A Zanzibari trip for Tanzania Gappers

COUNTRY: Tanzania
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Building, renovation & construction
WRITTEN BY: Sybilla Galvin

Jambo Rafikis!

The past few weeks have been an absolute high for the whole group. Last Friday morning we embarked on our long journey to Zanzibar. The day began at 4:45am to get a taxi to the bus station. The bus trip to Dar took a mere 8 hours, which we followed up with yet another taxi ride and a quick 1-hour ferry trip. From the moment we arrived in Zanzibar we were in love. We finally got to have some of the things we had been really craving since leaving home including bacon, burgers and mojitos alike. We stayed one night in Stone Town then retreated north to Nungui beach where our bungalow was situated right on the water. We had plenty of time to relax in the sun, haggle for beautiful Masai paintings and have cocktails on rooftop bars as the sun set right before us.

On Monday 8 of us chose to go scuba diving. Before reaching our first dive site the captain of the boat spotted a pod of dolphins and everyone on board jumped in with fins and masks to swim around with them! It truly was a magnificent site to see them at an arms length in the wild. We dived with turtles, octopi, stingrays and huge variety of fish, not to mention the colourful coral. Rozi, Lauren, Rory and myself were the only ones who stayed on for a second dive, of which we loved every minute. For Sarah's birthday we returned to Stone Town in the evening to go to our favourite restaurant. The next day was extremely sad as we said goodbye to the Zanzibar sun and boarded our 12-person plane back to Tanga (with Rory in the co-pilot seat).

On Thursday we farewelled our beloved Paryz and on Friday Eliphas returned with 3 new additions to the group- Matt from Newcastle, Calvin from Canada and Elise from Holland. Our group is constantly changing but it's amazing how at home we all still manage to feel with everyone staying here. Friday (being Lauren's birthday) was a very different day from our norm. Instead of working on our mud house we spent the morning at the mamas' house cooking chapatti and vichetti (delicious little doughnut type things), and the afternoon weaving reads- used for bags, mats, hats and the like with the mammas and curious villagers. For Lauren, we organised to have a dance crew from a nearby village come and entertain us for the evening. Their performance varied from traditional Tanzanian dances, to hip-hop and an unusual Halloween style act at the end (too bizarre to explain…)

Work on the mud house is coming to a close for all of us planning to climb Kilimanjaro this Tuesday (eek!). The six staying behind will- fingers crossed- finish the house while we are on hiking, then meet us in Moshi before heading to Kenya for our last leg of the trip. As I am writing this it is starting to sink in that my stay here in Camp Tanzania is coming to a quick end. I am going to miss the local people and this place an unbelievable amount.

Next time you hear from us we will have conquered the tallest freestanding mountain in the world! Wish us luck!

Kwaheri!

Xo Sybilla

Visit to Zanzibar for Antips Tanzania volunteers

COUNTRY: Tanzania
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Building, renovation & conservation
WRITTEN BY: Tanzania Gappers 2014

Jambo! Habari?

We have had a very busy few weeks since I last wrote! We unfortunately had to say goodbye to two of our new friends Bryony and Jen who were going back home! We had a going away campfire, where we roasted several bags of marshmallows! But fortunately we were greeted with a new friend Victoria from the UK.

Work wise, we got to spend a day with the Mamas Seaweed farming which was different and very fun! We split up into two groups and all together we made 67 lines to grow seaweed, which in two months time when they are harvested will provide an income for them and their families!

We are still very busy working at the school concreting the foundation for the classroom in only 3 days! We are just over half way in finishing the final concrete layer which has taken 2 days so far and only about 2 to go. Then we can begin painting. The hole for the toilet block is at 7 1/2 foot we have cemented a border around the bottom of the hole and have began to lay bricks. It's tough work mixing the cement as we don't have machines for it, just shovels and hard labour but it does make it more rewarding.

Everyday we also walk to and from school which is about 3 kilometres each way! We have also began a competition to see who can run home the fastest!

