The magic of Zanzibar

I have always wanted to go to Zanzibar after watching a Getaway show. I think it was Katrina Rowntree who did the travel piece and she sure did a wonderful story because here I am in Zanzibar. The island is a little touristy with so many beach resorts. beautiful beaches, turquoise water, the history of slaves and spices makes for an interesting island.

You have to do the almost compulsory spice tour in Zanzibar. It is a half day tour where they take you through the story of the spice trade in Zanzibar and also the fruits of Zanzibar. It is a very interactive tour, you get to walk through the plantations, see what different spices look like, the smells, the taste and what it is used for.  It was great as there were spices like Cinnamon which I use regularly and didn’t realise it was the bark of a Cinnamon tree.  With the root spices like ginger, galangal I just had no idea what the plant looked like above ground.

Stone Town is an amazing labarynth of houses and shops with narrow alleys to navigate through it. It gave me a very arabian feel straight from Alladin as I had imagined it would be. My hostel was right in the middle and getting lost was a frequent occurence. You can see the Arabic influences in the buildings and the spices in the food which is an enhancement to the usual East African fare.

I went on a snorkelling trip to a Nmemba island which is a coral atoll and it was excellent coral reef and crowded with so many tropical fish. The turquoise water was crystal clear and warm, just the way I like it when I am snorkelling.

Swimming with Whale Sharks

After South Africa I went to Tanzania with the first stop in Dar es Salaam. The heat and humidity got to me a little and I found it difficult to motivate myself to get out and about, preferring to just hang around inside Tamara’s apartment. I found little of interest for me in Dar es Salaam, so I spent my time researching on where to go. After getting some local information I decided to go to Mafia and Zanzibar. I met another couchsurfer Karim wanting to do the same thing and we decided to travel together.

The options to get to Mafia was take a 3o minute flight costing $110USD or 10 hour trip using various local transport costing $10USD.  I was ready to take the flight option but with Karim as my travel companion I was also eager to try the more adventurous local route. At the very least it would make for an interesting story and indeed it was quite a journey. It involved 2 daladala and a boat trip. Daladalas are the local transport vans which are basically 12 very small squashy seats plying various routes all over the city and outer regions. They are very cheap to use, often overcrowded, dangerously driven at ridiculous speeds but it will get you there most of the time (fingers crossed and lots of prays)

The worst daladala ride was the 2 hour trip to Nyamasati where we were to catch the boat to Mafia island. It was overcrowded with up to 25 people at one time for a vehicle that only has 12 seats, I am really amazed that they were able to fit us all in. It was hot, humid and squashed next to another hot human on a bumpy road with drivers who seem to have a total disregard for road conditions for 2 hours was definitely more challenging than I had bargained for.

The port to catch the boat was just a simple ramp, with a few shops and restaurants. We must have been a curiosity being the only foreigners. When the boat was ready to board there was a mad scramble to get the best spots on the boat. Lucky for me Karim was fast and got a spot for us at the back where it was sheltered from the sun and splashes. The boat trip itself was smooth and we arrived at Kilidoni in Mafia Island within about 4 hours.

Swimming with whale sharks and the diving at Mafia Island was amazing. I had never seen a whale shark and knew nothing about them. They are the largest living  fish species with the largest confirmed individual being 12.65metres. Whales sharks are like a whale in that they are filter feeders feeding mainly on plankton, microscopic plants and animals. However their body, tail and fins are shaped like a shark. We spotted two juveniles of about 5 metres in length and jumped in to have a swim with them. You can not really keep up with them as while they may be slow in comparison to their fish counterparts, they are still faster than a clumsy human with mask and fins. In any case it was still such a thrill to be so up close and personal with a whale shark just momentarily. I also went for two dives in Mafia island in the Marine conservation area and it was spectacular corals and marine life with the added bonus of being quite cheap as well.

South Africa

I was in Malindi on the northern coast of Kenya staying in a lovely villa with a pool and contemplating my next move when an expected email from a friend I made online via a sailing website invited me to come to Cape Town South Africa. As I had no other plans I decided “why not”. I madly went online and to a local travel agent looking for airfares. Two days later I was on a flight to Johannesburgh for a few days before heading to Cape Town. It is these last minute random decisions which have turned out to be some of the most rewarding travel experiences.

