Going to Africa: your suggestions

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hiphop

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Hi, as some of you including Sula know I love Africa

So after this trip a couple of years ago to the Americas that really changed me.. it was the best trip.. I´m chasing away again in February

Maybe someone has been at some of the following places and wants to share some advice? Or tell me what you would do if you were there?

We will start in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Heading up to bagamoyo where there´s a famous art college. Maybe staying at a professor of this college.

Then take the ship to Zanzibar where there happemns to be a music festival for a couple of days. Maybe chill on the beaches there. If timetables allow, go to another island, called Pemba, known throughout Eastern Africa for spirituality. I don´t know how to make contacts there though.. not yet. It´s not very touristy. I am interested because I heard of good waganga.

Same goes for the next destination, the Usambara Mountains. Then to Mombasa. From there to Nairobi. Planning a trip to a national park from there.

After seeing Tanzania and Kenya we will continue to Uganda, to see the capital Kampala. And maybe a couple of other things around. As I only have limited time, I will take the return flight from there.

With an overnight stop in Ethiopia. I would really love to spend more time there, but timetable does not allow. However I want to go too Haile Selassie´s throne in the early morning, and then take the flight home.

Of course I would have loved to combine this with West Africa, but some destinations will have to wait, my holidays are limited. And it´s not only holidays, I expect to find some great music, maybe sign bands and put out their music.

Has anyone been to the place,
or can anyone give me a crash course in Swahili?
 
I've been all over northern Tanzania, though unfortunately not Dar or Zanzibar (Zanzibar is tops on my list of places to go). I went for school in 2005. Babydoll lives in Dar, you should PM her. My favorite places in Tanzania were Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater (you cannot go to TZ and NOT go here!!), Lushoto (village up in the mountains in a more temperate climate), and Kigarama, this little town way up north, basically on the Ugandan border, way up high above Lake Victoria.

Basically the words I used most were "jambo!" (greeting) and "asante!" (please/thanks).

Some pics and captions from my trip:
http://www.dutchbingo.net/TanzaniaJanuary2005/index.html
 
PS. My other suggestion is getting a prescription round of antibiotics from your Doc before going. Someone told me to do this and I didn't and sure enough, I got sick the second day. I lost 12 lbs in 2 weeks and was sick nonstop until we found a round of Cipro in the med kit. And I was VERY careful about only drinking bottled water, keeping my mouth shut in the shower, etc. The last thing you want is to be constantly dehydrated and exhausted when you're supposed to be having fun. Once I took the medicine, I felt better, but I was really weak and when I got back home, I got really sick again from being sick in Africa and it took five months to get over. I don't regret going at all, but it sucked to be sick for 5 months when a $5 bottle of pills was all I needed to take care of it right away.
 
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Thank you for the interesting information. Ok, so its not only malaria pills and a couple of hepatitis twinrix stuff but also pre - antibiotics. I will ask the doc for them.

Well maybe you can do me a favor and tell Babydoll per PM to join this thread? I don´t have a premium account (and Elvis doesn´t want us to PM without).

Dar is the first place, so any recommendations are welcome, and to know somebody who is actually living there would be great!

Thanks again for your help! :)
 
Well, you know what I would say. lol. Skip East Africa, cuz West Africa is where the fantastic music, culture, arts, etc. are!!! :D

Seriously though, I'm so happy for you that you're finally taking the chance to visit this amazing continent. I know that no matter which part you visit, it will be a life changing experience. :hug:

One of my coworkers visited Tanzania last year, so I will check with her to see if she has any recommendations.
 
sulawesigirl4 said:
Well, you know what I would say. lol. Skip East Africa, cuz West Africa is where the fantastic music, culture, arts, etc. are!!! :D

Seriously though, I'm so happy for you that you're finally taking the chance to visit this amazing continent. I know that no matter which part you visit, it will be a life changing experience. :hug:

Yeah you know thing is it´s my dad´s last big trip. You know him, he has been to West Africa (and me when I was a kid) but not to the East. And one month is not enough for Ethiopia and even not enough for the three countires; I would need 3 months minimum...

Of course I will go to West Africa when I have the chance and can afford to :)

I expect it will change my life.

Best regards to your husband!
Your family is doing well? :hug:
 
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:
Thank you for the interesting information. Ok, so its not only malaria pills and a couple of hepatitis twinrix stuff but also pre - antibiotics. I will ask the doc for them.


Yep. I got shots for Yellow Fever, Hep A, and Typhoid (passed on Rabies and Polio, already had MMR, Hep B and Tetanus as they are standard here in the USA), plus the malaria medications. Once I got back and described the ordeal, some friends who go to visit their parents in Kenya said "oh yes we always take antibiotics along just in case." Just ask for one round of a broad spectrum antibiotic. You don't take it unless you get really sick. It also depends on what malaria pills you are taking. Most people I went with were taking a malaria pill that basically IS an antibiotic. I was taking something new that was supposed to be safer, less side effects (Malarone). I feel like if I had just taken what everyone else took, that might have also cleared up whatever sickness I got.

