Jim Cavanaugh’s Tour d’Afrique

ok ok ok, i know that this is a cycling trip, but a few days on the beach won’t kill me.  besides, it has given me sunsets to shoot, which have been spectacular every nite.

i never thought that i would survive a 5-day beach holiday, but made it.  managed to get in 4 dives, and the diving on zanzibar is pretty good, good coral, lots of fish, quite a few turtles.  

we headed back to stone town today, and will catch a ferry to dar es salaam tomorrow, and head to iringa and rejoin the tour.  will be back on the bike in 2 days.

i don’t know enough bout the new health care bill to know if it is a good thing.  but, every time that i hear stuff like “socialism” thrown out, I realize that if name-calling is all that the repubs have to say, it is probably ok.  apparently, calling someone a “liberal” is not good enough these days, but i recall that nixon wanted to introduce a health care plan, and he ain’t no liberal.  and mitt romney inroduced a health care plan in ma when he was gov, yep, he was for health care before he was against it.   As i read some of the commentators criticize the new health bill, i have to laugh cuz everyone of them has health care already.  and apparently don’t mind double-digit price increases on their premiums.   i don’t have the answers, and i know that the demos sure don’t have all of them, but it is disappointing that the repubs chose to engage in blockage and not bi-partisanship – even david frum has come out and noted that the repubs goofed on not helping to improve the bill.   I realize that I should stay away from politics on this blog, but humor me just this one time.  I figure that to the victor goes the spoils, Bush got a war in iraq that after 7 years I truly have no idea why we are there.  Obama got a health care package that will help 35M Americans get health care, etc.  the latter is a heck of a lot cheaper than a war, and probably will help those 35M Americans a bit more than bush’s war. 

Ok, my repub readers can fire away at me………but I can take it……….

3.20

 Greetings from a beach in Zanzibar. 

 Initially, I spent a few days wandering Stone Town, the main city of Zanzibar.  Stone Town is an old town that was the center of trading for hundreds of years.  Some time back, Oman controlled Zanzibar, and helped make it a center of trading between Africa and the Middle East and Asia.  Included in that trading was the exchange of slaves, which continued until the late 1800s.

 Stone Town is a city of small, winding streets, very similar to the medina of other Arab cities that I have been in.  The city is full of old mansions that have been converted to multi-family dwellings.  And although Stone Town is a world heritage site, it desperately needs a paint job.  It reminds me a lot of Havana, a lot of potential, but sort of worn down and out.  The people seem genuinely happy and welcoming, but of course although tourists are a pain in da butt to them, we are also a significant source of their gnp – a necessary evil in their mind, if you will.  Sort of like going to the dentist or voting for Ron Wyden.

 Although the roads are very narrow, that does not stop folks from driving fast through the streets –amazingly fast as they zoom by.  Another TDA rider, Eric from Montreal, was here a few days, and he got hit by a passing vehicle’s mirror, but did not get hurt.  It was a good reminder to give them wide birth when walking.  On the smaller roads that cars can not fit on, the motorcycles and scooters still haul ass, again at surprising speeds.  I am continually asking myself “what are they thinking going so fast?”   But, I might as well ask myself the meaning of life, or why I do so many stupid things?  Just because.

 Zanzibar has a very large Moslem population, as well as Christians.  It appears to me that most of the Moslems are of Arab descent, whereas the Christians are more likely African.  But, that is just my eyeball survey, and nothing scientific.  In reality, there has been a lot of race mixing over the years, and a dna test would turn up many backgrounds, including a fair amount of British dna, giving their time in Tanzania and Zanzibar.  I read bout the shortest war in history, which last 45 minutes, when a Sultan of Zanzibar tried to kick the British out, and a British ship immediately fired canon shots at them and brought them to submission with 45 minutes of the Sultan’s declaration.  Or so said the museum.

 The Aga Khan Trust has taken an interest in Zanzibar, and has refurbished at least one building, and  built a park along the waterfront.  The park is terrific, kids dive into the ocean from the wall all afternoon, late afternoon small food carts set up and cook fresh seafood, and the scene is a mixture of locals and tourist.  Of course, some of the food cart hawkers are a bit aggressive, as desperate people tend to be, and get a bit annoying pushing their product.  There is a noticeable minority of aggressive hawkers in Stone Town, in part cuz there is a lot of unemployment, and desperate times make desperate folks.  I regularly had folks come up asking “if I need anything?”   A taxi driver would ask me if I need a cab, and I would say “no,” and he would say “how bout tomorrow?”   A bit of humor, a bit of desperate reality, I suspect.

 Stone Town is worth a few days to visit, but it does not more time than that.  Yesterday I left Stone Town and headed to the north end of the island, to a town called Kendwa, and got a hotel recommended by the guy at my last hotel.  It is very good value, right on the beautiful white sand beach.  And the Indian Ocean is warm.  It is just amazing.  It is a notch above backpacker level, but does the trick just fine.  The restaurant bar is on the beach under a thatched roof. 

 There are lots of women sunbathers on the beach, and after noting that some of them are out in the sun for hours, just laying there soaking in the rays, not reading or even talking, I start to wonder “what do they think bout as they lay in the sun for hours?”  Do they solve intricate mathematical equations in their head?    Do they engage in their retirement planning?     Or, are they simply in deep meditation?  Let’s just say that it is another mystery of the universe to this observer how someone can spend hours lying in the sun doing nothing but getting a tan and being in early stages of melanoma.  I am certainly not genetically dialed to do that.  And I don’t foresee many long beach holidays in my future.