My stay in Johannesburgh started with a cricket match at Wanderers Stadium in a corporate box. Despite cricket being one of Australia’s top sport, I had never taken much interest in watching it. However an invitation by my couchsurfing host Arshad to watch a local game in their corporate box was definitely worth trying out. It was great, a short game, loads of drinks and good food. It’s priceless opportunities like these that make couchsurfing the best way to experience the local life and people. Thanks Arshad.

Arshad and his girlfriend took me to the Rhino and Lion park just outside of Johannesburgh. It was a hot sunny day with a light cool breeze. I got to play with the white lion cubs, pat a cheetah and hold a python.

Cape Town was the following destination and what a beautiful city it is. The cape is definitely one of the most beautiful location for a city and it makes Cape Town one of the most picturesque. With Table Mountain and Lions Head looming nearby it makes for a dramatic scenery.  A hike up to Table Mountain was rewarded with beautiful views of the city. We took the most difficult route which involved a little bit of climbing over huge boulders and rocks. It was a really hot day and there was little relief as the path was in direct sun with very few opportunities for any shady rests.

I went on a road trip along the Garden Route to Knysna and St Francis, and was privileged to stay in two beautiful homes overlooking spectacular water views.  Food choices are great and prices were cheaper than Sydney by miles. I missed going on some wine tasting but drank plenty of South African wines to make up for it

My visit to Johannesburgh and the Western Cape, reminded me a lot of parts of Australia. It is more familiar than it is different which was rather nice after being away from home for the last 10 months. The most interesting bit of history about South Africa is Apartheid. It seems so totally foreign to me that a policy like that existed to separate people due to race. The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburgh was very confronting depicting the challenges, pain and struggles of the people who lived through this period, particularly people of coloured and/or African heritage. It has been 20 years since the end of Apartheid, and while people are not being classified by race there exist a classification by wealth. The gap between the haves and the have nots is widely evident here. This is not unique to South Africa alone and exists in so many parts of the world. It only re inforces for me to that I am so very privileged to live in such a great country like Australia. Every day I am grateful for the life that I have.

From the sub artic to the tropics

After 4 weeks of sub-artic environment of Sweden, I was back into London to what felt so much warmer in relative comparison. When you have experienced -25c for 3 weeks, London did not seem so bad at around -1c. I decided I had enough of the cold, I was becoming pale. Me, pale…it is unheard of ! I am usually so dark my Mother tells me off for being in the sun so much and looking like a pheasant working in the rice paddies.

I decided on Africa which gave me a sense of excitement but I have to admit a little bit of uncertainty. It is a continent totally unknown to me and in all honesty seemed rather dangerous for a solo female traveller.  The only things I have heard about Africa was rather bleak with its poverty, political instabilities, tribal warfare,  illegal diamond and gold trade.

After lots of research for a cheap fare I decided on Kenya first. I was hosted by a young family in their humble home just in the outskirts of Nairobi for my few days. It was a small house in an estate which was on unsealed roads, dusty and littered with rubbish. Not the most nicest environment for anyone to live in but this was their home. There was no running water so they had to fetch it from a well nearby and store it in large plastic drums for use throughout the day.  It was a unique and humbling experience.

The Kenyans are very hospitable and friendly people. The children are so adorable. Anywhere I saw young children they would stare at me with a big grin calling out “Mzungu” and running up to shake my hand, sometimes 5 or 6 at a time as if I was a celebrity.

The safari to the Masai Mara Reserve would have to be the highlight of my experience with wildlife to date. To see them up close and in their natural habitat was just amazing. I somehow felt the connection with the animals and the land. We were observers but in some way they were also observing us, perhaps even amused at the humans sitting in metal boxes roaring around.  My favourites are the big cats, Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards.

In search of the Aurora

I am back in London after my sojourn in Sweden which was a fantastic experience of living in an extreme climate. It was right in the middle of winter over the shortest days of the year with averages of -25 degrees.

