vacations are great.

Monday August 17-

The last week was amazing. I went on safari (which I highly recommend) and then spent a few days lounging around Zanzibar, which is really an island paradise.

On safari we had a great guide/driver who was super knowledgeable and had the best eyes. He could spot a leopard from about a mile away… which he did. We saw tons of zebras and elephants, got caught in the middle of wildebeest herds at least a couple of times, and had a lion walk so close to our Land Cruiser that if I had put my hand out I could have touched her. I decided to keep my hand though, so I decided to keep all limbs inside the vehicle.

The place we stayed was fairly amazing as well. It was modeled after a maasai village… but a five star maasai village. You turn off a paved road and go about 10 kilometers on rocky, bumpy dirt tracks, passing small villages and children herding goats and cows. On the way there on the first night I was silently wishing over and over again “please let it be nice. Please let it be nice.” The farther and farther we went the less and less hope I had. Once you pull up to the reception desk all of a sudden you’re out of the dry scrubland and in a beautiful, lush valley. There are about 20 huts situated on the property, but looking at it you wouldn’t guess that there were nearly that many. I had my own hut and the veranda looked out over banana trees, papyrus, and crystal clear lake. Having my own space for a couple of days was incredible. I really don’t notice how much I love having a little bit of alone time until I finally find some after two weeks of constantly having tons of people everywhere. It felt amazing to come back from a dusty, dirty day on safari, take a hot shower and then walk down to the pool and dangle my feet in the water while enjoying the view and a big cold beer. The whole time I just kept thinking about how this is the place that Hemmingway would stay if he were still alive.

After I reluctantly and sadly said goodbye to the safari we raced back to Arusha, swapped out some clothes, and were on the way to the Arusha airport for our Zanzibar adventure. The first night we stayed in Stone Town, the capital, and took it easy with a nice swim and delicious Indian dinner. The second day we had a walking tour, visited the spice market, and went to the old slave market. Zanzibar is cool because it was on the spice route when that was big business and has a really interesting and diverse feeling to it. It is almost completely Muslim and has a very strong Arab influence. Coming from the mainland you almost wouldn’t believe that you’re still in Africa. For the second and third nights we went up the coast to the Ocean Paradise resort and that is exactly what it was. I swam in gigantic pool, frolicked in the Indian Ocean, walked on the perfectly white sand beach, and ate until I actually ran out of space in my stomach. It was sad to leave that place too.

Now it’s Monday and I’m back in Arusha, getting ready to head to the hospital. The woman I’m staying with is a doctor at the same hospital where I’ll be working so I’m getting a ride with her. Ideally, we should be at the hospital at 9:00. Currently it is almost 10:00 in the morning and we’re still hanging out at the house. African time is just not the same as western time. Even with the local airlines… if your flight is scheduled to leave at 2:10 you should plan on boarding around 2:40. When I first got to Arusha I saw a bumper sticker with an elephant on it that said “No hurry in Africa!” I thought it was sort of funny at the time, but now I see it really is a true statement. It’s weird to try to readjust your concept of what it means to be on time to something.