16 of us had a "holiday" to Zanzibar Island for 5 days! After a long and complicated trip to get their we finally arrived! We were greeted by our tour guide Abdill, who took us to our hotel. On the Saturday, we started nice and early with a tour in Stone Town with Abdill. He took us to the Zanzibar spice market, we got to see, smell and taste a variety of fruits, herbs and spices! Us girls and Simon (UK) were a fan of the lip stick fruit, which was a lovely red lipstick a perfect colour shade for us!

We visited the Slave chambers in Stone town before heading to the markets! Saturday night we had dinner at a lovely new restaurant overlooking the beach. Sunday morning we were up and out by 6am to travel down South to swim with the dolphins! All 16 of us went but due to some severe sea sickness (maybe hungover) some of us didn't quite make it into the water to swim with them, but those who did swim with them had an absolutely amazing time! After lunch we were back on the road going up to the north of Zanzibar we stayed 2 nights in a lovely hotel right on the beach! Was very relaxing after a few tough weeks of work! We also decided to spoil ourselves with a massage and Henna tattoos!

On one of our trips into Tanga town involved us riding in on the safari truck, because the bus was in Kenya. People stare at us enough because we are Mzungus (White people) and you can only imagine how much more they were staring!

Until next time!
Madi, Eilish, Ben, Imogen, Nick, Leon & Emily xxx

Zanzibar, a holiday within a holiday

COUNTRY: Tanzania
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Building, renovation & conservation
WRITTEN BY: Abi Gordon

Arriving back in Tanga yesterday evening was both happy and sad. Happy because we were greeted so warmly by the group as well as camp leaders Elphas and Anderson, and sad because we had just left Zanzibar, our holiday within a holiday.

Leaving Tanga for Zanzibar was eventful, when after hauling out bags into the taxi at five in the morning, and driving for just five minutes, we came to a screeching hault. Abi realized she had left her phone behind. After a quick sprint back to camp we were on our way again. 6 hours later we arrived in dar es Salam for our stop over, armed with a few lonely planet books and fanny packs, ready to "stay vigilant and remember our training" - as recommended in a concerned text by one stressed out mother.

We arrived in Stone Town, Zanzibar the next day by ferry, and walked a short distance to our little hotel. There we indulged in free wifi, actual warm showers and napping. In the evening we had dinner at the busy night markets and ate tall stacks of chapati, freshly cooked lobster skewers and bannana Nutella chocolate pancakes.

Then we sat on the pier watching some of the locals dance, until they started counting down and flinging them selves into the water. Full of food, very tired, and having convinced Beth not to jump off the pier, we walked back to the hotel. The next morning we celebrated Larissa's birthday by publicly serinading her at breakfast, and then cake and cocktails in the evening. Shopping however, was the main event of Stone Town. Getting lost in the winding little streets was so much fun, and allowed us to discover the house of spices restaurant ( lots of delicious pizza) and a tiny little coffee house (lots of delicious cakes!).

We perfected our haggling skill too, and always asked for 'rafiki price'. The next day we went on a spice tour just out side of Stone Town. A man climbed all the way up a coconut tree and made us leaf hats, an Sophie earnt her nick name 'pilli queen' after she ate a raw chilli called 'pilli pilli ho ho' - the hottest chilli in east Africa. We then set off for nungwi and arrived just in time for dinner at sunset on the beach.

Our main activity for Nungwi was our boat trip, where we went scuba diving and snorkeling. The ocean was so clear, and we saw dolphins and huge star fish. We all got very awkward wetsuit burns and got home for some hammock time and dinner. The rest of the trip mostly consisted of food sun and sleep, as well as a reggae party in Kendwa rocks. Before heading back to Tanga we had one more night in town, whee everyone fished their last minute shopping. We bought tonnes of clothes, paintings souvenirs and Hannah and Beth bought a hat for mikki, a boy who lives in the village back in Tanga.

In camp, progress has continued on the trust house whilst we were gone, and plastering, windows and door frames have all been finished! The next day however, we had to say goodbye to our British and Dutch friends, for who it was all time to go home. we also had to say good bye to fellow Aussie Hannah, whose presence in the group will be surely missed! Zanzibar was amazing, and a lovely break, but I think it also made us appreciate our little home we've made in Tanga even more.