Bicycle diaries

A basket on the back of your bike is definitely also a trend in Africa.

streetlife

Nyama Choma means grilled meat in Kiswahili. Every village on the main road has at least 1 choma zone or Choma palace! Packed busses are a common sight but the most striking is the amazing amount of backs filled with charcoal and the impact of deforestation of large areas along every road we travelled.

into the wild

“The big 5” is in the pocket however some other wild I find even more photogenic. “The Cat 5”: 1.millions of pink flamingos in Lake Nakuru 2. Impala’s or Bambi’s in Masai Mara 3. Weaver birds 4. Spotted-Hyena’s 5. Grunting Hippos

Dar sketches

The drawings of Dar es Salaam made by Sarah Markes are absolutely wonderful! They show the daily life in a great african city such as street vendors and the heavy loaded bicycles. Moreover her sketches record architectural jewels that are a victim of recent demolition. She asks for people's stories and memeories about these buildings. Have a look at http://darsketches.wordpress.com/

Hakuna Matata

The car has some problems with the drive shaft, on the sunny side it gives us an opportunity to meet and learn from some great local people. The most amusing statement sofar came from a journalist in Tanzania when we were chatting about the press and kleptocracy (corrupt governments); Don’t be vague, wait for The Hague.

scandinavia meets africa

Great handicrafts, colourful fabrics and a crossroad of cultures produces some wonderful items. At the green room they sell hand made products from Tanzanian some of them made by the Neema Group in Iringa and other products all inspired by the sea and nature. They have plans to open an internet shop, http://www.thegreenroomtz.com/

bellevue

Wind, sun and a perfect blue sky, welcome on Zanzibar! The masai are all employed as safety guards, it is said that they are the only guards that stay awake the whole night.

swahili

A pleasant mixture of different cultures has created the Swahili style along East coast and Zanzibar. African, Arabic and European influences are all melted into this agreeable lifestyle with offers an great inspiration!

street scene

The main town on Zanzibar has many faces, strolling through the old narrow streets gives a good impression of the daily life on the island.

hand made

The holiday offers another good opportunity to find some special hand crafts. Sofar my favourite are the pottery at lake Malawi and Neema, www.neemacrafts.com

smiles for miles

Last week we have been on the road with Golden Banda. After Zambia we drove eastward to Malawi and further north to Tanzania. Some things are different some things are still the same: original shop names, nsima, converted seacontainers and painted advertisements are just a few.