TANZANIA - RESEARCH PART 1

Capital: Dodoma
Population: 39 million (over 120 ethnic groups)
Official Language: Swahili
Currency: Tanzanian shilling

- image from skyviewofafrica.com

The other day I told Yao Jung about this trip. In Skype mode excitement, the first thing he blurted was "Serengeti!"

Yes, the stuff of the National Geographic Channel. The great migration.


1. The Serengeti

There's just too many National Parks and Game Reserves to choose from, such diverse habitats, but supposedly the untamed Katavi National Park is one of the few that allows visitors to jump off the jeep and walk on the plains. The only complication is to get there, land transport may take days. My eyes open wide when I read "all flights will require landing on a grass airstrip" and "bush-compatible light aircraft". Bush-compatible. Cute.


2. Zanzibar

'Nuff said :)

- image from come-to-africa.com


3. Kilimanjaro

Standing at 5891m, the climb up to the Uhuru Peak at Kilimanjaro needs a week, possibly a bit more costly too. Scientists posited the year 2014 as the date for disappearance of the mountain's ice cap due to global warming.

- image from 7summits.com


4. The Maasai

The world is fascinated by them.

Lions are afraid of them.

Everybody else wants to dance the adumu with them.

- image from masai-mara.net

This may be one of the highlights of the trip, especially for Riz. I leave it at that, I'm sure he'll divulge the story.    

ZAMBIA - RESEARCH PART 1

Capital: Lusaka
Population: 13 million
Official Language: English (other languages include Bemba and Nyanja)
Currency: (Zambian) kwacha


Truthfully there's little that I knew about Zambia until I started to seriously think about this trip. The only reason why I knew it existed is because it's the other country that starts with the letter 'Z' (the other one is not New Zealand by the way).

I've heard so much about Victoria Falls that is 'somewhere in Africa'.

1. Victoria Falls a.k.a. Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke That Thunders) ~ I like how cool the names are like the Dragon Mountains in South Africa

Located on the Zambezi River, southern Zambia near Livingstone, it is the largest waterfall in the world. Don't be confused, it is not the highest nor the widest waterfall but the combination of the two make it the largest sheet of falling water.

A visit is a must and so is a photograph. The challenge may just be finding the right spot to capture it at its best.

A more adventurous option is to bungee jump from the bridge. Mind you, if you ask me 5 years ago I'd say yes in a heartbeat. But I'm well past that stage and now I opt for, hmmmm....white water rafting.

Knowing my fickle mind, that may change.

I think I'll die at the monstrous rapids THEN die with a rope around my ankles.

- images from lonelyplanet.com and amazingplaces.onsugar.com respectively

....this piece of info doesn't seem much but I'm feeling a bit lost without the books I left in Kuala Lumpur.

WHERE THE ATLANTIC AND THE INDIAN OCEANS DIVIDE (OR MEET)

 

How can you travel a gazillion miles to Africa and not go to the southernmost tip of the continent?

It's Cape Agulhas by the way, not the Cape of Good Hope, thank you very much.

....the Cape of Good Hope relative to Cape Agulhas....

I'd totally beat the 5th graders if this is a World Geography question :) 

- all photos from Wikipedia

KENYA - RESEARCH PART 1....OK, I CHEATED!

Thanks to Mr. McGregor and Mr. Boorman, I now have a mission in Kenya.

CROSS THE EQUATOR!

There are 6 countries that the Equator passes through in Africa - Somalia, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of The Congo, Uganda and Kenya.

A sign from the Jedi Master ignore you must not....

Note: Ewan and Charley crossed the Equator riding from Lewa to Nakuru in Kenya.

SIX

Target destinations in Africa:


South Africa - Botswana - Zambia - Tanzania - Kenya - Egypt

All 6 countries are finally picked from an initial 12 based on these criteria: Visa requirements (none), diversity, accessibility, safety (to a certain degree until I get a real feel of things) and potential.