Barely Breathing in Dar

Ah, I miss Ottawa. Especially the clean air.  And the sanity.  But it could be crazier here.  It is Africa after all.  I craved adventure, now I have it.  But to breath Canadian air again would be great.

What else am I missing (or missed) in Canada?

-the birth of Akhil, Aly Khan's son

-the marriage of my cousin Zahra

-apparently the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history (July 12th Calgary hail storm) 

-Ashif & Reeshma's long awaited return

-trips to Nanaimo?

-my dadima's 85th bday on Aug 4th

What did I get to do?

-Scuba on my 30th in the Indian Ocean (Zanzibar)

-spend time with Gulamhussein Gilani (94?), my late dadabapa's brother

-spend time with Sadru Gilani (85?), my late dadabapa's cousin, and a legend in Kisumu

-visit Lyon, Paris, and Annecy

-visit Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu

-live in Dar and Pemba; visit Zanzibar and hopefully Bagamoyo

You may remember I posted this in 2006 on another travel blog.

Regarding doing development work in Ghana, a guy on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forums asked why do we go to africa?  glowbetrottar 's response:

 

'I visit Africa to "get away from it all". 

In the UK, sitting in an office, packed in with buildings, cars, and living on top of each other in a small house, cold weather, lots of attitude, everything judged by the time it takes and the money it makes... 

Then there's Africa.

Vast. Loads of space. Fantastic weather. Varied. The dust. The smell. The fresh, gorgeous mornings. The cool, stunning sunsets in the evenings. The wildlife. The silence. The noise. The unspoilt outdoors. The vista's. Hiking. The heat. The cold. The locals & their customs. 

And the sheer anarchy of it all. Everything is a challenge. Getting around is a hassle. Getting anywhere on your own is rewarding. 

I don't have a romantic view of Africa at all - its hard, its brutal, its primitive and I wouldn't like to live there. But I love travelling there.'

Enough said.