 Just a while ago, 4 TDA riders checked into my hotel – I knew that they were coming over and we had stayed in touch via email, and they knew how to find me.  We were planning on sharing a van to Iringa catch up with the rest of the group.  I learned a bit more news from them bout other riders, but mostly it was that everyone enjoyed their 3 days off and are back on the bike.  Hopefully it won’t rain much on the bad dirt roads, as that will make them a nightmare to ride on.  For me, they are bad enough dry, a real pain in da butt muddy.  I guess that I will stay a roadie, for sure.

 And so, it looks like we will be here a few more days.  We don’t hook up with the tour until March 25.

 This morning, Gabriele and his girlfriend, who are also in Zanzibar, dropped by our hotel to have coffee and chat, and coordinate our Iringa plans.  It was very fun to catch up with them.   By coincidence they were staying bout 20 minutes from us up the beach.

 Zanzibar has power issues, and the power routinely goes on and off.  This past winter, apparently it went off for 3 months, and absent generators, there was no power here.  A heck of a way to run an island, eh?  I was told that there were several deaths for folks running generators due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

 I was thinking of a conversation that I had with one of the South African riders, who was complaining of a new sectional rider who snored all night long, and kept us awake.  He told me that “I don’t mind someone who farts some, as I do that, but I can’t take a snorer.”  I can say that he accurately describes himself.  The other TDA riders here on Zanzibar told me that there are a couple of riders that they don’t camp next to cuz they fart all nite long, and they are noisy, and fragrant.  Fortunately, to date, no has said that bout me, at least to my face.

 I can’t remember if I have already put this in the blog, or if I have just thought bout it, but once we rejoin the tour at Iringa, we still have 7 weeks to go, and the distance to Capetown is essentially the same as across the USA, or bout 3,000 miles.  So there is plenty of riding left to do, and plenty of interesting places to see.  Am glad to be in Zanzibar and seeing as much of it as I can.

 As I sit at the internet café, I have to note that it is incredibly slow.  Yesterday it was 10 times faster.  There is a young girl from Zanzibar sitting at the terminal next to me talking to the computer telling it to “come on” in English.   I completely concur with her.  There are some aspects of civilization that I do miss.

3.17

 Happy St Patrick’s Day.  Am sitting in very Moslem Zanzibar, not sure if they know that this is a great holiday around the world, but doubt that they will be breaking out the green beer today.  For 18 years, I have heard my office mate, Billy, tell the same goober joke on Martin Luther King’s birthday and St Patrick’s Day, and sadly i won’t hear that joke twice this year, but am sure that he will make it up to me next year.

 Back in December I booked a 3-day flight to Zanzibar with fairly lousy connections as I wanted to check it out, and did not know when I would be close to Zanzibar next.  But, after losing EFI status, I opted to come over for a longer visit.   And, because most of the roads from Arusha to Iringa in southern Tanzania are dirt, a bit rough, and nightmarish if it rains (it poured in Arusha yesterday before my flight, a bad foreshadowing of riding on dirt), I decided to rejoin the tour in Iringa, and spend extra days in Zanzibar..  Whch means that I will spend bout a week in Zanzibar.  A few of the riders will be coming over here as well, and we will rent a  van in Dar Es Salaam to drive to Iringa.  It should be interesting.  I will probably go check out Dar for a day as well.

 My initial impression of Zanzibar is very positive, although it is HOT.  It was 85 F in my room this morning, fortunately I have a fan.  Right now am sitting on the top of the B&B, which is open and has nice ocean winds and views.  And is 15 degrees cooler than my room.  The townspeople seem very happy and playful – one of my first sights yesterday was two Islamic girls running down an alley swinging their veils at each other.  Years ago, Oman controlled Zanzibar, and the Arab influence is still strongly present, in the religion, architecture, people, food, etc.  The people are very attractive, and I believe that there will be a few photo opps to come.

 And, the food is awesome.  Zanzibar is a R&R destination for many Europeans, South Africans and NGO sorts working in Africa, and there appears to be no end of good victuals here – which also appeals to me after 2 months of not.  Have not yet found the good ice cream joints, but that is on my agenda today.  And probably every day that I am here.

 Apparently, each nite on the square next to the ocean bout 2 blocks from my hotel there is a bunch of small food stands that sell fresh seafood, etc for very good prices.  I discovered that too late as I ate somewhere else, but won’t make the same mistake twice.  I also drank a delicious glass of sugarcane with lemon and ginger in it.

As I am sitting on the deck, I looked out at the ocean and saw a dhow sailing by.  I  suspect that is in my near future, I last sailed on a dhow when I was on Lamu, a small island off the coast of Kenya that I visited bout 13 years ago.

Zanzibar has a history of being a spice island and slave trading, and I plan to check out both.  Frankly, after a week here I will be a walking encyclopedia on Zanzibar – or else I might just go nuts.   There is also plenty of good beach action, diving, snorkeling, etc.  Hmmm, riding dirt roads that I absolutely don’t enoy, or hanging in Zanzibar.   A difficult choice.  I was having some second thoughts bout my decision yesterday until I rode on the lousy dirt roads.

It is interesting that we have a few riders who have left us on several occasions to do side trips, and then rejoin us.   I think that there are many ways to do this trip, and many ways that it works for different people.  I think that one guy has ridden bout 1 day since we arrived in Kenya, and otherwise has been gone for bout 2 weeks, although he stopped in at our Nairobia camp.  Another couple has   pretty much been gone for the same time period, and they also stopped in to visit us in Nairobia.  There are many ways to do this journey, and we are starting to see more and more.

BTW, Gabriele’s gf came to join us for a week, but because of an accident that she had back home in Switzerland, she can’t ride.  But, she came anyway, and they took off to Zanzibar yesterday as well.  She brought with her some delicious Swiss cheeses, salami, dried meat and bread, and bout 6 of us had a feast the other nite just before entering Tanzania.