Here is an explanation from a traveler's site:

Travelers' diarrhea is the most common travel-related ailment. The cornerstone of prevention is food and water precautions, as outlined below. All travelers should bring along an antibiotic and an antidiarrheal drug to be started promptly if significant diarrhea occurs, defined as three or more loose stools in an 8-hour period or five or more loose stools in a 24-hour period, especially if associated with nausea, vomiting, cramps, fever or blood in the stool. A quinolone antibiotic is usually prescribed: either ciprofloxacin (Cipro)(PDF) 500 mg twice daily or levofloxacin (Levaquin) (PDF) 500 mg once daily for a total of three days. Quinolones are generally well-tolerated, but occasionally cause sun sensitivity and should not be given to children, pregnant women, or anyone with a history of quinolone allergy.

Cipro is what I took, 2 pills for 3 days. Without going into detail, I was very sick for 2.5 weeks. When I took the first pill, I literally felt better in minutes. My appetite came back and I was ravenous. I found the pills digging through our med kit before we were eating a meal a local person was hosting. After I took it, I ate and ate and ate and felt so much better. It killed whatever parasite I'd been carrying. And the entire time, I'd been soooooo careful about food and water, still got sick right away.
 
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whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:
And it´s not only holidays, I expect to find some great music, maybe sign bands and put out their music.

I like this idea :). Exposure to more types of music is always good.

I've never been to Africa and can't give advice, either, but it looks like you're getting some great information from other people here, so yay. Sounds like a fun time ahead of you here, hope you have a safe and wonderful trip. I'll ditto the others in that I look forward to hearing about it when you get back home.

Also, Liesje, some awesome pictures you have in that link there. Love the shots of the scenery and the animals-beautiful.

Angela
 
Re: Re: Going to Africa: your suggestions

Moonlit_Angel said:



Also, Liesje, some awesome pictures you have in that link there. Love the shots of the scenery and the animals-beautiful.

Thanks! I got a little carried away with the animals! I actually have a lot more pics from my friends (pics of people and places), but didn't feel comfortable adding them to my own web site.
 
Hi Babydoll!

I will be in Dar around the beginning of February for two days or so. Do you have any recommendations on what to do, where to stay, where to eat?

Where will I get bus/ train tickets to go to Bagamoyo?

Any places in Dar where its especially dangerous at night? Is every taxi driver ok or should we get recommended taxis?

What about nightlife, is there any club with live music or DJs you can recommend?
 
Liesje said:
I've been all over northern Tanzania, though unfortunately not Dar or Zanzibar (Zanzibar is tops on my list of places to go). I went for school in 2005. Babydoll lives in Dar, you should PM her. My favorite places in Tanzania were Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater (you cannot go to TZ and NOT go here!!), Lushoto (village up in the mountains in a more temperate climate), and Kigarama, this little town way up north, basically on the Ugandan border, way up high above Lake Victoria.

Basically the words I used most were "jambo!" (greeting) and "asante!" (please/thanks).

Some pics and captions from my trip:
http://www.dutchbingo.net/TanzaniaJanuary2005/index.html

Wow, sounds like a great trip. Except for the health probs.

Yes we will also stay in Lushoto for some days. A guide I´m reading has details about the trips from Lushoto to the places with a great view of the surrounding mountains.

ps. as I see on your pics you also were at the school/ orphanage/ social place and saw a choir at a Lutheran church!
 
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Re: Re: Re: Going to Africa: your suggestions

Liesje said:
Thanks! I got a little carried away with the animals! I actually have a lot more pics from my friends (pics of people and places), but didn't feel comfortable adding them to my own web site.

You're welcome! That's perfectly understandable regarding your friends and such, it's your site, you post what you want people to see. And animals are fascinating, I'd probably get a few shots of 'em myself :). They were lovely.

Angela
 
whenhiphopdrovethebigcars said:
Hi Babydoll!

I will be in Dar around the beginning of February for two days or so. Do you have any recommendations on what to do, where to stay, where to eat?

Where will I get bus/ train tickets to go to Bagamoyo?

Any places in Dar where its especially dangerous at night? Is every taxi driver ok or should we get recommended taxis?

What about nightlife, is there any club with live music or DJs you can recommend?

Hello!

Yeah I'm from Tanzania, but currently live here in the US. I go to school here. :D

Where to stay: Dar is full of nice hotels these days! I'd recommend the Movenpick, or SeaCliff - those are among the top tourist hotels. There's also the Proteas.

Train tickets to Bagamoyo - No. There's no train that goes there. The rail system isn't really good there. I'd recommend getting a ride with somebody you know, or if you're going with someone, you could rent a car for the day - it's only about an hours drive. No bus goes there either as far as I know.

The taxi system is really good though. Dar isn't particularly dangerous, you'll find people walking around at all times of day and night, lol. My relatives are spread out all over Dar, from downtown to the suburbia and they've never had any problems. However, cellphones are something to be careful and guard, lol. Pickpockets will tend to grab them and run. Pretty much every taxi driver is ok, we've taken taxis to almost everywhere and never had a problem.

