Contact Jim: jim@dollarhide.net

Previous Entries: 

5/26/06.   May 26th.   Quito, Ecuador. 

23 Hour Day - June 3rd, From Santo Domingo to Indianola, Miss

June 12th. From Moscow.

June 14th.  Kyrgs, Yurts and The Eye of the Goat. 

On The Swahili Coast of Africa

From Mumbai, India  (Bombay)   June 25th

We have arrived in India via an overnight flight from Tanzania through Kenya.  It is 8:30 in the AM here and my body doesn't know what time zone I am in.  Susan and Sam are sleeping. 

The West Indian Coast is in the middle of a Monsoon.   Here is a photo from the local newspaper from a few days ago.  They have had more rain here in a 24 hour period than ever in history (last Wednesday).   Twice as much rain as the previous record. 

We are in the Marriott in Bombay.  Still raining.  The India Ocean is just outside our hotel.  Just 30 hours ago we were swimming in the India Ocean on the other side (in Tanzania).  We had dinner at a beach resort and relaxed for a few hours.  It was nice -- for a few moments to forget work. 

Sam, Susan and I on a beach south of Dar Es Salaam.  Me having a bad hair day.  Our filming in Tanzania went well and we finished a day early. This trip to the beach was a much needed break.  While going through Moscow, I lost my new Palm Treo PDA cell phone.   Cingular International Services wanted to cancel my account, thereby losing my phone number I have had since around 1988.   I was in a panic over that.  Then my American Express Platinum card was compromised and $10,000 worth of fraudulent charges showed up on it.  AmEx cancelled my card but could not ship me another one to India.  So I was worried about our ability to finish the trip.  After about $200  in international calls from my hotel in Tanzania, I got things worked out with AmEx.   Then all our film from Kyrgyzstan was lost in the FedEx system for a few days.   It is now safely at the lab at NFL Films in New Jersey. 

Anyway, it has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride the past few days.   We are facing the weather situation here in India with rain expected every day for a week.  Our counterparts at Habitat have been unable to secure the correct visas for Vietnam, and that part of the trip is now in question.  But we'll figure it all out.   They are talking about sending us to the Philippines instead. 

Here are some photos from Tanzania.

Sam on a break in Korogwe. 

Me in my Safari Hat -- the only thing I could find that would fit and keep me out of the sun.  I was called a Cowboy a few times. 

Tony, our local Habitat facilitator, John-Paul, our camera assistant, and Djam, our African Habitat Liaison. 

Waiting on the sun.  Four of our Habitat homeowners prepare for an on-camera speaking role. What you see above is a row of about six Habitat homes, built by the homeowners themselves, with local volunteer labor.  They have no running water or electricity, but they are dry, clean and the are justifiably proud of their homes.  The people are very neat and clean -- once after a rain shower, we observed them outside sweeping the dirt.

Fishing and transport boats south of Dar Es Salaam. 

Tony, our Habitat guide and one of the homeowners.  Note the clouds moving across the hill in the background.  We were constantly "in the clouds". 

Global Village volunteers from Denver help build homes in Korogwe.  

Couldn't help but throw this in.  Just a snapshot out our vehicle window.  Man with Goats still needs wheels. 

I am visiting with some of the homeowners and their children.  I just can't say enough about the character and personality of these very resilient people.  Somewhat like the poor people in the Mississippi Delta, in respect to what they have in material possessions -- but we are totally impressed by their nature and fondness of life.  We never heard anyone complain, whine, or even saw anyone frown.  They laugh alot and there is always a quick smile and an ASANTE SAN (Thank You Very Much). 

A Tanzanian native does what all the women do.  Carry things on their heads.  (you don't see many men carrying anything here). 

Susan on the road outside the Habitat build site in Korogwe.

Our Tanzanian Crew.  Front:  Nasser (grip and great translator/AD), Susan, and Andrew (2nd AC/Clapper).  Back:  Me, Tony, Maggie (local Habitat translator and tremendous help in all things homeowner related), Sam and John Paul.  

Not Pictured:  Djam, our African Habitat Liaison (photo credit to Djam) who did just a little of everything, including walking me to my plane, arranging for my Starbucks coffee in the middle of nowhere and even helping get our vehicle unstuck out of the mud.  A superwoman indeed.  Thank you Djam from all of us. 

That's it for now.  More after we return from our build sites in India.  

Jim