Habari Africa – the Journey Begins

After 2 consecutive overnight flights (thanks BA for the tasteless, stingy meals by the way) I arrived in Dar Es Salaam (commonly known as Dar) last Friday.  I was whisked to my hotel, Econo Hotel by my friendly driver,  with its charming green toilet paper and electricity outlets that can create a 4th of July fireworks show (and fried US$75 worth of chargers) and then to the VSO Office to meet the staff and volunteers and to get a briefing .  Lunch was at a little local place and consisted of cooked cassava leaves with grounded nuts (really good), some beans, rice, a stew of an unrecognizable vegetable and fried fish slices that could have done with some green seasoning (thank god they had pepper sauce).  Later that evening I got together with 4 other volunteers and had dinner and drinks at the Badminton Club near to the hotel.  Interesting place – open courtyard seating, large screen showing old Indian movies and videos, a superb cheap Indian menu, a playground for kids and of course a badminton court – an indoor glass walled one, which was your eating entertainment.   Saturday morning I took the ferry from Dar to Zanzibar....it was chaotic but the ferry was large and nice and there were two other Philipino volunteers on the boat as well.  Sine (Zeena) who is a German lecturer here and will be my housemate, met me at the port and got me through immigration quickly. We then drove around Zanzibar City (of which the famous Stone Town is a part of) as we had to pick up the shopping for the restaurant.   We then drove about 1.5 hours to the Jambiani Tourism Training Institute where I am working, which is in this quaint village made of stone houses and right on the beach.  The compound is great with incredible villa-type buildings with thatched roofs right on a huge stretch of white sand beach with turquoise water.  There are lots of nice villas, small hotels and bars (yeah!!) and restaurants within walking distance.  This will certainly be an adventure!!