Jambo! I now find myself on the island of Zanzibar. Looking forward to a spice tour tomorrow morning. We've already had lunch in a nice Indian restaurant and I had a curry with saffron in it. Apparently this is the place to buy saffron and vanilla.

During the first half of our trip I couldn't believe we were in Africa. Namibia and Botswana are still like colonial countries - lots of white people and many of the comforts of home. But all that changed when we left Livingstone. Now I am seeing more of the Africa I expected. People living in simple homes and villages with mostly local food to eat. Their homes are made with clay bricks and often don't have electricity. Still my life is comfortable and contains some treats. Of course I'm tired of living out of a tent, but our campgrounds are comfortable with a bar, a place to swim and showers.

Poverty is evident and the number of people pushing their goods on you is crazy. Since My last blog we have spent 4 nights on the beach of Lake Malawi. 2 nights at Kande Beach and 2 at Chitimba. At Kande Beach I did a village tour. It was cool in that you could see what foreign donations do for a community. The community had fresh water pumps that were provided by the Canadian government. Before the pumps were installed, people drank water from the lake and were always getting sick. The school had a library and orphaned children were sponsored to attend school and were boarded. Againt there were some cupboards donated by the Canadian government. While the school is not up to Cnandian standards, it was one of the better equipped schools I've seen. The school had 1500 students and only 10 teachers. Imagine teaching a class of 150! There were some kids on hand to sing us some songs. Fun. As with all African children, they were very friendly and enjoyed hanging out with tourists. The hospital was another sight. AIDS is a serious problem in this part of the continent.

All through Zambia and Malawi you could see signs indicating World Vision projects. Now we are in Tanzania and life is similarly simple and difficult. People struggle to get out of their poverty. But Tanzania is a beautiful country. There are lots of hills and mountains covered in lush greenery. I will miss the plants of Africa. They are varied, beautiful and many.

Since leaving Botswana we have also left the animals behind. Until yesterday. Driving along the highway through a national park we saw all kinds of them living together in close proximity. It was quite something to see elephants, zebras, giraffes, wildebeasts, warthogs, and buffalo all feeding together. But the big cats continue to elude us. However Ngorongo Crater and the Serengeti are still to come! Less than 2 weeks and only one border crossing to go before I'm coming home!

Off to watch the sun set over Zanzibar. Hakuna Matata!

Love, Debbie