I hope this helps!
Feel free to ask more :)
 
Babydoll said:


Train tickets to Bagamoyo - No. There's no train that goes there. The rail system isn't really good there. I'd recommend getting a ride with somebody you know, or if you're going with someone, you could rent a car for the day - it's only about an hours drive. No bus goes there either as far as I know.

Hi!

Thanks for your reply!

So I can take dalla dalla to Bagamoyo :)
 
Babydoll, do you know Smokies Tavern in Msasani? What about The Tilt? Very touristy, or original Tansanian nightlife? Or would I be better of at the bar at the Namanga Shopping Centre /along Kimweri Avenue /at the Bahama Mama?
 
hiphop - have an awesome trip. I can't wait to hear about it afterwards.

I'm preparing for a trip to Uganda that's happening next June so I really appreciated the travel health tips Liesje. Thanks for sharing your photos too! Again, you've got a great eye when it come to photography.
 
Re: health

Take Malarone. Doxy makes you really sensitive to the sun and Larium gives people weird halucinations and nightmares (but is tempting because it's a weekly pill).

As for cipro, it is waaay cheaper and available without perscription from any drug store anywhere in Africa. Get one course at home if it makes you feel safer, but you can easily pick some up when you get off the plane for a fraction of the cost. I also brought from home a course of treatment for pink eye, partly because I was going to be working with kids, but I never needed it. Then last spring when I was in India I got a terrible case of pink eye but cipro eye drops bought at a local pharmacy cleared it up. I also bought Artesunate at a local pharmacy, which is a treatment for malaria that I was fortunate not to have to use. It's a chinese herb and good to have on hand if you are going to be away from a health clinic; the malaria prophylaxis lose effectiveness when you inevitably get diarrhea. (Wear bug spray with deet if you are going to be out of a city. You can't get bug spray or sun screen in Africa without great difficulty and cost, so bring them.)

And for the diarrhea - rehydrating salts or gatorade powder works really well to keep the energy up.


Re: Kampala - I was there 3 years ago from your trip, so I'm not sure how much help I can be, as there have been massive construction efforts since then.

If you like night life, Kampala has a lot of it - club Rouge is the only one I remember by name but I went to 2 or 3 night clubs that were cheap and a blast. If you want you can stay out til dawn. Some are in guide books. There are several incredible indian restaurants (I've never had better indian food outside of India) and my favorite was Handi or something like that, it began with an H and was more on the east side of the city than the other notable one. Nearby (also near the food court) there is also a really pleasant wireless cafe (!) with ice cream (!) and Sky sports network (!). That should cure the homesickness. For a less western atmosphere head to the crazy huge outdoor market where locals shop.

If you want to see colonialism, go up to Kololo and check out the huge houses that the ambassadors and others still live in.

I don't know what your budget is but if it is similar to my travel budget and you are interested in hostels, Red Chili's is fabulous. They are a little out of the way in Kampala but have decent food and cheap rates and good company. They also run the most affordable mini-safari ever to the big national park in the north. It's 3 days and 3 years ago it was $130 bucks, includes accomodation and transportation and entry fees, but not food. It was pretty amazing, we saw most of the big 5 game, chimps, and did a nile cruise in 3 days!

Also a really cool thing to do in Uganda is head to Jinja (maybe 2 hours from Kampala, and the companies do pick-up if you want) for white water rafting on the Nile. This was such a crazy rush and totally scary and amazing at times, and other times the water was flat and we hopped out of the raft and just drifted down the Nile past all the birds and stuff. Crazy! It was $100 3 years ago for the whole day including a great lunch, I went with the western-run company (there are 2 others) because they have bigger rafts and I figured they'd be more accuontable for safety. Rafting the Nile is one of my favorite memories ever.
 
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I took Malarone as well because my personal doctor recommended it, even though our health services had already given us doxy. I had no side effects, although I regret not taking doxy because I understand it IS an antibiotic and possible would have killed/prevented whatever bug I picked up that had me sick for almost 3 weeks. 20 people with us took doxy and the only side effect I know of was one guy took his without eating breakfast and threw up, but felt fine after that.
 
hotpepper, Varitek, Lies, that sounds great! Keep it coming!

U2dem, if you make it in politics it´s your duty to raise the U.S. foreign aid budget to a minimum of 5% of the GDP!
 
During my two years in Mali, I took larium, doxy and then malarone (in that order). Larium is the easiest for a short trip and although the side effects can be wacky, I think if you're just going for a short jaunt, it might be ok. Taking it longterm...not so much. Doxy was also fine; I didn't have many issues with the sun sensitivity. What did cause problems for me was taking an antibiotic for a year...messed up my stomach. Also as Lies said, you really do have to take it with food or you'll feel sick. I finally ended up on Malarone for the remainder of my time in Mali and it was the best. That said, I wasn't paying for any of it. So if it was more expensive and I was paying out of pocket, I'd probably go for the cheapest one. lol.
 
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