What the hell kind of law is that?!--Zanzibar

Ok, if you are driving a car and accidentally hit, maim or kill a pedestrian or bicyclist....don't stop to help. Keep going.

Yes, it is true. The people from that village will attack and kill you. Maybe not kill you, but attack you. This does not make sense to me. AT ALL. So if I am driving and I hit someone, don't stop to help and take them to a hospital? Nope, keep driving. The people are angry and will come after you for revenge. They will beat you up or beat you to death. They are more focused on that than helping the injured person....They can go to jail and be in prison for lifetime and they voluntarily beat or kill the driver knowing this. They always assume it's the driver's fault. I don't get it.

I cannot get my head around this. I had this conversation w/ Manuela, the italian woman and Sakiki, her African fiance. They told me a priest last year, accidentially hit someone, took him to the hospital and the people ended up killing the priest. The priest was also said to be verbally abusive to the locals. Something doesn't add up for me. I asked Kassim THREE times to explain this law to me. I just can't grasp it, especially for such loving people it seems. He said it mostly likely wouldn't happen to woman, well that's good to know, plus I am not driving. But holy crap!! Scary.

When he was driving too fast and furious, I kidded him and asked him to slow down so he wouldn't run over anybody, I don't want my tour guide killed, I need him for my trip!

I guess this is a reality here and angry moblike activity can happen, it depends on what part of the country you are in........

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Well, I have many things to blog and have had a heck of a time even finding a computer, much less, one that works...

I will have to post pictures later, this computer doesn't detect the camera hard drive....so just put your reading glasses on and have a drink....

Stone Town is named bc of just that, the buildings are all made of white stone.
Zanzibar is actually two islands, Pemba and Udgana? I think....can't remember the spelling, sorry, already had a Kilimanjaro beer and have alot of info stuffed in my head....

Zanzibar is known for spices and also was the portal to the rest of the world for slave trade. Africans were captured all over Africa and brought to Zanzibar to be shipped overseas to where they were put to work....

There is a long history of Indian and Arab influence here. Africans were the native people who now are the largest population...1 million total people in Zanzibar, (both islands). The land was ruled by Sultans and the word Zanzibar came from a combination of two Arabic words, "Zinj" meaning black and "barr" meaning land, Land of the Blacks..Zanzibar is in the Indian Ocean fyi....

The sultans ruled during the 1800's, Sultans were Arab. The most infamous and influencal Sultan was the third sultan, Said the Great or Seyyid Said bin Sultan. Most of these sultans are from the Busaidi family. This one in particular was the one who introduced cloves to the island as well as the slave trade. My tourist book says that he was the "kindest", but that must be a misprint, profiting from slavery and having 99 concubines is not the definition of "kindest" in my book.

By mid 1800's Zanzibar was the world's leading clove exporter as well as the largest export for slaves. It was reported that 25,000 slaves passed through Zanzibar every year. The most well known slave trader was Tippu Tip who became so rich from slave trading that he was able to afford over thirty concubines and their children in addition to his official wife and her two children.

The strong slaves were chained up by their necks and placed underground in small crawl space type of places. There would be 70 slaves in a room about as big as a VW bus. These people had no food, no water and barely any oxygen, they couldn't go to the bathroom. Many died of suffocation, plus they were chained to each other by their necks. All in a row. It was very eary to tour these spaces, concrete, dirty, dark and quiet.....

One of Said the Great's daughters, Bikhole, she never married. But she did take after her father, she would go to town, buy a slave and use him for about two weeks as her personal sex slave. Pretend she loved him, had her way with him, then ordered the guards to kill him by breaking his neck. Atop every grave a mango tree was placed. I have a fabulous picture of the rows of mango trees. It is said she had more than 200 lovers. Classy lady....She also never gave birth...

The other daughter, Princess Salme is also very interesting. She grew up in the life of luxury as her father being the Sultan. She loved her father dearly and after he died there was alot of claims for the thrown but no sons to claim it. Lots of jealousy, bickering and tension for who was to be named the next Sultan, women of course could not rule. During this time Princess Salme found solace with a German trader, Rudolph Heinrich Ruete. They owned houses across from one another and their eyes fell in love from gazing at each other from their windows. She found she was pregnant and they had not wed yet. She had to flee back to Germany with him in order not to be killed for not laying w/ another Arab. She also changed her religion from Islamic to Christian, also a big no-no. Her husband was killed in a tram accident and she was left w/ 3 children in a foreign country. She pleaded w/ Barghash the sucessor of her father's throne to return home to Zanzibar. Her close brother also died during this period, one family member she remained close to. When she did return to Zanzibar she was ostrisized and reconciliation was unsuccessful. She was broken hearted and drifted from place to place, staying in Syria for a time, then returning to Germany. At 80 yrs of age, she died of pneumonia and was the last survivor of Seyidd Said's children. A bag of sand from the beach at Zanzibar and her wedding dress were found among her possessions. Her gravestone reads "Faithful is his innermost heart is he, who loves his homeland like you."

