Akwaaba! Welcome to West Africa

May 26th, 2006 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Once again, to be met at the airport! To know that someone has been waiting for you! To see the happy and relieved look on their faces when you arrive! So it is when George, a driver from Planned Parenthood Ghana (PPAG), and Aseye, our in-country AJWS representative, pick us up at Ghana’s Kotoka International and take us to our home for the next two months.
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Witnessing the front lines of the AIDS battle in Uganda

May 24th, 2006 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

The AIDS situation in Uganda is one of the better in sub-Saharan Africa, with an infection rate of 7 percent, a far cry from the rates of 20, 30, or even 40 percent found in some areas of southern Africa. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, with whom Tay’s Aunt Linda has been for four years, is on the cutting edge of preventing mother-baby HIV/AIDS transmission in Uganda and 17 other countries. But there are numerous fronts to this battle and Elizabeth Glaser is only one of many games in town. On Friday morning, an opportunity arises to see one of these other organizations in action, and we take it.
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Entering Uganda: Across the Equator

May 23rd, 2006 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

Twenty-four continuous hours of travel—by overnight ferry across Lake Victoria followed by a series of minivan “dala-dalas”—takes us from Mwanza, Tanzania to the Ugandan capital. Our midday border crossing at Mutukula is easier than expected. As our vehicle slows, touts surround us with their roasted corn, goat-liver-on-a-stick, warm bottles of Fanta, and baggies of shiny-fried beetle grubs; they are relatively calm and curious, and they briefly scatter when I take out my camera, but immediately regroup with smiles, relentless with their wares.
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Map: Our Tanzania Trail

May 19th, 2006 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Dar to Zanzibar, then Moshi to Mwanza (1200 km across the Serengeti), followed by an overnight ferry on the great lake to Bukoba–and the Uganda border. As these three weeks in Tanzania come to a close, I’ve neglected to paint a proper a map. There just hasn’t been time to bust out the watercolors, only this customized shot from a park visitor center. Enjoy.
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Our Man in Mwanza: Smiling Softly

May 18th, 2006 | By Joshua | 7 Comments »

Back on our own, no more luxury lodges or guides or vehicle, we must cross Africa’s largest lake to get to Uganda (via Bukoba), where we will meet up with Tay’s long-lost Great Aunt Linda, granddaughter of the esteemed Dr. Stewart, development worker with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and one of Tay’s inspirations for continued work abroad, even though they have only met once.
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Tanzania Safari, Part 3: Serengeti to Mwanza

May 17th, 2006 | By Joshua | No Comments »

The morning drive along Ngorongoro southwest crater rim is nothing less than a trip through Rohan, the wide, rolling grasslands of Middle Earth. Rolling across the zebra and giraffe-studded hills, among Masai huts and herds, trying to take it all in: what we have seen, what we will see, and what is outside the open windows right now.
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Tanzania Safari, Part 2: Tarangire to Ngorongoro

May 16th, 2006 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Day 2 begins with a stunning sunrise game drive, fiery clouds behind silhouetted baobabs, and as a bonus, a short, plump rainbow above Mount Tangire. Back at the lodge, we eat a five-star breakfast alone, refill coffee mugs, then set out on another long drive, twisting and winding our way toward the park’s exit, plenty of animals and the weather shifting between sunny, drizzly, and fantastic shows of light in between; box lunch is eaten at an overlook above the river, lightly raining as we watch some of the park’s 3,500 elephants graze below.
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Tanzania Safari, Part One: Moshi to Tarangire

May 15th, 2006 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

The safari is Tay’s idea. Her childhood dream of seeing the plains and animals of East Africa was not realized during her two-and-a-half years in West Africa and this is her chance. Me, I’ve never considered it, don’t really know what “safari” even is, except a used and abused Swahili word for “journey.” I’ve mostly associated it with dweeby hats and vests, rich people in luxury camps, and some vague, Hemingway-esque romanticism that probably doesn’t even exist. I also dislike safari’s non-strenuous nature; i.e. you are not allowed to leave your vehicle in most National Parks (because of dangerous animals), and I envision being trapped in a metal box all week, sealed-off from so much Africa around me.

On the other hand, I love big, open spaces, preserved swathes of nature and wildlife; plus, the famous allure of Ngorongoro and the Serengeti is strong and I want to see them for myself. And, more important, how often does a guy have the chance to make his wife’s dreams come true? Her dreams are mine now, I know this, so I might as well enjoy them. And I do.
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Our Man in Moshi

May 10th, 2006 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Our final night in Zanzibar, the sunset is even more stunning than last evening’s record breaker, and Tay and I unanimously agree to vote it “sunset of the trip,” which is a bold statement considering some of the day’s ends we’ve seen. But the colors, the length, the wide-angle span of it makes it a no-contest, and we celebrate with yet another seafood dinner on the beach. In the morning, in a light drizzle, we pack up and bounce through puddled, potted roads to the airport on the other side of the island, where we board a Precision Air flight to Dar, then another to Northern Tanzania.
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Zanzibar Part II: Kendwa Rocks and the Sound of El Son

May 9th, 2006 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Our short time on the white-powder Zanzibari beach coincidentally coincides with (1) a lucky rare break in the low-season rains and (2) a free Friday night performance by Los Jovenes Clasicos del Son, a Cuban musical group near the end of a 40-day African tour, who is staying and playing at Kendwa Rocks, our home for the weekend. The result is an incredible cultural collusion of salsa, sun, and sand which, on the first night, tastes of roasted crab and curry, washed down with a nostril-tingling bottle of “Stoney Tangawizi” ginger beer.
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