Tanzania tips

(2007) Here are some travel tips about Tanzania collected in my recent trip. I used a lonely planet guidebook and I wrote some note only in case of lack or inaccurate information. Because infrastructures for independent travelers is quite limited, I guess these informations are suitable for other guidebooks too. Hope this helps.

Dar es Salaam Is not so easy to find places serving beer. A good one is a bar near the fish market, on the seafront. Jumheri Street is the road to go to eat. Sonny restaurant have good and various grilled meat. New passion restaurant serves beer and a meat-with-bananas stew. Kadri tea room is great for lunch with a llunch with a lot of Indian snacks (about 300 shillings) served with crushed coconut sauce. I slept in safari inn, 20 USD double room with bathroom, good. Arusha At Scandinavian bus station it is safe to take a free pickup to meru house inn, the hotel is good too, it costs 10000 Tsh (the price listed is little bit more, but it’s easy to have a discount), but avoid Victoria Expeditions (ground floor) for safaris (car breakdowns and program shorted). Since Arusha at night is quite scary, near meru inn there are a change and an internet point. Near there, Arusha backpackers hotel costs 5/10/15 USD s/d/tr, looks better, but restaurant is expensive. Meru house restaurant is cheaper but serves backpacker food. For Tanzanian dinner style (grilled meat eaten by hands, waiters coming with hot water for hand washing before and after dining) go to Pama bar in Wachanga road (better by taxi). During safari, other safari operators as Sunny Safaris and Safari Makers looked better. At least they have better equipment, newer cars and gave essential tips to our driver to repair our car. Shorting programs affects all guided tours in Tanzania, cultural programs too (healer is not here, knife maker went at market, and so on). Moshi For accommodation, moshi backpacker hotel (ex Deville) looks good (4/8/12 dollars s/d/tr). I went to a&a accommodation, 12000 tsh, good, no breakfast. For food, East African Pub Inn have Tanzanian grill, lot of atmosphere, same road of a&a. Hill restaurant serves cheap snacks for lunch (no beer, they are Muslim), if you don’t want to lunch with fruit in street stalls (pili-pili mango is great). For sunset views of Kilimanjaro, take a beer at kindokoro hotel’s roof bar. His restaurant looks expensive, but has good atmosphere. Lushoto Is a very small town. Tumaini hotel, good location, 17000 tsh, decent. There are two restaurants; one inside serves tourist food, one outside serves Tanzanian food, none of two serves beer. Lushoto sun is not so good, but lets you bring beer from outside. The best option to eat is near the bus station: at Checkpoint bar (where of course you can have all drinks and sit at table) there is a butcher/cook serving grilled beef for 2000 tsh/half kilo). In front of this, you can buy (and bring) mishikaki at 200 tsh and Tanzanian food like ugali. Irente viewpoint: easy walk, don’t need guide, it takes 1 hour and half one way. You’ll meet villages and many people, luckily few cars. Irente farm’s picnic lunches are a good deal (3000 tsh), it’s worth to buy cheese (2500 for a 350 gr. piece). Near catholic church there is a football court where it’s easy to join locals to play (from 4 p.m. to sunset) Tanga Ocean breeze hotel was full, so I went in malindi hotel (12000 tsh double with bathroom), quite good. Patwas restaurant have very good juices. Kurutu camping’s restaurant is expensive (dishes from 10000 tsh), but is worth at least for various shrimps menu page. If you want to dine there, consider that you’ll have to add taxi fares to reach restaurant from downtown Tanga to restaurant bill. Bagamoyo Mary Nice Place is an example of how a guidebook mention can be a fortune for a place and a ruin for each other: not so nice, not so cheap (15000 Tsh per double room), far and in the middle of nowhere, has dilapidated rooms (no mosquito nets). Breakfast is not included, costs 2500 Tsh per person. Thanks to lonely planet they put many signposts in town and they are building more rooms. If you have lp guidebook (this means you don’t have other options for accommodation), the best option is to go at tourism school information office, and buy a town map (actually is a photocopy of bradt guidebook map) for 2000 tsh (expensive, but includes an offer to the school) where you can find at least other 10 lodges. Other hotels are on the seaside but sea is not very clean in the strip from mission to kaole ruins. For local food, New Top Life bar restaurant serves ugali with fish for about 2500 tsh. Zanzibar Nungwi Union beach decent bungalows with sea views cost 30 USD. “Mama restaurant local dishes” is basic but serves good ugali with chicken for 1500 Tsh Beach restaurants for dinner have all same price (8000/10000 seafood main course): Baraka has small menu and slow service; Fat fish has wide portions, quick and attentive service and large menu (most grill) and real sea view; Moose goose pub: quick and wide, Zanzibar cuisine dishes (if you can see the difference); Langi langi: not extended menu, don’t serves beer, decent quality, quantity and waiting time. In 20 minutes walk south you can reach kendwa, highly recommended, no danger of muggings as many people do it, virtually every spot is great for swimming. Kendwa beach is more beautiful than Nungwi but atmosphere is different because there are many expensive resorts (insistent sellers). From Nungwi walking north, behind dhow harbour, there is a lighthouse and a turtles aquarium (entry 2 USD or 2500 TSH; often staff mishandle turtles in order to show you better, ask to not do) and a very hot water beach (beware of small jellyfish). For beach football at sunset, the best places are the two beaches just south of cholo bar. Cholo bar, with hammocks and other weirdness, is the place where all tourists, and all locals wanting to interact with tourists, go to drink. To find local people's bars, follow the music and/or lights. Transport: if you book a shuttle bus from stone town to nungwi (5 USD) ask if some passenger is going to kendwa (in this case the trip is 1 hour longer as road is horrible). Stone town Accommodation: victoria, florida, malindi, flamingo hotel are all about 30 USD double with bath. I slept at pyramid hotel, 25 USD double with bath. Traditional Zanzibar style rooms and beds, good breakfast with fruits on the roof (not panoramic). Monsoon restaurant has attracting menu, atmospheric site, sitting on pillows, good food, is worth for a luxury dinner (10000 tsh main course), of course you’ll not see locals dining there. Note that side dishes are the most part of main course (nevertheless are good too). House of wonders is worth a visit, for views and expositions. Street food: are available mangoes, jackfruit, cassava, coconuts, corn. In forodhani gardens, food is various and attractive, until you’ll not realize that is the same for days and days (is already cooked, by the way). Beer is very expensive, 3000 tsh and there is no way to bargain.

