Ali and Abba's East African Adventure

Tanzania was phenomenal. Between the beautiful scenery, the pleasant, amicable Tanzanians, the delicious food, and the deep-rooted culture, it was a great 2.5 weeks. Abba and I chose to start our EAA (East African Adventure) in Tanzania and it was a smart decision. Zanzibar was relaxing and very colorful, full of tasty Indian delights and Tropical fruits. When not eating we lounged on the gorgeous, vaste white sandy beaches and toured the twists and turns of Stone Town, the once epicenter for Swahili culture. Zanzibar turns Cancun at night, so we had a few good nights partying with a diverse, international crowd on the beach. In general I have been in a stimulation overload meeting so many people from all over the world. Being a Peace Corps volunteer in a tiny, homogenous village for 2 years does not leave much room to meet other from outside of the village. So I have taken advantage of trying to socialize with as many people as possible and make up for the last 2 years! (i.e. I'm not getting a lot of sleep).
After Zanzibar, we headed to Dar Es Salaam, a more organized, eclectic, western influenced city that has many beaches and wafts of ocean, breezy air. Reminded me a tad of Dakar, Senegal for it's ocean-side location. Next, we headed to Lushoto, the "Switzerland of Tanzania." At one point a haven for German colonialists, Lughoto was a nice forested, mountainous, green respite from the bustle of Dar. Finally, we ended our N. Tanzania tour at Moshi and Arusha to finish up with a Serengeti/Ngorngoro Crater Safari. Despite not being a huge animal enthusiast,I got totally into the safari and found it rather therapeutic. When one is enraptured in watching animals, one's worried subside. You get trapped in watching the animals and only think of the present--the animals you will see. Quite nice. I also enjoyed Arusha for its East African United- Nations- feeling (an African Studies Students dream) and all the good restaurants!
Now we are in Nairobi....once again amazed by all the good food and hustle and bustle. In general here are some generalizations that we noted between Tanzania and Cameroon:
1. Good, solid National Highways.
2. Cars/buses that leave on time.
3. Great diversity in food, esp. Indian Food
4. wonderful cheap coffee on the streets
5. Garbage bins on the side of streets, in general, less trash ridden
6. Very friendly population, everywhere we went!!! Reminded me of my village with the salutations.
7. Peanut Butter is ubiquitous
8. Less Derangement, rarely would someone come up and pester you
9. Conservation in the National Parks was note-worthy.
10.Seemed like more law-abiding on the highways, i.e. pulled people over for having too many passengers in the cars.
OK, hope this finds everyone well! Bonne Annee! We are continuing on our journey. Asante Sana, Kwa Heri,
Ali