I was doing a work exchange at Aurora Retreat a guesthouse located in Junosuando a small village about 100km north of the Artic cirle in Lapland Sweden.

www.auroraretreat.se

It was rather busy at the guesthouse over that period. Besides the winter activities like dog sledding, snow mobiling and mucking around in the snow there is not much in the way of night life apart from viewing the Northern lights. This is one of the major reasons why people venture this far north in the middle of winter braving temperatures ranging from 0 degrees to  -40 degrees .

Despite the cold and darkness, I have to admit I think back fondly of the experience. The snow covered trees, the pink glow of the day, blue light of sunset, total stillness and silence was quite beautiful.

I went for a dog sledding tour through the forest and lake which was such a thrill. I had a team of four adorable  huskies. They can appear aggressive barking wildly,  howling and extremely exciteable when harnessed up waiting to take off.

Once we get going however, its total silence and they appear to happily run and run. In fact you struggle to keep them still because they keep dragging the sled even when you put the brakes on. We rode for about an hour through the forest and around a lake which was just magical. I would have to say that  it was one of the major highlights.

Another attraction is the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvis which I did a tour of  but not an overnight stay. It is a beautiful piece of art and definitely worth seeing but I did not have any desire to sleep on an ice bed in -5 degrees and I don’t care how warm the sleeping bag is.

www.icehotel.com

I had loads of free time so managed to catch up on movies and read a few books. In addition to that I got into felting which brought out my crafty talents that has been dormant for quite some years. I use to enjoy lots of crafty activities like knitting, crocheting, sewing, cross stitching, and jewellery making but it all went by the wayside after I started working. It was so much fun felting with Uma and Sita the owner’s young daughters of 6 and 4.  Uma kept asking me to make felt things and wrap it up as a present for her birthday which I enjoyed doing.

Lastly I did get a small glimpse of the Northern lights, very small  and very faint. Not quite what I was hoping to see but solar activity was virtually non-existent during that time, and it was cloudy and snowing quite often. Perhaps this means I will have to come back one day, and maybe I will but probably a bit towards early spring when temperatures are warmer and days are longer.

Its a white christmas

Merry Christmas to you all

In previous years I have been sending out a long update of the mischief that I have been up to however since I have been sort of writing in here on a monthly basis I figure you already know that.

Right now I am in in the Artic.  Junosuando a village in Sweden, about 100km north of the Artic circle helping Santa Claus for Christmas …. LOL I wanted a white Christmas and I figure this was a guarantee of that. It is cold averaging -20c, very dry and no wind so it is actually bearable to be outside for short periods of time with the right clothing. Its hard to describe the beauty of this rugged wilderness covered in snow. The silence is deafening. I will definitely post some pictures soon.

I will keep this message short as I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New year for 2010.

Thank you for being you.

To those I have had the pleasure of meeting this year, its been an honour to have met you.

To my dearest old friends, thank you for being a part of my life even if only via FB /email/phone/ chat its nice that we are connected in whatever way we can.

Much love

Tina

If you can not travel, bring the world to you

Most of you know that due to an unfortunate downturn in Wealthyfrog the wealth coaching franchise I started in July 2008, I decided to wrap up the business 6 months later in December 2008

If you didn’t know, I guess you do now

As unfortunate as that might have been, it also prompted me to take this journey, a sabbatical, my journey to freedom, perhaps similar to when Aboriginal Australians go on Walkabout. They undertake a spiritual journey to a Belonging Place to renew their relationship with their Dreaming and the Landscape. The land is their life, their mother, their way, their nourishment, and their spiritual connectedness.

I think that it is the same for me in travelling this way through volunteering and couchsurfing, I am connecting with people from all walks of life, cultures and experiences. I am opening my heart and mind to a whole gammit of experiences that would never happen if I stayed at home and continued the same life.

I’ve had so many personal realisations that were foreign once upon a time but makes total sense now. I’ve been touched by the kindness of people  I have just met and I know that it is how we should all be with each other all the time.

I know that it is not easy for everyone to travel, especially if you have a family, a mortgage and commitments. If that is the case, you can still experience a cultural exchange through hosting and making connections with people from other countries, by bringing them to you.

