The TAZARA-Odyssey

So now it's really time to turn around and go back to South Africa ... through Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. The next highlight on the way are Victoria Falls @ Livingstone / Zambia. Phuu, that's quite a long distance and I don't want to go the whole way by Minibus. But jep, this time there is an alternative to the bus ... the Tanzania-Zambia-Railway (TAZARA) ... so I catched the train!!

The railway connects Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) with Kapiri Mposhi (Zambia) and is over 1800 km long. It was built by the Chinese in the 70th ... and of course they did it not without a proper reason. So the main reason was to get an alternative access to the copperbelt which is located around Kapiri Mposhi ;-) ... before they only way to the sea was through Zimbabwe down to South Africa. However, the rails and the trains are also still the same ... and the last maintenance must be also a long time ago ;-) ... but it is still running!!

The train leaves twice a week from Dar es Salaam (Tue/Fri) and the normal travelling is about 50 hours. So I took the train last friday and it had already a departure-delay of about 10 hours ... and so the Odyssey began! After a few hours on the way there occured some technical problems with the engine ... but main problem was a derailed train which blocks the railway ... and so we had a total delay of about 50 hours!! ... and no Plan B at all!! ... ahhhh, I really got crazy on this train!! They did not inform the passengers and you did not get a proper information on what's happend ... *just take it easy!* ... sitting, waiting, wishing ... somewhere at a train station in the bush!

... and that was the problem for our delay!!!

But apart from this terrible delay the joyride on the train  was a nice alternative to the bus ... the track leads us through a very beautiful countryside and it is a more comfortable way to travel ... and of course it's also an adventure, like everything here in Africa ;-)

... a big *dislike* for the long delay ;-) ... and a big *like* for the beautiful countryside!!!

Diving @ Zanzibar

As I mentioned already in my last blog entry, I did some dives (1x Nightdive, 2x Daydives) at the coral reef off the coast of Nungwi - my first dives at a coral reef ... there are so many different fishes and corals ... and everything has another color ... it's really amazing!! ... thx to Oscar (my Dive-Master) for taking all this awesome pics!! ... enjoy!!

... and then we saw two big turtles ... they are so cute, arn't they? I am loving them!

So now you know why I love and enjoy scuba diving ;-)

Zanzibar - A little paradise

After a few days on the road again (Nhkata Bay / Karonga / Mbeya / Dar es Salaam) ... I finally catched the speed boat to the *spicy* island! So here I am @ Stonetown, the *old* capital of Zanzibar! It's a beautiful town with old buildings, nice doors, narrow streets and crowded markets ... I really enjoyed the nice atmosphere there ... and I am loving the *spiced* coffee and the brownies @ Stonetown-Cafe ;-)

Zanzibar is a very popular holiday destination. At the high season (Nov-Feb) there are a lot of tourist coming to the island to enjoy the nice beaches and have fun. The best beaches are located at the north and at the east of the island.

In the low season the beaches are almost empty ... and instead of *chicks* there are just some *cows* on the beach for a sunshower ;-)

However, I enjoyed a few days at Nungwi beach and Jambiani beach. At Nungwi beach there are - of course - a lot of diving centers and so I decided to go for some more dives - my first dives in the ocean ... and it was really amazing ... but for more details (and some pics) about my dives ... please check out my next blog entry ;-)

Apart from the beautiful beaches, Zanzibar is also very famous for its spices and fruits! Due to the warm and mild climate a lot of different spices - which you can usually find in every good kitchen - are growing there. During a visit on a spice farm you explore all these things and you can see how they are growing ... so if you are visiting Zanzibar you should make a spice tour ... it's really very informative and interesting to see ... and it takes just a couple of hours!

Cinnamon (Zimt) 

(Nelken) 

Papaja