothing which told you what you had to declare. So I went green and hoped nobody stopped me. That story would be improved if I had talked a burly customs officer into letting me keep my ceremonial grass bowl, but actually no one even looked at me let alone wanted to check my bag. I'm so used to NZ, where they're paranoid about any microbes you might be dragging in.
So that's it. I'm in Dubai. It's hot and pretty.
It's about 40 degrees here, which is kind of a nice change from NZ winer. I'm going to the Emirates mall later today - the one with the indoor ski field. I cannot imagine a situation which involved me choosing to ski, indoors or out, but I might watch other people ski!
Customs was weird... There were two lines, one green, one red (nothing to declare/stuff to declare) but nothing which told you what you had to declare. So I went green and hoped nobody stopped me. That story would be improved if I had talked a burly customs officer into letting me keep my ceremonial grass bowl, but actually no one even looked at me let alone wanted to check my bag. I'm so used to NZ, where they're paranoid about any microbes you might be dragging in.
So that's it. I'm in Dubai. It's hot and pretty.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Itinerary
Everyone keeps asking where I'll be when so here is an itinerary of approximate wheres and whens:
Tuesday July 22 - Leave Christchurch at 6.05pm for Dubai (via Sydney.) Arrive in Dubai at 5.45am on the 23rd. I have four days to explore the city, hopefully see some islands being made and stay with some friends who used to live across the road.
Sunday July 27th - Leave Dubai at 3.10 am (ouch) for Dar es Salaam (via Nairobi) arriving at 9.20 am.
This is where I spend 10 weeks in Tanzania, 7 of those weeks with the Volunteer Africa programme. for more info on the programme visit these links:
www.volunteerafrica.org
www.volunteerafrica.org/green/singida/mvaemedicalstaffhouses2008
We have a week of language and culture classes first in Dar es Salaam then I head to Singida on Tuesday 29th ish and on to Mvae at the end of that week.
Sept 15th I head off on new adventures, hopefully travelling with my brand spanking new volunteer buddies to do a safari, explore some old cities and relax in Zanzibar.
Sunday October 5th - I depart Dar es Salaam for Athens (via Doha for an eight hour layover) and arrive in Athens at midday on Monday.
Then I have 9 weeks to make my way from Athens to London and I intend to see quite a lot on the way!
Greece: 2-3 weeks with a sojourn to Istanbul from Thessaly. Also: Santorini, Epidauros and a tour of the Cyclades with various stops in between. Take a ferry to the east coast of Italy in mid-to-late-October.
Italy: 2 weeks: Rome, Siena, Venice, Verona and Milan. Maybe a stop to Pisa but I'm not sure I'm hugely interested in such a failure of engineering . The Acropolis and the Colosseum are still standing, why visit the thing that's not?
France: 2-3 weeks: Lyon, to visit Laura and visit the south of France and pop into Barcelona for a bit. Paris, obviously, where I will decide just how much I'm will to spend on overweight baggage fines.
England/Ireland: 2-3 weeks: Visit London. Re-evaluate baggage fine decision. At some point head to Dublin and hope that there's a floor to sleep on with Frances and Laura.
Friday Dec 12 - Depart Heathrow (from Terminal 5, awesome. I'll check in 6 hours early) at 11:50am and arrive in Toronto at 2.50pm. Four weeks in Canada to visit people and skate on frozen stuff and make use of my boots.
Sometime around Jan 10th head to Boston and New York with a couple of days in each one. Make it to LA for my flight on the 18th. This part is way less planned than anything else :)
Sunday Jan 18th - Depart LAX 8:30pm for Auckland arriving at 6:10am on Tuesday the 20th. Then home sweet home to Christchurch.
Now you know what I know!
Tuesday July 22 - Leave Christchurch at 6.05pm for Dubai (via Sydney.) Arrive in Dubai at 5.45am on the 23rd. I have four days to explore the city, hopefully see some islands being made and stay with some friends who used to live across the road.
Sunday July 27th - Leave Dubai at 3.10 am (ouch) for Dar es Salaam (via Nairobi) arriving at 9.20 am.
This is where I spend 10 weeks in Tanzania, 7 of those weeks with the Volunteer Africa programme. for more info on the programme visit these links:
www.volunteerafrica.org
www.volunteerafrica.org/green/singida/mvaemedicalstaffhouses2008
We have a week of language and culture classes first in Dar es Salaam then I head to Singida on Tuesday 29th ish and on to Mvae at the end of that week.
Sept 15th I head off on new adventures, hopefully travelling with my brand spanking new volunteer buddies to do a safari, explore some old cities and relax in Zanzibar.
Sunday October 5th - I depart Dar es Salaam for Athens (via Doha for an eight hour layover) and arrive in Athens at midday on Monday.
Then I have 9 weeks to make my way from Athens to London and I intend to see quite a lot on the way!
Greece: 2-3 weeks with a sojourn to Istanbul from Thessaly. Also: Santorini, Epidauros and a tour of the Cyclades with various stops in between. Take a ferry to the east coast of Italy in mid-to-late-October.
Italy: 2 weeks: Rome, Siena, Venice, Verona and Milan. Maybe a stop to Pisa but I'm not sure I'm hugely interested in such a failure of engineering . The Acropolis and the Colosseum are still standing, why visit the thing that's not?
France: 2-3 weeks: Lyon, to visit Laura and visit the south of France and pop into Barcelona for a bit. Paris, obviously, where I will decide just how much I'm will to spend on overweight baggage fines.
England/Ireland: 2-3 weeks: Visit London. Re-evaluate baggage fine decision. At some point head to Dublin and hope that there's a floor to sleep on with Frances and Laura.
Friday Dec 12 - Depart Heathrow (from Terminal 5, awesome. I'll check in 6 hours early) at 11:50am and arrive in Toronto at 2.50pm. Four weeks in Canada to visit people and skate on frozen stuff and make use of my boots.
Sometime around Jan 10th head to Boston and New York with a couple of days in each one. Make it to LA for my flight on the 18th. This part is way less planned than anything else :)
Sunday Jan 18th - Depart LAX 8:30pm for Auckland arriving at 6:10am on Tuesday the 20th. Then home sweet home to Christchurch.
Now you know what I know!
Thursday, 3 July 2008
The start of a beautiful journey...
Ok, so I figured there was no way I would keep up with the emailing groups but maybe I'll update this and you can check out what I'm doing. Also, I'll say it once here out of necessity, there should be no use of the word "blog" within my eyeshot (yes, I am aware of the site name...) because it is a horrible word. Definitely the most dislikeable word created in the last 20 years. So I will keep and update a web journal for news. There might even be photos if I can figure it out!
So the story thus far... I leave in two and a half weeks and I am either super organised or super unorganised, I can't tell which. Also I'm already bored with writing this so probably updates will be short and infrequent.
So the story thus far... I leave in two and a half weeks and I am either super organised or super unorganised, I can't tell which. Also I'm already bored with writing this so probably updates will be short and infrequent.
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