Tippu Tip--Slave trader. He was actually the grandson of an African slave and the son of a Swahili Arab trader. His facial twitch, causing him to blink, gave him the nickname Tippu Tip "the blinker" after a local bird w/ blinking eyes. He shamelessly exploited the natives, he persuaded them to part w/ precious tusks and pillaged many villages of men, women and children. They were chained together and led in caravans to the coast to be sold. Tippu Tip also acted as an escort for European explorers such as Livingston and Stanley. Ironically, it was Livingston who became an advocate to abolish slave trade. His accounts of the brutality he witnessed against slaves, helped outside forces close the slave market in Zanzibar. He also built a Christian Church in Stone Town. Tippu Tip retired in 1890 and died of Malaria 15 yrs later. Dr. Livinston also died of Malaria, fell in love w/ Africa, had his heart buried in Africa and his body sent back to Holland.

The revolution in Zanzibar from the Sultans ended in mid 1900's. The last Sultan fled to England in 1960 and is still alive today.

The door frames of the homes in the alleys are carved of teak wood. The pictures will really demonstrate this, the doors and door frames acted as business cards. What was carved into the wood was what the family did for a living....a chain or braided looking carving around the door signified slave trade, pineapple showed spice trading etc. The Indian doors had brass pointed door knobs placed in rows on the doors. This was actually to protect the family back in India from attacking elephants. Pointed brass doorknobs sticking out in vertical rows along the door.. Very beautiful.

Khonga or Kanga--this is colorful clothing the women wear, one piece is wrapped around the waist like a skirt, the other piece is draped over the shoulders and head. The colorful patterns are origianlly from Portugues hankerchiefs. But the coolest thing about the Konga is the verbage. Each one has a different message written at the bottom. When shopping for one, the words have more importance than the colors or the patterns. This is a sophisticated form of personal expression and communication. When I was on my tour, a vendor wanted to demonstrate on me how they are worn and explained the meanings. I also have a picture of this, I also bought this Kanga $12 or 12,000 shillings. Since he took time to demonstrate his culture, I was appreciative, my Konga (written in Swahili) says "let them say what they want, I will never leave him"....Muslims of the Islamic religion do not wear wedding rings or symbols of marriage, but they do wear the konga that can make this known and fight off unwanted advances..
Other examples of Konga phrases:
--Don't set sail under someone else's star----meaning everybody has their own destiny.
--A sugarcane is sweetest at it's joint---meaning the hardest things in life are often the best.
--Don't abandon your old rug for a passing mat--meaning to warn a husband that his wandering eye has been noted.
--You will exhaust butcheries, while all meat tastes the same...(same as above)
--The bee fiercly guards it's honey --to warn off rivals of love
--Don't compete, you can never beat me--- "" ""
--You can say what you like, but I have him in my bed---to remind an outspoken mother-in-law of her position in the household
Kangas also used during political times and slogans to support Churchill and also printed slogans to spread the awareness and dangers of Malaria.

Cow heads--at the market, the butcher section, the heads of the cows are displayed. Yes, the actual cut off head from today's kill is on the table. GROSS! But the reason is if a farmer thinks a cow has been stolen, they can come to town and examine the head to see if it's his cow. Then he will have a legal course of action. I also have a picture of this, I smiled and went on my way, but seriously one of the grossest things I have ever seen.

The House of Wonder--is like a museum now, but was the first to have electricity, a lift, running water etc. Also saw the Palace Museum and the Africa House ( a place to have a drink and look at the ocean view)

Today's view on slavery---I had a very candid conversation w/ the italian woman who owns the hotel I stayed in and her fiance, who is African. (this love story at a later entry). We talked about the blacks in the US and the blacks here. In Zanzibar, there seems to be no hard feelings, no chip on their shoulder and acceptance to everyone, even the Arabs, who ran the slave trade. They all say hello and welcome you to Zanzibar. They don't see color. Sadiki, the fiance, said, "when you dwell on the past, you can't develop the future." I explained how some the black attitudes in the states are very different and play the "race card" anytime they can. After living in South Carolina, there is a HUGE HUGE difference between the southern blacks and the western blacks in the states. If I offend you by saying, blacks, suck it up. That is what they are here, black, we are white and that is how they talk here and also what I have heard about South Africa. "PC" isn't a term. No need, they are not offended. Black, white, whatever. We are just people.

