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This section is composed of a series of six e-mails, that Rohit has written back to friends and family from his adventures, while in Africa!

Just Answers to Questions about my trip

Jambo!

Habari? (Swahili for 'How are you?')

Nzuri!  (Swahili for 'I'm fine!')

I've received many questions on the trip so will make a quick attempt to answer all of them:

First of all - no Africa is not like a war zone :) it is an underdeveloped continent (much like most parts of India - maybe as India was 50 years ago!)

About the Truck:
I was on it for 2 weeks - this was a big lorry essentially with a wooden roof and no sides (actually roll down plastic). I was traveling in the back of it. We'd drive all day and at the end of the day set up camp - literally pitch our own tents. We'd stop at Supermarkets every few days, and stock up on food. At night we'd cook dinner, and have a campfire. Some days we'd take lunch breaks - sandwiches. Mostly we bounced around in the back on African roads (surprisingly LARGE parts of Africa is still connected by dirt roads - no tarmac - even to major "cities").

Africa has a VERY STRONG INDIAN INFLUENCE. It seems India is a part and parcel of African culture - right from food habits and immigrants to Bollywood Hindi movies - in fact I saw a Hindi movie at a theater in Kampala (Uganda) - the first theater I walked into. Dar es Salaam has only ONE cinema hall - and it shows Hindi movies exclusively! I went to a night club in Kampala and the first song was a Hindi song :) In Nairobi too – same thing! In Dar es Salaam it was lots of Hindi songs :)
[Yes, I've gone clubbing every Saturday nite!]

The African food includes a lot of chapati, biryani, pulao, samosa, kabobs etc. so eating is no problem... Add onto it Ugali (idli-like-bread), Nyama Choma (Grilled Meat), beans, & spinach and u have a 100% authentic African meal.

Well that answers most questions - should have an update coming soon on the tails of this one...

Kwa heri,
_Rohit!

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