The tour of the photos on the country pages of the CIA World Factbook continues in this post with ones from African nations, and so we’ll start with a regional map, then work our way counter clockwise, starting with Libya:

Minaret seen through the 2nd century A.D. Arch of Marcus Aurelius, Tripoli, Libya

Medina or old city quarter, Tripoli, Libya

Roman theater at Sabratha, Libya

Algiers, Algeria

The oasis village of Beni Abbes, Algeria.

The oasis village of Taghit in the Sahara, Algeria

Sahara Dunes, Algeria

The Hassan Tower and remains of a mosque next to the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco

Mausoleum of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco

Lake Nyos, Cameroon

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke that Thunders) [Victoria Falls], Zimbabwe

Gorge carved by Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke that Thunders) [Victoria Falls], Zambia

People’s Palace, Stone Town, Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Rwanda hillside.

Frame for a rondavel (house), Uganda

Acacia trees in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

]]> http://teacherontwowheels.com/2009/11/07/sketches-of-zanzibar/ Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:09:46 +0000 andrewedwardmorgan http://teacherontwowheels.com/2009/11/07/sketches-of-zanzibar/

Above:  Images from Stone Town.  Click on the bottom image to see it in more detail on its Flickr page.  Click ‘All Sizes’ above the image to see it in a larger size

Taken from my journal:   10/23/09   Stone Town, Zanzibar

Stone Town is the cultural and commercial hub of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous island off Tanzania’s coast.  Known for it’s labyrinthine maze of allies that dices up the downtown area, Stone Town is a place where shadows thrive; where mosques cry out through the megaphone mouths of their minarets; and where veiled school girls walk home whispering amongst themselves, oblivious to the groups of camera-wielding tourists hunting scenes to shoot and take home.

The charm of the place lies in its close-quarters-ness—the tightness of its streets and the odd angles of its intersections—and the way afternoon light cascades down the faces of its buildings like half-frozen paint slipping down a fresh canvass.

The doors in Stone Town are often so ornate that entering buildings seems pointless, for nothing found inside could stimulate the mind and eyes as much.  Kaleidoscopic designs punctuated with nipples of weathered brass form the doors’ edges, while handles rounded by the touch of a thousand hands bulls-eye their centers.

Everywhere Muslims—almost entirely of the Sunni sect—walk under cap and veil.  The men wear earth-toned, patterned cylindrical hats atop their heads, and women bury the contours of their bodies under ankle-length cloaks and bright head scarves.

The eyes of some women float down the street anchored in clouds of black fabric, two orbs of identity set against masks of flowing obsidian and coal.

Jewelers sell golden pendants and bracelets across from carpeted mosques and next to cluttered stationary stores.

Chef-hatted fish slingers sell kabobs of tuna, kingfish, and lobster for a buck a piece each night under bare light bulbs in the plaza by the waterfront.

Fanny packs donutting the guts of toursts bob and stop and float down aisles of souvenir manifestations of African cliches and stereotypes—zebra-head-tipped pencils and banana-leaf-jacketed journals, for example—and occasionally these same fanny packs spill forth their innards of shillings and plastic to purchase some kitsch trinket or another.

Old men stew in groups of three and four on concrete ledges in the afternoon sunlight like lounging lizards, nodding at passerby and sipping spiced tea from plum-sized glass cups.

Cats with matted coats that betray their bastardness lay sprawled across stoops and gutters like 3D smears of looming death, disease, and sadness.  I pay them no mind, but one man tries to spoon milk into one dying, emaciated cat’s mouth.  Too weak to swallow, the cat rejects his offering, puddling a white, watery halo around its fallen head.

It took me a while but I have finally finished putting together a video picture montage of my trip to East Africa this past summer where I was studying (near Arusha, Tanzania). I hope you’ll like it; the pictures are mostly in chronological order with my journey. Please enjoy!

Off the beaten track in Tanzania bietet African Dream Tours, Ihr Individualreiseveranstalter für das abgelegene Tansania an.

Wir bieten ein großartiges 9 Nächte Spezial: Selous Wilderness Camp kombiniert mit dem Swahili House in Stone Town & Fumba Beach Lodge Sansibar oder Unguja Lodge Sansibar.

Das Angebot ist vom 01. November 2009 bis zum 31. März 2010 gültig – ausgenommen vom 19. Dezember 2009 bis zum 05. Januar 2010

Tag 1: Ankunf in Dar es Salaam, Transfer zum nationalen Terminal um den Anschluss mit Coastal oder Zanair in das Selous Game Reserve – Mtemere Airstrip zu bekommen.

Transfer/Pirschfahrt zum Camp, Mittagessen gefolgt von einer Nachmittags-/Sonnenuntergangs-Bootsfahrt auf dem Rifiji Fluss

Unterkunft im Selous Wilderness Camp mit Vollpension

http://www.selouswildernesscamp.com/

Tag 2: Nach dem Frühstück genießen Sie einen vollen Tag im Selous Game Reserve mit gepacktem Picknick Korb.