I like the deeper meanings this culture has, they have creative ways to express a deeper meaning of life, values and beliefs. My tour guide, Kassim, kept telling me, people are "good from near, but far from good when they are far from you." Finally, I was like Kassim, what in world do you mean?? He coined this phrase and it is his advice for a tourist....some of the locals may seem good and trustworthy when they approach you with their goods or services, but when they leave you, they can charge you twice as much, or exploit you. Ex: I told him I was solicited by a "beach boy" (vendors on the beach) for Ganja. Pot. Of course I said no, actually HELL NO! And told him to get lost. But anyway, Kassim said some of these beach boys will sell it to you, smoke it w/ you, tell the cops, take you to the cops, deny they did it, make you pay, then the beach boy and the cops split the pot.--no punn intended. Therefore, good when near, then far from good when far from you....Or when people are near their homeland, they are better people, then when they leave, they have bad behavior. Like Vegas maybe? Vegas promotes having no conscience, so maybe they are good at home, then away from home they are not good.

Good lessons.....

Spice Farm, Zanzibar

I found this map on the computer on which I am typing. I can't read it either, but I posted it anyway to see if it would be better enlarged, I don't think it helped....

Zanzibar is world renowned for spices, escpecially cloves. Most farmers here cultivate 2 or 3 different spices total, but spice farm is for tourists and has every kind of spice growing that you can imagine. This is not typicall for local farms to have so many different plants at one farm.

My tour guide, Bure, was great. He is from Zanzibar and lives in the village, seems everyone knew him and he knew everyone. He wanted to know how good of a cook I was if I could determine what spice each plant was by smelling it. I got most of them right.....

Cloves grow in trees and are the only spice to produce the fruit first and then the flower. It is green and then dried in the sun and turns brown or black and that is how we buy it around Christmas to stick into oranges and makes a wonderful smell!

Cinnammon, also a tree, the Queen tree, can use the bark, the meat of the wood, the leaves, all parts. The crunched up leaves smell faintly like cinnammon, but the bark was so fragrant!

Don't Touch Me Plant- this is a five leafed plant, like a small fern. Each five fingered stem is about the sized of my palm and itty bitty leaves the size of a piece of rice along each one. If you barely tap it, the whole leaf closes and folds down toward the stem, the little leaves on each finger also individually fold and curl up. It was so neat! I think I touched all of them, of course, if it says Don't Touch, then I will do just that.

Tumerick is poorman's saffron. (saffron by the way is the most expensive spice in the world)..Tumerick grows like an onion, it's root is yellowish/organge. I couldn't identify this smell when he tested me. Don't think I have ever cooked w/ tumerick anyway. :)

Red curry is called "lipstick" curry and the local women can use this for their lipstick and face paint, Bure proceeded to demonstrate and wore his make-up during the rest of the tour.
Brown curry is the most common and is grown here as well.

Pepper!! very interesting, think of about 20 little green pepper kernels growing sort of like grapes. This one pepper tree can have 4 different kinds of pepper, and it all depends upon which time the pepper is harvested. If it picked green and put into vinegar, it will be green pepper. If it is picked green and then set out to dry in the sun, it will be black pepper. If the green kernels turn red and are picked red, that is red pepper and very hot. If the red pepper is picked and then boiled in hot water, the red skin peels off and underneath is a white meat, this is white pepper. The longer the pepper matures on the vine, I think the hotter the flavor.

The spiny tree---when it gets older and more mature, the tree produces sharp spines to prevent monkeys and other wildlife from harming the tree.

Tapioca plant--actaully resembles a pot leaf, but the stalk can grow quite tall like a corn stalk. Bure made me a necklace of a tapioca leaf and tied the stem around my neck, I guess they make rings for the tourists as well, but I got the necklace.

Nutmeg, jack fruit, durian fruit, all sorts of bananas, vanilla, coffee beans, jasmine, ylang ylang (goes into Chanel #5 perfume), lemongrass (for massage oil as well as mosquito repellant, custard apples (white, slimy meat w/ big black seeds), cloves....SPICE KINGDOM!!

Four little girls ran up to me and wanted me to take their picture and then see themselves in my camera, the little one on the left wanted to hold my hand, so walked hand-in-hand for a bit until Bure told them to go home....

By the end of the tour I had a hibiscus in my hair, tapioca necklace, one wrist smelled like ylang ylang oil, the other wrist smelled like jasmine oil, I had yellow fingers from the tumerick and the other hand had orange fingers from the red curry, lemongrass oil on my arms, a leaf bouquet of all the samples we encountered and a tummy full of the local fruit I got to sample, as well as some new spices to bring home and cook with! Plus a new phrase, "asanti sana, squashed banana, don't say habana!" (thank you, squashed banana, don't say no!




Quite an experience!!

Ethiopia, Africa

I had a four hour layover in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The more I have read about Ethiopia, the more I would really like to return for a visit. Flying in, it is very green and beautiful comparted to Tanzania.

At the airport I purchased a silver metal Christian cross, about a foot long, (will take a picture to post.) This is a very important part of Ethiopian culture and I didn't realize that until after I bought it, a cool treasure.

