But thoughts of Africa are still strong and I SO want to go back soon.
Showed my friends my pics on Saturday and all agreed I looked much healthier and happier in Africa (a London winter is challenging even to the most naturally radiant complexions).
I am also delighted to report that I have had emails from my ladies - hurrah! I am less delighted to report that the package I sent about two months ago has yet to turn up.
I urge everyone to watch this series - especially now they’ve reached sub-Saharan Africa. I had a smile on my face the size of the Equator - it really brings Africa to life from poverty and senseless fighting to elephants on your doorstep.
It was fabulous to see everyone again on Saturday. The best thing was we were ‘never before seen’ clean and tidy: some might even say glam!
So to make my last night in Africa more authentic the lights have gone off! Packing by candlelight? Hmmm…could be a challenge!
My last real day in Moshi. Class was short mainly because I only had three pupils - all the others were preparing for my party! So at one o’clock I went to my party and it was so lovely: really good food. I bought a cake and we did the whole cakey song and feeding it business which was fun if slightly…well just hysterical. I think I previously would have been mortified but I’ve discovered half the battle is just “going for it”. I got a lovely present of a top and a skirt in a material that I’ve been admiring for weeks and never said anything - they knew me better than I thought! I hope they liked the presents which were my things - a sort of mish mash but I hope they like them because I meant to give them with love but ranged from a pillowcase (random) to hand cream. I even gave away my sunglasses (which are the envy of most of the children in Njoro) to Junior. I also brought a present for Mama Mmassy’s eldest daughter who just had her baby and they asked if I would like to go and see her so I got to see a very tiny and cute baby.
All was well until they started singing for me. They had made up or adapted a couple of songs and it was just so lovely. I managed to video most of it except that I couldn’t video the song that ended up with most of us in tears. It was a wonderful time, it was all for me which was slightly strange and I still think about all the things I could have, should have done…but I realise what I’ve done is enough for these ladies and it was a wonderful end to a wonderful time.
So today I had to say my first “good bye” because I was leaving - no fun at all.
Back from paradise where it rained today - how dare it?! Actually wasn’t too bad in Paje but there were rather unpleasant floods in Stone Town.
Managed to get back with my rucksack as hand luggage but not without some irritating git making me open everything including my notebook - what was I smuggling - sand?!
Quite glad to be back in Moshi, feels a bit like home so I have no idea what proper home will feel like. On the down side some Germans have moved into the guest house and where are they currently drinking beer and talking loudly? At the bar? Oh no, at the table about 3 feet from my bed - hurrah! Forgot to mention that in Zanzibar where there’s about four sunbeds per person, what did the Germans do? Yes, put their towels out before they went to breakfast - is it a national psychosis? If only the Third Reich had known, they just could have put some beach towels out all over Europe and there would have been no need for any of that silly war business! Apart from the Americans and the English, they are my least favourite holidaying race.
Well I’ve just had one of life’s more energetic massages! No pleasantly drifting off to sleep - she was exceedingly firm! Plus the added sand means I am very well exfoliated. I am also a bit pink today - the breeze means you never quite realise how strong the sun is and my new itsy bitsy bikini has given me comedy tan lines - hmmm potentially not a good look.
Other things I mean to wrie about but keep forgetting: Tanzania has been a bit of a fruit adventure. I;ve tried mango (not as sweet as at home so therefore much nicer), papaya, passionfruit (too many pippy bits although the flavour is quite nice), even oranges (just to suck the juice out of) plus tons of pineapple and watermelon - mmm. Okay not an exciting adventure for most people but quite exciting for me. Oh I’ve also eaten avocado like a fruit here which was a bit odd although to my mind they don’t let them ripen enough.
The other thing I’ve noticed is the really good clouds you get here. Admittedly they don’t have many clouds but the ones they do have are almost perfect: all white a fluffy and like the clouds you draw when you’re little. I spent quite a long time watching clouds yesterday (trying not to read too fast) and it was really interesting how bits of clouds would break off and then dissolve - there’s probably a scientific term for it but I just know it was pretty to watch.
I have spied a new single person today so hopefully we can add her to our sad singles group or I can make a bid for freedom. I’ve ordered a seafood platter tonight which I’m very excited about but I don’t want it to be spoiled by strained conversation - truth is Mr Norway and I have kind of peaked on the chatting front.
