Thankgiving Wishes

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

It's normal during this holiday to give thanks for what we have and to remember those who are less fortunate.  This year was no different.

I came across this photo recently and seeing this young boy and his simple toy really really got me thinking about Thanksgiving in a new way; Even the simple things can bring us happiness.  Just a tree branch, some wheels, and a coiled up piece of wire is all it takes.  This photo made me realize that my own little daughter often happily plays for hours with a simple little metal car or her bread-box sized plastic bus.  A set of wheels and an imagination is better than any toy you can buy.

Behind the boy a game of after-school soccer was going on.  For the few days that I stayed in Arusha town last year I would see this game materialize every afternoon.  All it took was saggy old soccer ball and this patch of grass, that could hardly be called a field, and the game was on. Shoes are not even necessary.

Something happens to us when we get older.  We have jobs, mortgages, responsibilities.  We get concerned about making money.  And when the economy turns sour we worry about losing what we worked for.  We worry about material status - the newest cell phone or latest model car.  In all this adult distraction I think we can forget the simple things in life.  This boy with his push car and broken flip flops is a testament to those simple pleasures.

I guess the lesson I'm trying to take away from all this on Thanksgiving Thursday, November 27th, 2008, is that it is possible to be happy with what we have.  Times are tough out there. People are worried about their jobs and homes.  But maybe for just today we can not only be thankful for what we have, but also simply happy.

Best wishes,

Geoff.

 

Masai Warriors To Run In London Marathon - Today!

Well, articles like this one have been making the rounds on the internet the past week or so, but today is the day. In case you haven't heard yet, 6 Masai warriors are running in the London Flora Marathon today as part of a campaign to raise enough money to build a water well in their arid home in northern Tanzania.

They will be running dressed in their traditional red robes and their spare tire sandals. They will also be carrying their shields. Back home they often run for days dressed like this so a short 4 1/2 hour marathon may seem like a just a warm up.


"If we have no milk or meat, we cut the cow's neck and let out the blood to drink. If I drink enough blood -- maybe two or three litres -- it gives me a lot of energy and I can go for days without food or water."

OK. I don't think there will be any staff handing out bottles of cow blood, but if they can make do with water and English food then they should do fine.

"And we will do the whole marathon with no water," Says Isaya, one of the warriors who will be running.

OK, scratch that too then. What's important is that they are running to raise money for a water well back home so there will be more reliable water for their family, community, and especially, their cattle. The Masai homeland in northern Tanzania is a pretty arid place under normal conditions, but recently has suffered several years of drought. Here's a photo of some Masai land as I descended the Ngorongoro Crater on my way to the Serengeti from my last trip in 2007. I can only imagine what it must look like after another year of drought.

Take a look at the Masai plans for finding and drilling the new water well. Make a small donation if you can.

How Can I Help Needy Children While On Safari In Tanzania?

There is a simple, easy, and free way you can help needy children on your next safari to Tanzania.

There is an orphanage in Tanzania about 45 minutes outside of the town of Karatu called the Rift Valley Children's Fund. I have visited this orphanage myself and have seen the good work that the director, India Howell, is doing there. I saw an orphanage consisting of about 10 buildings and about a half dozen more under construction. India lives and works on the site. I have met her myself and my Tanzanian ground operator has known her for years. I can tell you she is a dedicated and passionate advocate for these orphans and for the people in the surrounding rural community.

The orphanage is in short supply of basic necessities. Things like clothes, shoes, batteries, school supplies, etc are always needed. The funny thing is that many Americans have already donated many of these things to the orphanage but the items have not yet made it to Tanzania. Why? Because they are still sitting in suitcases here in the U.S. waiting for someone to take them to Tanzania.

That's right, there are a dozen or so luggage bags filled with donations here in the U.S. that are awaiting delivery to the Rift Valley Children's Fund orphanage in Tanzania. The prohibitive high cost of overseas post to Tanzania prevents the bags from being shipped.

If you are planning a safari through WestsideSafari.com you can volunteer to forgo one of your carry on suitcases and bring one of these donation bags instead. That's all you have to do. We will have the luggage mailed to you a week before your departure and you simply bring it with you. Your guide will take it from you upon your arrival and make sure it is delivered to the orphanage in a timely manner.

Some travelers do not need their second checked suitcase. If you are one of them, why not bring one for the Rift Valley Childrens Fund and help out 70 needy orphans in Tanzania?

If you are uncomfortable taking a bag with you that is not yours, or you are already taking 2 bags, why not consider bringing a few items from Rift Valley Children's Fund Wish List. We'll make sure it gets to the kids that need them.

