Last days

August 10

Another relaxing day. We returned to the beach we visited yesterday and hung out for several hours at an outpost of a local hotel where we were treated to towels, lounge chairs, palapas, food and drinks. It was like being in Puerto Vallarta again. Before we arrived there, we took a detour to a large coral cave over 3 km in length. The guide who appeared there, a local entrepreneur, informed us that after slavery was abolished later in the 19th century, slave traders went underground, literally, and secretly kept their human merchandise in the cave. Melinda found out after the tour was over that pythons inhabit it. If she’d known beforehand, she perhaps would have skipped this excursion. Upon our return from the beach, we went back to our favorite curio shop and bought a 2 centuries-old (give or take a few decades) African bronze sculpture. Just what the house needs. We had dinner at a very good Italian restaurant and crashed early.


August 11

Sadly, this is our last full day. In keeping with yesterday’s spring vacation theme, we went a little north of the city to a hotel where we could use the pool, spa, and restaurants. After lounging poolside and swimming, we ate a delicious lunch, then headed for the spa. Mel and Spencer had hot oil hair treatments, Mel had a henna pattern applied to her hand, Lily had a full body massage, and Peter underwent a leg/foot massage. As we exited, we felt relaxed and refreshed. After watching a mindless but amusing DVD back at our room, we went to dinner at a new Italian restaurant that required them sending a man to guide us through the alleys, most of which are only wide enough for foot, cycle, and push-cart traffic, twisting and turning to take us there and bring us home. Otherwise, we would never have found it.


August 12

I write this in the morning as the rest of the family sleeps. At 3 a.m. we were awakened by a major disturbance in the streets below our windows. An obviously very angry mob was moving back and forth shouting and arguing and we heard what could have been slaps and punches. The ruckus lasted for at least 45 minutes and was quite unsettling. Then, just a couple of hours later, the mullahs calling the faithful to prayer at the beginning of Ramadan, started to blare from loudspeakers all over Stone Town. The cacophony lasted another 45 minutes. Now, at 7:30, all is peaceful except for the pouring rain, the first of the entire trip. I hope it is not the beginning a typhoon of which I have been unaware. We depart at 6 p.m. for what will be a very long trip back to Bainbridge with 3 separate flights and one long layover. We plan to get in a little last-minute shopping for souvenirs and gifts.

Undoubtedly, this has been the most unusual and active vacation we’ve ever taken. It has left us with many vivid images and memories and we have had experiences unlike any previously. We will miss Africa and hope to return some day. Perhaps on the next trip we can spend more time providing service as there are great needs here. Despite the incredible hardship and poverty most Africans endure, they are mostly friendly, good-natured, optimistic, industrious, and easy going. We can’t recall any unpleasant encounters and some have gone far to help us.

Here are a few observations about East Africa:

There are almost no fat Africans.

Very few Africans smoke.

The pecking order on the roads is cars first, then motorbikes, then bicycles, and lastly pedestrians.

Many Africans refer to the US as “Obamaland” which is proclaimed with a big smile.

Tanzanians actually say “Hakuna matata” (the title of the song from The Lion King) which means, “No worries”, and they mean it.

Swahili sounds beautiful.

Some Africans like to use nicknames taken from the pages of Marvel Comics, like Spiderman.

They are not self-conscious.

The sides of the roads, including the actual pavement (or more likely, the dirt), are where much of life is lived.

School uniforms are ubiquitous and each school or town has its own color scheme.

It is not unusual for children to walk 3 hours each way to and from school.

Flush toilets are rare except where the tourists are to be found. The usual fixture is a hole in the ground.

There are almost no processed or fast foods. Vegetables are all organic and meat is hormone-free and free range, by necessity.

The median age in this part of Africa is 15. That fact is very obvious. There are very few old people.

Africans are communally oriented rather than individualistic.


As I end this blog, It is 8:40. The owner of the hotel informed me that the commotion in the streets last night was a mob confronting, and perhaps meting out justice to, 2 men who broke into a copy shop. Apparently, the police usually don’t show up for this sort of thing.

Our lives have been greatly enriched by this experience. For those of you who have read this blog, thank you. We hope you have enjoyed it.