Last day in Zanzibar

Well I awoke to another day in paradise...hot, humid and sunny...like it always is here. I had a wonderful breakfast of spiced coffee, fresh fruit, and an egg omelet..breakfasts here always include eggs of some sort. After the meal I did some writing in my journal. I wrote that having a loved one to share this experience with would be the icing on the cake...I will bring Randi here one day I am sure.

As I prepare to go back to my ride I thought about all the campsites I have been in over the past two months. Each one had its own "special" quality...be it a rock quarry...a cow pasture..a flat riverbed with goats all around...a farmers field on the Nile...a mountain top with a "loo with view"..and of course the rest days where I have stayed in all sorts of so called Hotels and some very nice places. What is common about all of them is that as the riders come into camp it develops into a community of people who make it home for a few hours...the tents come out...the food truck starts supper...the camp stools come out and we group to talk about the days adventures. Then there is the famous call from Duncan the TDA leader..."riders meeting"...which by the way took a few times to figure out what he was saying as he has a New Zealand accent! We gather to hear the news of what the next day will be like and any other news that needs to be told. We then eat and if you have dish duty you spend a few minutes with your hands in water. After all of this most people are in bed by 7:30 or so...and of course have to get up a few times each night. In the morning we strike camp...eat and leave and the spots where we were look as natural as when we arrived.

There have been many funny moments in camp. I am reminded of how in Ethiopia if the camp site was not roped off the locals would enter slowly into the camp. One day one of the campers was changing in her tent when a large group of locals began to laugh out loud...they were watching. You have to realize that we are all white and a novelty for them. Another time we had cows in the campsite that needed to be chased out but they felt like staying instead and came back time and again...and they liked to lick the bikes...no idea why.

As we head out on the 16th it will be good to know that we know the routine and will be able to get back into the action easily. Many tales will be told about our adventures over the past two weeks and also about what lies ahead. We had to say good-bye to Janet Alexander at the border in Kenya. She rode last year and had an injury that prevented her from doing all of the fist half so she came back...especially to do Kenya....and was not able to do so...she knows it must not be in her strs. Her husband Chris joined herfor the last eight days before we headed into our break. Janet was the one who with great drama and zest who told us what was lying ahead for us..the roads...the campsites...the hotels etc. Now that she is not with us we will have to find out for ourselves. She did give some advice about a few hotels that we should not miss out on. She will be missed.

We have also had to say good-bye to other riders. Some only ride a section and others a few sections. Some did sections last year and others will complete the ride in the year ahead. It will be a new dynamic with the new riders who will be joining us in Arusha.

I am also looking forward to seeing more of Africa. It is a huge continent and is mix of many cultures each bringing their own aspects to creating what is known as Africa. In Zanzibar it is a mix of the Middle East...the buildings and food express it all. Northern Ethiopia was the place where the Arab world meets Africa. The various religions also add to the mix. Zanzibar is 90 percent Muslim as our spice guide informed us. We awake to call for prayers again each day. As we move onto the main land we also have the various tribes that make up each country. I have experienced that sitting in North America it is easy to say what should be done to aid Africa. The truth for me at this point is that it is not so clear as what should be done...it is a very complicated place. I would love to see that students would get the opportunity to see and hear what I have. I truly believe that their education of theory needs to include experience in the field to become knowledge. Crescent schools Global Outreach fulfills a part of this and for that I am grateful.

I am now off to have more spiced coffee as it will not be available to me on the ride. Stay warm and healthy and know that what we have in our lives is so much more than so many others in the world...use it wisely and share it freely.