Interestingly, one of my best resources on my travels have been the complimentary in-flight magazine in the pouches of the seats on the plane. It tells of the history of each place, ideas of what to do and see, accommodations and other current events.

This year is Ethiopia's Millennium, 2007, not 2000! Ethiopia is now the only country to adhere officially to the anciant Julian calendar, which until 1582, was used by the entire Christian world. This calendar, introduced by Juluis Caesar in 45 BC, consists of 12 months of equal duration, plus a 13th month of five days(six days in a leap year). Most of the Christian world began changing over to the Gregorian Calendar some 400 years ago during the time of Pope Gregory XIII after whom it is named.

The Gregorian Calendar, a modified version of the Julian Calendar is now widely accepted asn an international standard for measuring time and for civil use. It came into being in 1582 bc of a percieved need to regulate Christian festivals, most importantly Easter, due to the shifting equinox over the centuries caused by accumulated inaccuracies in the Julian calendar, was slipping away from its springtime position in summer. The Julian calendar is 7 years and 8 months behind the Gregorian version. It is simply a matter of choice. The New Year's falls on September 11th, this will be a year long party of festivals and celebrations.

If I were to plan my trip differently, I would have liked to go and explore Ethiopia, it is much more modernized than I had expected.

REMEMBER ANY ETHIOPIAN RUNNERS??--my background of running track and interest in this sport is why I am writing about these individuals, I found it very interesting....

Here's some history from my complimentary in-flight magazine that will help when you are watching next year's Olympics in Beijing....

FRAME OF REFERENCE: A REGULATED HIGH SCHOOL TRACK IS 400M FOR 1 LAP. 1 MILE IS FOUR LAPS.....1600M

ABEBE BIKILA--regarded as the pioneer of Ethiopian distance running, set an example for today's generation of young runners and is the first Olympic gold medallist and the only man to have won back-to-back Olympic marathon gold medals. His story is a combination of strength and determination. Joined the Imperial Bodyguard when he was 20. 1960, won the Olympic marathon in Rome when he was 28. A few hours before his race, he tried on several different pairs of shoes that were provided by the organizers, but failed to find any that fit him, so he ran the entire race barefoot!! He was coached by a swedish man as well. He set a new world record for marathon w/ a time of 2h 15m 16.2s.....This blew the belief out of the water that Africans were never going to excel at global sports. He won 3 more marathons, Greece, Japan, Czech. Placed 5th in Boston marathon in 1964, which is the first marathon he competed in but didn't win, then won the Addis Ababa marathon in Ethiopia. 1964 Olympics he set another world record of 2h 12m 11s....JUST TO EMPHASIZE....... WOLRD RECORD.....FASTEST PERSON IN THE WORLD!!!!! 1968, suffered a horrific car accident in Mexico City at the Olympics....left him paralyzed from the waist-down....2 years later he competed and won the 25m cross country sledge challenge in Norway. At the age of 41, he died in Ethiopia from a hemorrhage, a complication related to the accident 4 years earlier. 65,000 people attended his funeral and it is a national day of mourning for the Ethiopian hero.

MAMO WOLDE--one of the most VERSATILE runners, can run the 400m to the marathon. Also started running in the Royal Imperial Bodyguard, was a UN peacekeeper in Korea in 1953-1955........1968 he took part in the 10,000m and the marathon at the same Olympics, this is unheard of, escpecially w/ only 1 day of rest inbetween. He won the gold in the marathon and took the siver in the 10,000m.
1972 at the ripe old age of 40, he won the bronze in the Munich Games.
His championships range over a 24 year career, died of liver cancer in 2002.

MIRUTS YIFTER--"the shifter" worked in factories and drove carriages, distance running in the Ehiopian Air Force. 1972, bronze medal in the 10,000m in Munich, failed to appear in the 5000m. His trainers took him to warm up for that race, but came back to retrieve him too late for the race, it had already started. Upon his return to Ethiopia, he was thrown in jail by the Ethiopian government, bc they accused him of deliberately failing to compete. He was in jail for about a year and his passion for running continued. 1976 he had trained and flew to Montreal for the Olympic games, this was the year Ethiopia joined the African boycott of the Games and he wasn't able to compete. At 40 yrs old, he was to compete in 1980 in Moscow telling reporters to count on his enthusiasm, not his age! His strategy was to work on the 300m, his ideal mark to make his move. not too late, not too early, he listened to the movements of his opponents until five laps remained and then decided his course of action, before the bell sounded for the last lap, he would make his move and it would be too late for his opponents. Now lives and works in Canada as an athletic coach and future aspiriations of coaching for Ethiopian runners.

