A quick trip

The phone rings as I'm heading into the Owens River Gorge to climb.  It's Townsend Brown - He's calling me from Tanzania.  Hey dude what's up?  He says the party I threw in October was fun.  I say yeah.  We catch up real quick - then he asks me to get on a plane in a few days and shoot his wedding.  I don't shoot weddings. But this one is in Zanzibar.  

I say yes. 

I lose service before I can think about the logistics.

 So NYE 2011 I'm on a plane. To Africa.  Real quick for a week.

26 hours later I arrive in Dar Es Salaam. It smells like B.O. Really. It makes sense given the tropical climate and that a stick of deodorant costs about 2 days wages there.  The infrastructure reminds me of what the main island of Fiji looked like. 3rd world with money coming in from somewhere. The next morning I drive past the old U.S. Embassy that was bombed and get on a ferry to Stone Town.  Like the one that capsized a while back.  

I sit on the floor of the deck up front relinquishing my first class right to sit inside with the a/c.  The tens of thousands of shillings I paid for the ticket amount to dollars.  I sweat and talk to some local kids.  They have no idea what I'm saying.  I learn the first part of their song.  Mambo. Poa. But some kids say Jambo. I get confused.

Stone Town is an old slave trading port.  An Islamic society with prayer calls broadcast regularly.  Most locals seem to live in a different world than the Mediterranean tourists meandering through the cobbled streets, in and out of little shops. 

After a day, (two?) wandering around, I meet up with Townsend Melissa and the family - they're just back from a Safari.  Everyone's psyched.  We get a taxi for an hour drive north to a recently built resort called Zalu.  It's really nice.  People don't smell there... 

My rhythms are somewhat whacked, so staying up late and waking up before dawn just happen. 

I don't put my camera down often. 

I could get use to being called out for international assignments like this.

I'm probably a bit frantic trying to get everything right - but the wedding goes great. 

Townsend & Melissa share the Achievement Award - and I'm happy to be there with them. 

 I get back on a plane and 30 hours later I'm on the 395.

Captivated by the moon. I feel surreal, wondering when it will snow.