The greatest unknown wine in Italy

is Moscato di Scanzo D.O.C.G.
Red, sweet, few bottles, small cellars.
Hard to purchase, but if you succeed, you'll be happy.
The smallest and nicest winery is this one:  http://www.moscatopagnoncelli.com.


Il miglior vino sconosciuto d'Italia è il Moscato di Scanzo D.O.C.G.
Prodotto solo nel comune di Scanzorosciate, in provincia di Bergamo, su un totale di 30 ettari, 16 aziende ciascuna da al massimo qualche migliaio di litri, è un passito rosso da meditazione. Difficile da trovare fuori dalla zona di produzione, vale sicuramente la pena di cercarlo.
La cantina più piccola e più simpatica è questa:  http://www.moscatopagnoncelli.com.

Best beaches in Salento

Pescoluse, the maldives of Salento.
Torre Chianca
Porto Cesareo

Next destination : Marseille and surroundings

Day 1:
Nimes, with day trips to Pont du Gard and Uzes
Day 2:
Arles
Day 3:
Avignon with day trip to Orange
Day 4:
Aix en Provence
Day 5:
Aigues Mortes

Or maybe Montpellier: place de la Comedie, Saint Pierre, hotel de ville, palais des pierres vives, quartier antigone

Teatro dell'opera (Costanzi) tips

Se volete andare a vedere un'opera al teatro dell'opera di Roma, anche noto come teatro Costanzi, presumo che non possiate andare in altre città (Milano, Napoli, Parma, Venezia, Torino) dove ci sono  pubblici più esigenti e programmazioni più curate e prestigiose.
Anche a Roma può però capitare ultimamente di vedere ad esempio un'opera diretta da Muti.