DERARTU TULU--hello woman, hear you roar! running was considered taboo, mother told her that women stay home and help w/ the household. Somehow she got to school and began distance running. She competed in Barcelona 1992 Olympics and didn't realize what the Olympics were, she thought it was just "another race", won the 10,000m....her coaches didn't realize how good she was until she won that race, this really opened the door for women's running in Ethiopia. She will make her final race appearance in Beijing next year, keep your eye on her!!

HAILE GEBRSELASSIE--Greatest of them all!! Greatest distance runner of all time, 2 Olympic, 4 World Championships titles for the 10,000m and broken 22 WORLD RECORDS!!!Has competed in 6 World Championships One fast dude. As a kid he would run 10kms to school and this formed his unique running posture, still looks like a kid carrying his school books w/ a crooked left arm. Also runs on the balls of his feet which is mostly done by sprinters, not distance runners. 1992, after setting 3 world records, tried to win 2 gold medals in a single meeting but the track at the stadium didn't suit his style of running and endured blisters. He is also an inspiration in Ethiopian society, successful businessman in Addis Ababa, founded the Great Ethiopian Run, which is now the largest African road race w/ 30,000 participants, participates in charity functions, and a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development just to name a few.

Remarkable people....

Zanzibar, Africa

Six months ago I didn't even know where Zanzibar was. One year ago my cousin, Shauna asked if I wanted to go to Africa with her for a safari. I was like, "yeah right, like I'm going to go to Africa." Well never say never.

I wanted to write more about Ethiopia, but the book w/ the info I need is in my room, so I will do another entry later about that country.

I landed in Kilimanjaro and had to hang at the airport for about 3 hrs until my connecting flight to Zanzibar. A bit confusing bc I didn't have a paper ticket bc this part wasn't in my original flight plans....but it all worked out and the africans are very helpful.

So, in the states, the black people are called African Americans. Does that mean here they are African Africans? Or what if I lived here, would I be American African? Just call a spade a spade.

I was on the plane next to a Swahili politician. Abdi. He was an older gentleman who was in a business suit. It was a noisy flight and I was going on 24 hrs of travel, but this is what I gathered:
He has worked for the United Nations and traveled EVERYWHERE it seemed. 3 kids, 2 boys live and work in London as engineers. He lives in Dar es Salaam which is south of Zanzibar. Wife and daughter there and 1 or 2 grandchildren...anyway...he works for the people of Africa trying to improve quality of life.

Malaria kills more than Aids does here (in Tanzania anyway) They use "preventive" methods such as bug sprays (malaria is infected thru mosqitoes), they have some sort of curative medicine but I missed that part....He worked in the cashew industry for a long time (which were the nuts served on the plane, he gave me his) and he told me a bit about them, they grow on trees, can't eat them before they're roasted, poisonous. Healthcare, education are big problems in Tanzania, like most 3rd world or developing countries. Said people here are very, very nice.

Swahili is the offical language, "Yambo" is hello, I was saying "Mambo" but thats not right, it's not a dance.../

Shillings is their currency or US dollars will work as well.

Abdi wanted to make sure I was picked up in Zanzibar bc I had no hotel or contact confirmed. He came back inside to where the luggage was being handed out (they didn't have a convyer belt. He said he and his driver would make sure I had a place to stay, but by that point I had some sort of contact for a pick up. It was a very nice gesture, also gave me his business card if I had any problems whatsoever.

Ended up having 3 people to pick me up, there was some confusion w/ that bc it was mostly my fault, but since I didn't have any confirmation of a contact at the airport I tried a couple of different avenues and ended up double booking people. It all worked out and I got a guy that is part of the safari company we will be doing in a couple of days.

The people have huge smiles and beautiful teeth! They are very friendly and helpful. Today though, I had no towel at all, not one for shower or the pool. Laundry is collected and taken to town for wash then returned. I was out at the pool for 3 hrs w/ no towel so I went into a vacant room and took one. I had asked 4 different people to help me and I guess no one thought to into a vacant room where no guests were staying....anyway, it's all good I guess.

I walked on the beach this morning, glad I bought a bunch of ziplock baggies in New Zealand. I use them to store all my treasures I find on the beach when I am playing marine biologist. Saw a man pawing through the rocks and shells and asked him what he was looking for. Sounded like he said "wood" but there wasn't any on the beach so I was confused. I handed him a brown one that looked kinda like wood and he said, "no, that concrete" we both laughed! I didn't know....very nice people.

Had a Zanzibar Punch at the pool, tasted like juice, not sure if they put alcohol in it, oh well. Very cheap food and drink here. Had a Kilimanjaro beer at the airport yesterday. Not too bad.

"Trailers" from Thailand

I just wanted to follow up on Thailand before I switched to Africa. I only had a few moments to write in Bangkok before I left.

Everyone says Bangkok is good for 2-3 days max, and they are right. However, I am glad I was there. My hotel was on the river and that made it extra special. The landlocked hotels weren't as cool and one of the best memories is right after the sun went down I was sitting on the pier. Looking at the Thai boats going by thinking "oh my gosh, I am REALLY in Bangkok!!" a bit in disbelief, the hotel had white lights strung about and it was just a great moment.