Please consider making a donation while on safari. It's easy to do and costs little to nothing. Doing so will make your safari that much more meaningful and unforgettable.

Geoff


UPDATE: April 21, 2008

Since this post was written, about a month ago, gas prices have risen even higher than what would have seemed astronomical even a year ago. The airlines, trying to find ways to increase revenue, have finally resorted to charging for extra baggage. You can find recent new articles from here and here describing recent developments.

This is relevant to Westside Safari because just a short month ago I asked any would be safari traveler to forgo their extra luggage and instead bring a pre-packed bag full of donations for the Rift Valley Children's Fund orphanage. "It's free" I said, so why not?

Now that bringing a second bag is no longer free it's harder to make this request. So, Westside Safari is changing their offer. We will pay any extra fees that the airlines decide to impose on a second checked bag if you decide to bring a donation bag for the orphans as your second piece of checked luggage.

For example, it looks like Northwest is going to charge an extra $25 for a second checked bag. If you fly Northwest, Westside Safari will deduct that 25 dollars from your safari price. It's that simple. Write me if you have any questions at Geoff@WestsideSafari.com.

Geoff

Travel to Tanzania - Getting Your Travel Documents In Order

Getting your travel documents together may seem like an overwhelming endeavor, but actually, it's not all that complicated. Just follow these steps and you're on your way.

OK, right off the bat, to travel to Tanzania you'll need your valid U.S. passport with at least 6 months remaining until expiration.

You will also need to get a Tanzanian tourist visa. You can get the visa ahead of time or you can wait until you arrive at the airport in Tanzania. It's a slight hassle and takes a couple weeks to get the visa ahead of time so a lot of people just wait until they arrive in Tanzania to get their visas. If you decide to do this you'll need to stand in line at the airport in Tanzania with your passport and one hundred U.S. dollars in hand to pay for the visa when you arrive there. My advice is to just go ahead and get it ahead of time if you can. You'll appreciate it when you breeze through customs while everyone else is having to stand in line for 30-60 minutes after that long flight.

Without a visa in hand you might also be questioned at the U.S. airport upon departure. They might say that you need to have a visa to enter Tanzania, which is true, but they may not know you can get one when you arrive. Rather than going through the hassle of explaining this it's probably better to just go ahead and get it before leaving if you have the time.

So here's what you need to do. Download and completely fill out a visa application which can be found here. Then gather up the following things:
* Two recent passport photos.
* Your signed and valid passport with at least 6 months remaining until expiration.
* A stamped, self-addressed envelope that is big enough to mail your passport back to you.
* A check or money order for $100 made out to the Tanzania Embassy.
* Proof of purchase of your flight to and from Tanzania. A photocopy of your ticket will suffice.
... and mail, FedEx, or UPS all this to:
Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania
2139 R Street, NW,
Washington DC 20008

The visa you receive will be valid for 6 months and can be used for single or multiple entries into Tanzania during that time.

Visa processing takes at least 5 days. So I would recommend sending your visa off to be processed at least several weeks prior to your departure date. Also, I would recommend including a prepaid FedEx or UPS return envelope.

See you there!
Geoff

What Should I Bring On A Safari In Tanzania?

What to bring when going on safari? It's a seemingly simple question. In answer you would expect a long checklist of items that any would-be safari traveler to Tanzania should bring. A better answer to that question would be to ask, "What kind of safari experience are you looking for?" Are you looking for an unencumbered trip? Are you interested in taking as many photos and videos as possible as souvenirs and to show your friends? Something between those two? Something else?

On my first safari to Tanzania I actually only took a large carry-on that was stuffed with clothes and one Canon Rebel SLR camera. That was it. I had an unforgettable vacation and really was able to enjoy the trip as a meaningful experience without a lot of stuff weighing me down. I took only a few pictures, compared to how many I take nowadays, but all of them were well chosen and looking back on each I can feel like I remember exactly what I was doing and how I felt when I took the shot. Taking fewer pictures meant we could spend as much time as we liked standing up through our Land Rover's roof hatch and just take it all in; take the time to absorb this very different world.

Later on, my trips to Tanzania took a more ordered turn. On my last trip I took, among other things, 2 bags of clothes, 2 camera batteries, a car battery charger, a digital SLR camera. I even took my laptop to download the photos onto! I came back with almost 1500 digital photos. Needless to say I spent plenty of time clicking pictures and not enough time simply relaxing and enjoying the animals and the scenery.

What, and how much, you bring depends on what you are looking to get out of your trip. The more you ponder that question and prepare accordingly, the more rewarding your trip will be.