What an amazing thing for your child to learn and experience. If they are learning a language they can practice that language with a traveller you are hosting.  They will get to know people from all over the world and come to understand that we are all from the same family. You could potentially find hosts for your child to do a study exchange when they are bit older.  There are so many benefits gained from a cultural exchange through hosting and you only have to try it for yourself to truly appreciate it.

I AM

It’s been awhile since the last update and that is because I feel I should always write something interesting and long. I decided its just going to be whatever banter comes to mind.

After Italy I made my way to London and stayed with friends for over a week. Looking back I am not exactly sure what I actually did but the time surely flew by. My 38th birthday went by without much fanfare as I wanted it to be low key anyway. Not that I actually have any anxiety about being on the higher side of 30. I feel no different on the inside and I think I look no different from 10 years ago.

Funny how when we are younger we wanted to look/be older and when we are older we want to look/be younger.  All I can say is that I am happy to be as I am. What “I am” means to me is exactly that, it simply is. No labels, just simply “I AM”

Italy

It’s been almost 7 weeks in Italy, much longer than I anticipated but I have enjoyed every moment of it. I love Italian food but I have to admit after having it every single day for the last 7 weeks, I wouldn’t mind something Asian. They really do eat pasta every day and pizza at least every second day.

I was here in Italy 10 years ago on a bus tour which stopped in Rome, Venice,  and Florence so I chose not to go back to those cities again on this visit. What I remembered from the last visit was the food, the many historical buildings, momuments, piazzas and while all that was lovely I am not really sure I had an appreciation for the people and the culture.

On that tour I felt like I was not experiencing Italy at all. I was just looking at it from afar stopping here and there to take a photo as a reminder that I was there. In fact it was a Contiki tour, the whirlwind 12 countries in 16 days tour of Europe. Well I can tell you I’ve never had a desire to do one of those type of tours again. In fact I can not think of anything worse !

Through couchsurfing I have been hosted for most of the time here. I feel I have “experienced” Italy through the people I have met and hosted me. They have all shown me warm hospitality, shared a slice of their life and their city.  It was made possible through the couchsurfing community.

To enlighten those who may or may not have heard of couchsurfing. It is a community of people who share a love of cultural exchange through either staying in a local home when they visit and/or offer hospitality to people who are visiting their town. It is non-commercial, not for profit website and organisation. I’ve really enjoyed my travels via couchsurfing and would recommend it to anyone who wants a cultural exchange more than just a place to stay.

Casale Monferrato

Casale Monferrato is in the Piedmonte region of Italy about 100Km west of Milan Italy. I am staying in at “Serydarth” an “Intercultural Space”. I really like how it sounds and you are probably wondering what is an “intercultural space”. I had no idea either but I decided to go and spend some time checking it out. I arrived at the train station greeted by Charles from the USA riding his bike across land and sailing across oceans to circumnavigate back home to Wisconsin.  Why ? I wonder and it is the same question people often ask me. The answer is really quite simple, “why not?”.  I don’t think there has to be a why for anything but simply because you want to and you can.

So getting back to “Serydarth” it is simply a place in which you can participate in whatever way you want to share who you are with the community of Casale and/or other travellers. It is an apartment in the old town, where you can stay for short time as a guest or longer time as a volunteer. A communal house, open to everyone for a place to sleep, to rest, to socialise, to share, to contribute in anyway you wish. What a wonderful idea !

It is only Charles and myself there this week but plenty of locals come by and say “Ciao” from time to time. Charles volunteers his time offering to fix bikes for free down at the Piazza Manzini. I help out with keeping the place neat & tidy and will be making a Vietnamese breakfast to bring a little bit of Vietnam to Casales. Getting all the ingredients will be a challenge and some improvisation is in order so I hope it will work out.

Cristhian, a Casale local with a love of travel and sharing culture, set up this place. A gentle, softly spoken young man with a vision to bring the world to the Casale community and allowing visitors to become acquainted with this lovely town and its people. It is only through donations that this place can continue and I sincerely hope that it does continue.

If you are ever in Italy, come and stay at Serydarth in Casale Monferrato.

http://serydarth.wordpress.com/about/