I also really liked Chiang Mai. If I were to go back, I would go north again and maybe take the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and then maybe head to Chian Rai as well.

The guides I had were outstanding! Very friendly, informative, professional. I really enjoyed them and glad I signed up for those tours. They gave me a real insiders perspective as well.

Thai food I can't eat every day, there was a selection of non-thai food to chose from, so it was good to have a balance.

i thought Phuket was like one little town. But it is more like an area. Like San Diego w/ little beaches, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach etc. Phuket is the big area and has little beaches like Kata Beach, Patoong Beach.....

Koh Samui was much more expensive and didn't have the hilltribe influence the north does. This is more for relaxation and water sports, diving, snorkeling and sunning yourself. The shopping wasn't as good and the quality was poor compared to the other markets in Chiang Mai. But the water was fabulous at Koh Tao, the colors were amazing. I spent that day w a French girl, Patricia, who was also traveling solo. We pal'd around together and had a good time.

Koh Samui, Thailand

Koh Samui is south of Bangkok and in the Gulf of Thailand, it is an island, Maenam Beach. I liked it much more than Phuket. Less busy, nicer people, slower paced, more relaxing. I really didn't do much except relax. The only excursion I did was snorkeling. The water in the pictures is from Koh Tao which are the small islands. Three little islands connected by white sandy beaches....gorgeous!!!! The water is amazing, the snorkeling was better in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef. Here, there are clumps of coral, but did see lots of sea cucumbers and parrot fish, angel fish too. One little guy must have thought my ankle bracelet was a shiny metal lure, bc he was nibbling at my foot.

I have to type fast bc I am at the airport in Bangkok on my way to Africa!! I go through Addis Ababa. Where is Addis Ababa? Ethiopia. Where is Ethiopia exactly, next to Yemen, near Samalia. Right. I had to look at a map on Google to get any idea where I am going. 24 hr trip, piece of cake compared to my 36 hr trip to Australia. However, I have no accommodations yet. I tried for 4 days to book it, Zanzibar Hotels don't seem to accept credit cards, only US cash. And they don't book online. I may have transport for the airport, maybe, to where? not sure. We'll see. Kinda freakin' out about it, but at this point, go w/ the flow, it's just high season in Zanzibar now, very busy. Also, had to cash advance credit card here in Bangkok for US dollars, bc there is no ATM machine in Kilimanjaro to spit out US currency which is accepted in Africa. Credit cards are not really accepted, but traveler's checks are, so it's a good thing I cashed all of mine in Holland. Great. Can someone wire me money? :)

Research on world economies:
Where am I exactly? What is going on here? Feels like an Asian Mexico, great beaches, tourists, cheap products, poor....
First World: US, Japan, Germany, Canada, Europe, Australia.....class determined by Human Development Index HDI, literacy rate, poverty rate, life expectancy, gross national income (the purchasing power an individual has)ex: US/$114 per day, 3rd world/$1.60 per day.....

Second World: Former communist socialist, industrial states, influence from the Union of Soviet Socialists. Romania, Hungary, Russia, China, Cuba, N. Korea

Third World: term coined from Cold War, countries not aligned w/ the West or the East. Worst records for political rights and civil liberties. Lots of African countries, most actually....Mexico, Thailand. Big gap between rich and poor. called "developing nations" now, first, second, third worlds is old school lingo...

Mexico: exports $240 billion in products per year
Thailand: exports $104 billion in products per year, less than half of Mexico.
I think this is bc Mexico has US and Canada close by who are big consumers of Mexican products.

By the way, Textiles is a CLOTH industry, I didn't know that actually, it's not the small tiles you put in your bathroom! (i didn't really think that, just a joke)
Important for trade bc very labor intensive to cultivate the fibers, spin and weave.

The Thai language to me sounds like nails on a chalkboard, I hate to say that, but after a while, it does wear on me, not a soft language.

Lots of white men here w/ Thai ladies. hmmmmmm, they had to come all this way for a girlfriend? right.

I needed a haircut. So I gave myself one, pulled into a ponytail on the top of my head according to my cousin Shauna, trimmed away. Looking pretty good actually. If someone is going to mess up my hair, should be me. Traveling Holly is not a beauty queen anyway. No make up, wrinkled clothes and probably dirty, hair in a pony alot etc.

Flying Lantern--same principal as a hot air balloon, but about the size of a keg of beer, I saw them flying through the air at dinner and inquired. Used for special occasions, light em up and they lift up and catch the air.
Of course I had to do one, make a wish at lift off and watch it until it disappears. Several people appluaded and watched it from the restaraunt. I was jumping up and down, clapping, cheering bc it barely took off, then just at the perfect moment, lifted over the palms and headed to see. It was awesome!! I smiled all night and until I went to sleep. Not sugar plums in my head, flying lanterns, special wish too.....

