So…I’m living in Japan now

After being back in the states for about a year the travel itch became unbearable. I knew I wanted to move back over seas and I had been considering teaching in Japan for some time. I now live in the a small town in Southern Kyushu, Japan. I teach at a few high schools and spend the rest of my time enjoying everything the island has to offer.

Back to reality…sort of

All good holidays come to an end. I’m back in North Western Province in Zambia now and it’s not quite the tropical paradise Zanzibar is.

We spent the last few days of the trip in Stonetown. None of us wanted to leave but as we were all out of money we had to. I’m sure I’ll be back in Zanzibar some day though.

I am glad to get a start on 2008. This is another year of big change. I’ll be done with the Peace Corps in four months and I am in the process of figuring out what is next. I’ve got a few ideas brewing but if you’ve got any ideas, shoot ‘em my way. Especially of they involve more globe trotting.

New Years in Nungwi

So we decided to go up to the town of Nungwi to celebrate the New Year. We couldn’t find accommodation up there so we decided to organize a bus from Stone Town up.

We ended up having a really good time at a place called Kendwa Rocks. There were a lot of people from all over the world, good music, lots of drinks and some fireworks after the stroke of mid-night.

We stayed in Nungwi until about 5 am and then boarded the bus to head back to Stone Town. I got to watch the sun rise as we drove down the coast. It was a lot of fun and a great way to ring in the New Year.

I have now spent my last 2 new years celebrations in wonderfully tropical paradises. I wonder where I’ll be next year.

Bweju

I just got back to Stone Town after spending a few days over on the east coast of the island in a little village known as Bweju. The sand was as white as you can imagine. The water bluer than I have ever seen and the reefs we went snorkeling on were spectacular. We had some of the best food I have ever eaten in my life. It was hard to leave such a wonderful place but we are headed up to the Nungwi on the north coast for New Years. Should be fun.

Zimmie’s First Christmas

Little Zimster had his first Christmas this year. Wish I had been there for it but I was stuck in a tropical paradise. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of good ones with him soon enough.

Stonetown

So I arrived in Zanzibar a bit over a day ago and it’s great. It’s really tropical, has lots of white sand, teal water, friendly people and really good food. I just spent Christmas day siting on a beach enjoying a local beer and watching the tide come in.

Tonight we are headed to the fish market for what I can only describe as a veritable seafood buffet. There are tons of stands selling tuna, mackerel, lobster, prawns and tons of other fresh caught food. You pick what you want and they cook it right in front of you.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

The Train Ride

So we decided to take the Tazara train from Zambia to Tanzania. It starts in Kapiri Mposhi and ends in Dar es Salaam. It took about 48 hours to get there. We had a good time and did a pretty good job of keeping ourselves occupied. It’s nothing like the comforts of the Eurail but it got us from point to point and we got to see a good bit of the Zambian and Tanzanian country side.