Unterkunft im Selous Wilderness Camp mit Vollpension

Tag 3: Nach dem Frühstück erleben Sie eine “Walking Safari” (wandern im Busch) im kontrollierten Gebiet des Selous Game Reserve gefolgt von einem Mittagessen im Camp und einer Sonnenuntergangsfahrt auf dem Rifiji.

Unterkunft im Selous Wilderness Camp mit Vollpension

Tag 4: Nach dem Frühstück genießen Sie einen ganzen Tag im Selous Game Reserve mit gepacktem Picknick Korb.

Unterkunft im Selous Wilderness Camp mit Vollpension

Tag 5: Frühstück, Transfer zum Mtemere Airstrip um mit Zanair oder Coastal nach Sansibar zu fliegen.

Meet & great am Flughafen Sansibar, Transfer zum The Swahili House für 2 Nächte im Deluxe Room mit Frühstück.

http://www.moivaro.com/pages/swahili_house/lodge.htm

Tag 7:   Transfer zur Fumba Beach Lodge oder zur Unguja Lodge, 3 Nächte im Deluxe Seaview Room/Villa mit Halbpension.

http://www.moivaro.com/pages/fumba_beach_lodge/lodge.htm

http://www.moivaro.com/pages/unguja_lodge/lodge.htm

Tag 10: Transfer zum Flughafen Sansibar und Flug nach Dar es Salaam um Ihren Anschluss an Ihren internationalen Flug zu erreichen.

Was ist inklusvie:

Alle Transfers, nationale Flüge, Unterkunft wie beschrieben, Mahlzeiten wie beschrieben, Aktivitäten wie beschrieben

Was ist exklusive:

2 Tage Parkgebühren von US$ 65 pro Person pro Tag, internationale Flüge, Mahlzeiten, die nicht aufgeführt sind, Getränke, Wäscheservice, Flughafengebühren und persönliche Wünsche
9 Tage Paket mit Fumba Beach Lodge

US$1775,- pro Person basierend auf 2 teilnehmenden Personen

9 Tage Paket mit Unguja Lodge

US$1895,- pro Person basierend auf 2 teilnehmenden Personen

Dieses Paket wurde so eng geschnürt, dass wir leider die Überweisungsgebühren von Euro 50,00 pro Person zusätzlich auf Sie umlegen müssen. Wir hoffen auf Ihr Verständnis.

Einige internationale Flüge passen nicht genau bei Ankunft oder Abflug auf dieses Programm, so dass wir eine weitere Nacht in Dar es Salaam im Southern Sun Hotel mit Frühstück inklusive Flughafentransfer für US$ 150,00 pro Person im Doppelzimmer anbieten können.
Off the beaten track in Tansania bietet African Dream Tours, Ihr Individualreiseveranstalter für das abgelegene Tansania an.

nicole@african-dream-tours.de

Hans making with you, beautiful photography in stone town with no thinking but feeling with zen and meditation, was a extraordinary experience for me and the most interested part of my tour in africa.

thanks Kang  Seoul  South Korea

Well my picture just ready the raw file developed in the software lightroom, works great and the joy of photography so I told you come back to me now,  your walk is a part of it.

I feel great pleasure to make pictures again and so you told me the digital world is exiting I framed the picture to A2 still looks ok.

Come with zakia quick to london we will meet.

warm  memory  Isabella

My picture is become very good

The lessons from you and zakia very to the point and black and white is an eye opener for me I love it, your advice about the leica I will take serious

Berlin is waiting for you two, love to take you for a tour like your other students

Hope to be there for the 10 days class next year

Curd

Am sorry for my late reaction but live was there, when I came back from a very nice time in zanzibar. So now the very busy times are under control and  I have time to develop my pictures in the program you advice me its work very fine look at the results.

Am proud on my work looks good, hans and zakia also from me when you are in madrid we will walk

alphonse

Hans I was not difficult to find one to sent to your blog. You know the moment was there and your advise about composition taken here is the result

I bought a frame and let the shop make a digital art print of the photograph I sent you, it look very good and everybody is positive about my work.

thanks also to zakia

if you come to agentina I invite you for a walk in buenos aires

estefani

Hi fellow travellers!

Check out our latest special offers: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/offers/Sep09a2.html

This week we have a great tour of China from only £989 per person. The tour is a great introduction to this amazing country and is exceptional value as it includes all your meals, tours and even your visa! (if you’re a UK passport holder that is!)

Alternatively why not Zanzibar! This is a simply stunning island with amazing beaches and top quality hotels! Whilst you’re there you should pay a visit to fascinating Stone Town! In fact I love the place and am going back again in a couple of weeks!

Why not check out some of the great holidays we offer at: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

Happy travelling!

Darren