Caught a couple cute frogs that came out during the rainstorm, about size of a quarter, picked em up and had to check them out. Poked a stick at a dead jellyfish too, that's just what I do I guess. Have to investigate.

I am glad I came to Thailand. I am also ready to go.

Sawasdee Kaa.

Phuket

If you recall, 3 years ago the huge tsunami that took over 200,000 lives was here in Phuket. It is basically a peninsula w/ several little towns. I am farther south than where the big waves hit. I can't get much info yet on the devestation, looked for a museum here as well, to no avail.

For the last 3 days, I have pretty much not ventured more than 100 yards from my hotel. I don't feel like sightseeing. I just want to do nothing. My first night my room smelled like sewer and the construction people were hammering on the wall until 10pm. I asked to have them move me. I moved across the hall to another room and then the air conditioning didn't work. Sweet.
It's all worked out now....

However, I hit the wall for homesickness. Two nights in a row I have called Ric in tears. Missing him, my family, my friends, my kitties--will they remember me? I did not anticipate on being homesick at all! I was so gung-ho and ready for adventure, I guess month #3 it hits. I am better now and he is supportive, reassuring, and gives a gentle nudge to keep on keepin' on.... thank you Ric. :)

I also emailed lots of my girlfriends and called my girl, Stacey also. I just needed to be in contact w/ my peoples and see what's happening at home.

The first day I laid on the beach and put tons of sunscreen on... SPF 50 and 30!, even went inside for a few hours to take a break from the sun. So I have a fabulous splotchy sunburn. That's just great. My first freakin' day to see the sun and now I have to stay inside like a sunburnt albino watching the normal kids play in the pool. Guess my poor skin didn't get to see the sun in NZ.

Several topless ladies here. I'm thinking hmmmm this is a family place, but then I realized, maybe Americans should be less modest. Maybe the Europeans have it figured and are more comfortable with their bodies and therefore don't feel the need to alter it w/ surgeries..they are more natural.....however, I am still a modest American, top stays on.

I stayed inside this morning and tried to blog. The hotel has only ONE computer for the entire hotel. Went to the internet cafe across the street for one and half hours typing and the web didn't save my entries!! I was furious! cuss words a flyin'....so I had a cow about it, bought a long tee-shirt moo-moo thing to wear in the pool over my swim suit so I can go play, and had a couple mai thai's.....feeling better. :) Got booted out of my lounge chair during my yummy salad and 2nd mai thai by a French couple bc apparently THEY were sitting there, hmmmm the chair was vacant the first 2 hours I've been at the pool. gotta love the french.

Heading out tomorrow for Koh Samui.....an island in the Gulf of Thailand.

Oh My Buddha!!! Trekk, Chiang Mai

I signed up for a 2 day/ 1 night trekk that goes into the jungle outside of Chiang Mai. It is a 9k (5.4 miles) trekk into the jungle and spend the night w/ the Karen Tribe "Ka-Rin"..

My guide's name was Yut "Oot", he came to my hotel the night prior to our departure to prep me on what to bring and where we will be going etc. I was running late of course the next morning but got picked up and headed out to pick up the other guests on the tour. There were 12 of us total, a group of four from the Czech Republic, 4 girls from Holland--all 21 yrs old, and a family of 3 also from Holland, but they didn't know each other before the trekk.

We all sat in the back of a truck like how soldiers ride, w/ a roof, but the back is open, very cramped. We got associated quickly....

First stop was to swim in a waterfall, warm water, pretty deep as well. Windy at the bottom bc of the force of the water. The guy from Holland banged his head on a rock and started bleeding, minor wound. After our swim, Yut handed out fried bugs....Myself and the girl from Czech were the only ones who DIDN'T eat them. Maybe if I wasn't so scared of food now from being sick, I may have tried one, but ummmmmm, no thanks. Apparently they are salty and my new little friend from Holland said she liked the crickets better than the maggots!! I couldn't help but laugh. Stopped at a market for last minute supplies: toilet paper, bug spray and a watch. $9 watch, I can't stand not knowing what time it is. US Marine water resistant watch. Which after the first swim already had condensation in it and the compass doesn't really know which way is North. Good thing I'm not lost. But hey can't beat 9 bucks.


We drove to the trail head and headed out. The trekk started out straight up. Now we are in the jungle, very wet, very humid and very warm. So basically EVERYTHING is wet and we are sweating like crazy!! Clothes drenched, shirt, shorts, socks, everything wet, we all smelled like bug spray...definitely an experience.
The trekk itself was actually quite a workout, we also had to do an extra 2k bc the first village was already occupied w/ other tourists. So we had to trekk on to the next village, we were all whipped pups, the terrain is thick and very much up and down, rocky and muddy. Got to see a tarantula barely peeking all it's eyes and hairy legs out of his hole, that was cool.

