Finding a reliable taxi driver who can arrive on time and move you from place to place without any of the typical hassles can stave off the impending borderline insanity for a few more days. But if you happen to get a crackpot driver, remember to roll with the punches, keep smiling and stick to […]

Ordering food in some West African countries requires a certain approach and decorum. The most important thing to remember is that the menu is never representative of what is available in the kitchen; and even though the wait-staff are agreeable and seem to be able to deliver anything you ask for, it usually pays to […]

Only a week into my first project in Tanzania, and having a weekend to spare, I took the 2-hour ferry to the island of Zanzibar. Oh, Zanzibar — I remember reading about it whilst barely a teenager and my only means of exploring the world was by following the contours of atlas country maps on […]

For the past 3 months I’ve been working in the beautiful country of Tanzania, Eastern Africa — where the luscious vegetation of the coastal areas, fresh vegetables and fruit, delicious seafood and friendly people add to the excitement introduced by well-known icons such as Mt. Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Dar es Salaam — the name alone, […]

On top of the limited access to basic healthcare, electricity, running water and high infant mortality rates, rural areas in Tanzania also suffer from very poor education — leaving some vulnerable to suggestion that a cup of specially blessed water will cure everything from diabetes and blindness to tuberculosis and AIDS. Which leads me to […]

Just the other day, at the Kempinski Hotel, I happened to wander in on the Miss Tanzania competition, no security, no badges — so I thought I’d pass myself off as a photographer from Man Magazine, interview some of the girls and take intimate pictures of the event. The drinks were free and the food […]