No matter how much you think about it there are still some common items listed here to at least consider bringing that are relevant for any safari in Tanzania. Think of it as more of an ideas list rather than a checklist. No matter what you bring please be sure to set aside plenty of time to put down the camera and video camera and simply enjoy the beauty that will be all around you. You won't regret it.

* Enough clothes and underwear to last the trip.
* A sun hat
* A neck scarf
* Sunscreen
* Extra pair of shoes
* A good camera with enough rolls of film or memory to last the trip
* A telephoto lens if you are using an SLR camera
* Video camera
* Extra batteries and a battery charger (Most hotels and lodges have places to plug in)
* Sunglasses
* Your malaria medication
* A good book to read
* Lightweight long sleeve shirt
* Binoculars
* Mosquito repellent
* Towel (Hotels and lodges always provide towels but it doesn't hurt to bring one.)
* Some spending cash for buying drinks and souvenirs

and of course … your family, friends, and lovers!

Downtown Arusha Getting A Face Lift

To those who have been on safari in Tanzania and have needed to hit the ATM machine you will remember a quaint downtown Arusha much like any other small sized city. There is a central area made up of several blocks filled with mostly 1-3 story buildings and wide sidewalks. There is a lot of foot traffic going in and out of the businesses, banks, and restaurants.

Apparently this will all be changing soon. The National Housing Corporation, which owns quite a bit of downtown Arusha, has recently declared that they intend to demolish all their downtown properties and replace them with multi-story buildings.

I guess it's hard to stop progress. I was saddened to read that it sounds like in a few years the downtown Arusha area will be unrecognizable to me. I just hope they at least maintain many street blocks worth of shops and wide sidewalks with street parking where people can continue to go about their business.

...

On another note... See those thin poles on the top two floors that seem to be holding up the floor above it? You guessed it, those are tree branches that are used as a temporary support to hold up the floor above. The first time I ever saw that was on my first safari in Tanzania. And believe me, I am still impressed every time I've seen it since.

What's funny is that after returning from Tanzania I started seeing this kind of building technique all of a sudden all over the Los Angeles Area. Construction like this has probably always been around but I just never noticed until having witnessed the Arusha stick construction technique. The buildings I saw here were being supported by a network of metal scaffolding, not tree branches. Same basic engineering principles, just using different materials.

Here we have a multi million dollar high rise condo complex going up in Century City, California, and you can see the same technique. See those steel beams at the top that look like pieces from a giant erector set? Those are holding up the top floor while it's being put in place.

Geoff

One Legged Teenager Summits Mt. Kilimanjaro

All right. If that last post about the 7 year old boy climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro wasn't enough to inspire you, along comes this article I stumbled across today. A one legged teenager from Massachusetts named Nico Calabria has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with his father. He is the youngest disabled person ever to reach the mountain's summit.

Nico consistently rejected offers to be carried by the Tanzanian equipment porters who accompanied him and his father, Carl. The only time he felt like turning back, he says, was when his father developed acute mountain sickness and had to halt his ascent a few hundred feet from the summit.

Truly inspiring.

That mountain sickness that his father suffered from is also known as altitude sickness. As you ascend Mt. Kilimanjaro the air becomes thinner and thinner, holding less oxygen. Meanwhile you are exerting yourself and your body is demanding oxygen in a way it never would at your day job. In very rare cases extreme altitude sickness can be fatal if the person is not given oxygen and descended down the mountain as quickly as possible.

Experienced and reputable safari outfits that lead expeditions up Kilimanjaro always carry oxygen and medicine for just these kinds of emergencies. The good guides can recognize the early signs of altitude sickness and know how to handle it so it doesn't become acute. They know when the mountain sickness is becoming dangerous and will quickly get you down the mountain.

Reputable safari outfits always plan for enough days of climbing to allow your body time to adjust to the change in altitude. The more time you have to climb the easier it is for your body to adjust to the change in oxygen. A good minimum is at least 6 days. I would recommend that if your tour company's itinerary for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro doesn't accommodate for at least 6-7 days of climbing, from start to finish, then you probably should reconsider your options and find another company.

Another thing to worry about is that disreputable safari companies sometimes pressure you to climb quickly. Even though the itinerary they stated to you says 6 days, they may try to get you to climb quickly so as to finish in 5, or less! Climbing quickly means a higher likelihood that you will get sick and need to descend. What could be worse than traveling all that distance and paying all that money only to have to turn back because a dishonest safari company wanted to make more money by forcing you up the mountain too fast? Befor going, please do your homework and find a good company with a good reputation and lots of experience.

Geoff