I need to explain Yut. He has enough personality for 5 people and was joking all the time, jumping out of the bushes to scare the girls, chasing them w/ grasshoppers, singing, made the leaf hats for the guys. He was also very attentive and made sure everyone had water, felt ok etc. Yut is actually from these Karen tribes as well. He picked wild mushrooms along the way and a cucumber for our soup at dinner. He also had some funny phrases that caught on during the trip....instead of "oh my God!" it's Oh My Buddha!! which became our theme. "Same Same but Different" when he tries to explain things so that clears it up.

Each village had supplies like water, beer, snacks for the tourists to buy if needed, so it was good we didn't have to pack in our own water. Each village inhabits about 40 people or so, 8 families....

Our accommodations were very primitive, bamboo shacks with leaf-thatched roofs. No running water or electricity. We all slept in one big room on mats w/ mosquito nets. Sleeping pads, pillows and blankets were provided but they smelled like pee. yucky. The toilet was a ceramic hole in the ground for going both number 1 and number 2. You basically crouch and hover. Then a large barrel has clean water dripping into it and you scoop out the water w/ a plastic cup and wash it down the hole. I tried to hold it as long as I could, but that's not gonna work. The first thing I thought of when I walked into their toilet area is, "My dad would HATE this!" I had to laugh, not his kind of holiday....the world's biggest spider lived in here too, so I just asked Charlotte if she could just hang out on her web and not bother me....

Growing up in Colorado, my mom would take me hiking, camping etc and taught me how to "go" in the woods, ok fine, I can handle that. But this? yucky, didn't care for it. Additionally, if I would have had my own camping gear, it would have been clean and I can rough it, but the stinky pillows and blankets made it worse. I was thankful I only signed up for the 2 day, not the 3 day!

Yut told us, No showa, no dinna. We had to bath in the Cucumber River. Dinner was cooked by the tribal women who remained in the background the whole time, barely made a peep, but were nice and served us well. Dinner was kind of like fried rice and fresh vegetables, chicken, mushroom soup....after the long haul, I didn't have much of an appetite and barely ate half of my dinner.

Yut brought out his guitar and played all American songs to which everyone sang along. The Dutch girls knew every word, better than I did! If Yut didn't know the words, he made them up to fit our journey, insert jungle things, our names etc. He was a riot!! Busted out his own moonshine as well, took a sip, like a rice wine, sake, but didn't have more than that. One cold beer was all.

Yut says that his tribe does not like the "lady boys." "When lady boy come to our village, we climb trees and shoot rock w/ sling shot at their head. Toughen them up. Lady boy not right."

He also played games and made up puzzles for us. He was very entertaining.

I woke at 6:30am thanks to the multitude of roosters having a conversation that it is morning now.

Elephant Safari--"MaHoot" is the keeper of the elephants (weigh 2 tons), the elephants work during the day on the trails for the safari and are let go to roam free during the night in the jungle to feed. They eat alot! They have a short chain around one foot that drags behind them which is how the MaHoot tracks them and brings them back to the village in the morning. Very smart and can learn a command w/in 2-3 times. I liked the fact these animals got to roam free in the jungle and weren't caged. I didn't learn as much about them as I would have liked, but they only sleep for 4 hrs, have an 18 month justacion period and raise their young until it's about 15 yrs old.

I rode w/ the woman from Holland and one of the younger girls from Holland. 1-2 hr ride, our elephant was named Matador. I was a great experience through the river, through the jungle, very cool.

After the elephants we got a 2 hr bamboo raft trip down the Cucumber River. Few small rapids and had to sit down for those, got to swim and float in the river as well. Yut guided the raft from the front, not the back, w/ a long bamboo pole. (bamboo grows very fast, like 10 feet in 1 yr or something)

The Dutch guy is in the Holland Air Force and spent 6 months last year in Afganistan. He was in a mix of different nationalities w/ the troops. He said most American soldiers are very arrogant and point their guns at the civilians. Not all are like that, one American was his best bud over there. His preconceived notion was that the American Army is a bunch of yahoo's who act like they are superior and more experienced in comparison to these smaller armies. He said the English act that way as well, but after his time there, he said the American Army isn't as bad as he origionally thought. He is the one who fell down at the waterfall....and also during the trekk, the other Holland girls were slipping and sliding, falling on their knees etc. I was a little mountain goat from Colorado, sure-footed and I made a joke at their expense. Asked him why the Dutch people keep falling down? Is their land so flat they can't keep their balance on terrain like this? He laughed and said when I do a faceplant, he will laugh first then help me up. I never fell. :)

All in all, I was glad I did it, but glad it was over. Hello shower. Hello clean bed. Hello pretty toilet :)