Living Abroad

Giraffes before the storm hits Mikumi National Park in central Tanzania

We welcomed our first New Year in Africa at midnight and five hours later we were driving through the Tanzanian dawn dark on our way to Mikumi National Park, about 100 kilometers from Morogoro.  It was our first African safari, even though it was only a day trip.  We were determined not to be the only people in Tanzania who have never seen a zebra.

On the way, we didn’t pass through many settlements, just 4 or 5 small red clay villages.  The last one was situated right on the park borders and almost as soon as we crossed the invisible line into the park, we started to see animals.  Andrea yelled “There is a herd of elephants!”  Just like a vision, suddenly there were huge beasts walking delicately among the baobab trees.  Then an impala ran by and suddenly we felt like we had arrived in Africa. [Read more →]

What could be better than driving your own car through some of the wildest places on Earth.  National Parks in Tanzania are perfect for do-it-yourself safaris.  We recently drove to Mikumi National Park in central Tanzania for a quick holiday.  Once in the park, we drove everywhere ourselves, choosing when and where to go, how long to stay there and when to leave.  It’s the most freedom you can have if you travel to Africa to go on a wildlife safari.

Whether or not a do-it-yourself safari is for you depends on what type of person you are to start with.  If you prefer to let someone else make all the decisions and just go along for the ride, then a do-it-yourself safari may not be for you.  However, if you like adventure and want to be in charge, it’s relatively easy, if not much cheaper, to do it on your own. [Read more →]

A lot of people ask why we choose to pursue development work and live in developing countries.  There are many reasons, but one big reason is that this lifestyle gives us the opportunity to travel frequently and pursue many adventures.  For example, in the last year and a half we’ve lived in Tibet, mountain biked in Nepal, trekked in Tibet, mountain biked in Tibet, ridden horses in Mongolia, trophy fished in Mongolia, spent time at Lake Baikal in Siberia and much much more.

To accomplish so much in this regard, takes a lot of planning (and money), but we always start it all off by making an adventure travel hit list for each country or region we live in.  Here is the initial hit list we came up with for Tanzania and I’m sure we’ll add to it as we go.  Let me know what you think.

• Visit Island of Zanzibar - go diving, attend East Africa music festival
• Visit Island of Pemba - go diving, see whale sharks
• Visit Island of Mafia - go diving, deep sea fishing, see whale sharks
• Visit Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika
• Climb Meru Peak and Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
• Visit All the National Parks in Tanzania
• Research and Visit the Best Wildlife Management Areas in Tanzania
• Trek the Uluguru Mountains
• Trek the Udzungwa Mountains
• Identify 100 new Bird Species
• Participate in Community/Cultural Based Tourism

We’re sure the list will go on once we get to know the place better.  Then we’ve also started a list for Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Madagascar…  Life is definitely too short.

Morogoro?  Where in the world is Morogoro?  That was my first thought too.  It’s in Tanzania, East Africa.  (If you think Africa is a country, you should run for vice president.) [Read more →]

Christmas Trees in Tanzania

This weekend, heavy clouds mercifully blocked the scorching sun and we spent Sunday morning washing clothes in the hotel room, hanging them everywhere until the room looked like a refugee tent.  Then we decided to go for a walk while it was cool outside.   We headed out of the Morogoro hotel uphill into the Forest Hill neighborhood, known as the “safest” area of town.  A young man in a t-shirt and religious skull cap passed us and I said “Jambo”, hello.  He replied the greeting then robbed Andrea.

He ripped her cell phone from her pocket and sprinted down the road into the woods.  I gave chase but he was too fast.  Once he entered the woods, I gave it up, not knowing what would await me there.  It’s not really worth risking getting stabbed just for a cell phone. [Read more →]