Got paired off with the only other single person last night, a Norwegian guy in his 50s which was fine, all the couples were getting quite panicky though - lone female alert, I don’t know why people get so worried about it - may be it’s just too distracting from their coupledom.
Have had an exhausting day doing absolutely nothing - well I lay on a sun bed, went for a walk, had lunch, lay on a hammock, went for a swim - all the time trying not to read my book too fast!
I got bitten three times. Not impressed!
Also got woken up at 5 with a ridiculously loud call to prayer and then general chattering so ended up getting up ridiculously early. The hotel wasn’t serving breakfast (ramadan - grr!) so they sent me to another hotel which was actually a bonus because they had a roof top restaurant so got some nice photos. Then decided to walk in an anti-clockwise direction as ooposed to yesterday’s clockwise one and soon discovered I’d almost walked in a complete circle yesterday! Went to the Anglican cathedral which was built on the site of the old slave market. Luckily I got there early so missed the tourists who were just coming in as I was leaving. There’s not much evidence of its history apart from a couple of tiny cells which used to be packed with slaves, not only were they tiny but also really low - you just can’t imagine the horrow of being in them. And then you start thinking how slavery happened, not just the slave trade but the whole concept of believing you could own a human being, that people could be sold. It baffles me.
Anyway, left Stone Town about 11.30 so by lunchtime I was in paradise - no not another victim of Tanzanian driving - rather Paje which does a pretty good impression of paradise: white sand, turquoise sea, palm trees, sunshine, a cooling breeze…it is beautiful.
I’m staying at the Cristal resort which is French owned and there seems to be a good mix of ages and nationalities - hopefully I’ll get to meet some people this evening. There was a beach tennis tournament this afternoon which I could have used as a social introduction type of activity had I not been far too busy lying in a hammock, reading a book!
Oh I’ve been adopted by the hotel dog - five minutes after sitting down he’s sat beside me looking expectant.
Forgot to say I was glad to leave Stone Town, being a tourist was uncomfortable I don’t know why.
So off to Zanzibar. I’m spending today in Stone Town before heading off to the coast tomorrow. Top tip: avoid Stone Town during Ramadan. I’m hoping it is just Stone Town and that the resorts are a bit more relaxed but I struggled to find a place to get a drink of Sprite which was a bit exhausting and tiresome. Stone Town is much older than Moshi and some of the buildings are really beautiful. In the Fernandes’ style I just walked around and ended up a bit lost but unlike the more daring Fernandes, I knew how to get back. Ended up in the main market which was very noisy and hectic - obviously you can still buy food even if you can’t eat it.
It’s very weird being a tourist and there’s certainly more of them here than in Moshi. My shuttle bus and the plan were packed with Germans - I hae no idea where they came from, it’s strange how I get so protective of my town and object to it being invaded by mzungus! Luckily their towels were packed in their enormous suitcases so I managed to squeezed a seat otherwise I could have been on the roof with the luggage.
Of course more tourists means more shops and I went ever so slightly credit card crazy. I had really wanted to get another swimming costume because I am going to get so bored with just one. But there was only a very skimpy/expensive number or some which looked really grubby. However, I did find some nice and not too expensive presents.
So now I have a very nice full tummy - I’ve been waiting for fish for so long and so I had fishcakes for starter then melt-in-your-mouth octopus cooked in coconut milk and served with lots of yummy veggie bits (well if you ignored the okra which is just slimy nothingness as far as I’m concerned). It was all very delish apart from the rather icky smell of sewers which was either bad drains or a proximity to the sea.
There’s a lot to be said for waiting and things will come. My bikini problem has been solved because I walked past a pharmacy and thought “I wonder if they have tweezers” (don’t want to lose my favourites if I have an over-officious person at security). Not only did they have tweezers but also a bikini and hair remover so I will be beach ready tomorrow! The bikini’s a little skimpy but there’s noone here to take photos or who will know me in the future so who cares?!
Rather amusingly it would appear that black people can’t tell white people apart as I have been mistaken for so many people today - weird.
So there is no mosquito net in my room. Admittedly there is AC (yuk) and the room seems fairly sealed but I am still a bit nervous…
