I am currently sitting at the airport in Dar es Salaam and waiting for the check-in-counter to open so that we can give them our big backpacks. So, this will be the last post for this trip…
We spent a few nights in Tanga, which is a small city north-eastern Tanzania.
From there we continued on towards a resort close to Pangani. Plan was to be at the beach and enjoy some relaxing time. Already the drive with the bus there proofed to be an adventure. The bus had zero suspension left and it was kind of torture on the bumpy road (something that will be gone within the next 1 – 2 years thanks to Chinese construction work going on already).
Unfortunately, the resort had no beach but a mangrove forest right in front of it. As highlight I would see the delicious pizzas there (the owner is Italian of course!).
We did a small excursions checking out the “beach” during low tide and also surfing the waves in a Kajak during high tide.
With another bus, this time bigger and with decent suspension, we went first back to Tanga and from there it continued on to Dar es Salaam. OMG, what a big, noisy and buzzing city. We managed to miss our station and had to rely on the help of some locals to find a guesthouse at the final stop. It turned out to be a good one and cheap.
However, our real target was to take a Safari to the Selous/Nyerere NP leaving the next day. On arrival we did a boat tour. This was the lamest one I did so far. There was not much to see and the tour guide was not that great.
The next day we were on the hunt. Target this time: Wild dogs. Wildebeests with different colors than in the Serengeti? Cool, but we want to see the wild dogs! A lot of giraffes? Yeah, yeah, seen plenty of them. Where are the wild dogs? Long story short, no wild dogs showed up the whole day driving from 6:30 am till 6 pm. Incredible in itself.
A cool story was that while watching a hyena enjoying its nap the car didn’t start anymore. We had to get out of it and push-start it. The hyena showed only mild interest in us. I guess too old meat 😉
On the last day, we were led on a “walking safari” by a bushman. Sounds cooler than it was. Overall, this Safari was not really that great. In the end, 400 USD per person for 1 day Safari, where we saw the animals we have seen on this trip already, was a bit too expensive in my opinion. Anyway, here some pictures of what we saw, just imagine the wild dogs there 😉
We did not had Zanzibar on our plan but since we had some days left we said “why not?”. The safari guide dropped us off at the ferry terminal and 2 hours later we were in Stonetown. Some memories of the trip with Rob 5 years ago came up while walking through the town, especially when visiting the night food market.
Next, and final stop, was a resort on the east coast. And yes, it fulfilled all the clichés of Zanzibar: white, powdery sand, palm trees and an azure ocean. One day we rented some scooters in order to get to the covid test center and we took the advantage to go in the opposite direction (north) and had the luck of seeing an absolute stunning sunset. This was a great day.
Our initial information about the PCR-Test on Zanzibar was that it costs 120 USD and takes 48 hours. OMG! And that leaves us with a 24 hour time window towards arrival in Germany only. However, the test center close to our resort charged a lot less (80 USD) and the date on the certificate is not from the blood sample but when the testing was executed 😀
Right now, I am just glad that I survived the trip back to the mainland. The sea was very rough today and lots of people threw up. Also me, having not experienced seasickness since a long time, felt anything but OK. But on the bright side, I had a great time chatting with an American from Utah. I love those encounters and it reminded me that this is one of the things I love about Americans. You get easily into a conversation and an enjoyable one so that time flies by (and even better when feeling seasick).
What I realized the last weeks, basically since doing this vacation, that not even once the question came up “What am I going to do with my life?” or “I am wasting my time”. I guess, it’s because I was doing something and something exciting on top of it.
I am reading more or less 2 books right now. One is “Law of Attraction” by Esther and Jerry (/Abraham) Hicks and the other one being “Kick the thinking habit” by Richard Paterson. While one talks about us being the creator of our (life) experience and that you attract, consciously or by default (the choice is up to you), whatever comes into your life experience. I am currently running a test with 3 different things I want. 1 got fulfilled already, which is great but on the other side it is a lot of (mental) “work”. While I think a positive mindset about our future is great, I am not sure if creating that deliberate is what I want or prefer rather to see what life provides me and get the mindset that it is always the “right” one for me.
While Richard Paterson on the other hand, talks about how our suffering comes not from our thoughts but from our identification WITH them. He states, as many spiritual teachers say, that thoughts arise by themselves but then we run on autopilot and follow those thoughts. Thus, giving them fuel (through our identification with them).
I can definitely see this. In my head there is at any given moment a whole ensemble of characters playing. A major role is given to the critic. It looks something like this:
A: You should have chosen the Spanish omelet and not those dry scrambled eggs! Don’t you know better? Look at Peter, his looks delicious.
B: Oh man, I am so lucky to have this possibilities in my life!
C: Look at that stupid fuck, crossing the street without even looking! Wanker!
D: This life is really a strange thing. Everybody trying to impress people they don’t even like.
E: Oh man, what fucking dream was that yesterday? While riding a motorcycle a snake attacks me and instead of biting it tries to sell me Marijuana. Really? What is the meaning of that?
And on another level there is constantly somebody singing “Hey Macarena” (or whatever song you want to name).
No wonder that in those moments it is impossible to fully enjoy the present moment. And so, time and time again, I am dreamwalking.
One other interesting thought he expresses is, that you are wonderful exactly the way you are. There is no need to improve anything. It’s true, we are constantly told, from early childhood on, that we are not OK the way we are in any given moment. You should not do that, do not behave like that etc. etc. In our adulthood we think we need to dive into self-improvement courses and books and also the spiritual community is full of quotes that you should be a certain way. Maybe, just maybe, you don’t need to. You are a masterpiece the way you are!
Have a wonderful start into the week my friends and thank you for following my travels. By tomorrow I will be back in Germany enjoying quarantine.
Love,
Matthias
So wonderful to read this and somehow travel with you 😀
Thanks!
I heard Zanzibar is awesome and by the pics and the description you made, it truly is!
Esther and Jerry Hicks: great stuff!
I totally agree with that vision that we’re exactly how and where we need to be. If there’s anything that the “self-development” journey showed me is that 1. the so-called “self-development” is a natural by-product of being alive and 2. we’re “perfect” the way we are right here right now. No need for anything else except being here. And it is true that up to a certain extent societies and educational systems ignite that sensation, that constant “looking for something else” that is not the here and now.
Great to read your posts! Keep it up and consider making this a public blog 🙂
Muit obrigado Natalia! It is really wonderful that you take the time to comment on my posts. That way I feel I reach my friends and we are in interaction. And yes, if you ever make it to Zanzibar…it is worthwhile. Of course, for you having been in other beautiful islands already it might be different. But then again, it might not 😀
Wow, it is great that you have come to that realization already a long time ago. No wonder you are such an inspiration.
Thank you for making me rethink the openess of the blog once more. And I came to the same conclusion, for right now at least. I have not the desire to make it public. As for the travel side of this blog, I think there are already many out there and probably a bit more professional. As for the personal journey contained in this blog, I can write very openly in this setting and I feel that having in public I would limit myself to this. Also, I like the feeling of knowing you is reading my lines. In the end, my goal is to share my journey (inner and outer) with my friends and be an example for others (whether they might label it “positive” or “negative”) as another human being. Of course, it gratifies me getting positive feedback but I already have fun writing the articles and that is the best motivation of it. And while other blogs try to make money out of it, that is not my goal (not saying that it wouldn’t be cool though). But considering everything, I am happy with where the blog is right now. The improvements I want to make right now are rather in speed, how to present the pictures and how to share a specific post with “outsiders” without sharing the complete one. Work in progress 🙂