Adesso però vado a dare alcuni consigli sui posti.
Se avete voglia e possibilità di comprare un biglietto che costa tre cifre di euro, scegliete la platea, è dove si vede e sente meglio.
Se avete pochi soldi, invece conviene la galleria. Nel 2012 costa 17 euro per le opere (qualcosa meno per i balletti).
Non tutti i posti sono uguali.
Le file 1,2,3 non sono ostruite da colonne e i posti da 15 a 40 sono sufficientemente centrali.
Le file 4 e 5 hanno alcuni posti da evitare assolutamente perché hanno una colonna davanti: il 22/23 e 44/45 della fila 4, il 25/26 e il 41/42 della fila 5. Inoltre molti posti hanno il problema delle ringhiere alte, ad esempio i 29/30 e 34/35 della fila 5 hanno la ringhiera che ostruisce il palco. Al netto di questi problemi, i posti da 20 a 45 (anche 50 per la fila 4) sono centrali.
La fila 6 non ha problemi di colonne ma è ancora più in alto. Da 5 a 20 è sufficientemente centrale.
La fila 7 è tutta da evitare. La fila 8 è veramente l'ultima, ma i posti da 8 a 11 sono decenti (in più volendo ci si può alzare in piedi, visto che alle spalle c'è solo il muro).
Per tutti i posti che ho definito "non centrali" si può dire che più o meno si vede solo metà palco. Alcuni posti hanno una visuale così scadente che credo non siano neanche messi in vendita

La balconata è subito in basso e costa circa 32 euro per le opere, non è un grosso affare per molti motivi: è angusta, la ringhiera è alta e toglie visibilità ma soprattutto in circa un posto ogni tre la visuale è ostruita da colonne sottili (sottili sì, ma sono tra voi e il palco).
Se siete un gruppo di 3 persone e avete posti adiacenti, uno almeno sarà sicuramente disturbato dalla colonna.
Il problema riguarda tutte e tre le file, ad esempio i posti 9, 12, 15, 18 della prima fila. In seconda fila i posti da evitare sono 10, 13, 18, 25 e in terza 9, 12, 16, 20, 23.

Per quanto riguarda i palchi ci sono diversi prezzi a seconda di altezza e posizione. I migliori tendono a costare quasi come la platea, mentre i più economici sono i più alti e laterali. Questi ultimi non sono un cattivo affare, specie se siete i primi ad arrivare nel palco e potete scegliere il posto davanti (nei palchi ci sono sedie e i posti non sono assegnati).







 

aeroporto di Catania - Catania airport tips

Se avete molta fretta e pochi soldi da spendere, prendete l'autobus urbano 457 che costa un euro e porta alla stazione o in centro.
Il biglietto si compra al chiosco del gratta e vinci, nell'atrio principale, di fronte all'uscita degli arrivi.
La fermata dell'autobus è invece in fondo, dall'uscita degli arrivi girare a destra e poi uscire in fondo.

Nel piazzale della stazione ferroviaria c'è un furgoncino che vende brioche con gelato a 1,50 euro (vende anche biglietti dell'autobus fuori-orario).

Per i panini con carne di cavallo andare agli arrusti e mancia di via Plebiscito, intorno ai civici 400 pari (più macellerie) o intorno ai 730 (famoso è achille al 732). Panino con polpette di cavallo a 3 euro.

Per il percorso  inversodalla stazione verso l'aeroporto non aspettare il 457 alla piazzola, perché fa un giro in città prima di ripassare davanti alla stazione, dall'altro lato della piazza (giovanni XXIII), davanti al Bar Terminal (che vende biglietti) e prima del negozio Wind.

Havana quick tips

Here are some quick tips about Havana.

Best mojito:
in Hanoi bar (a.k.a. Hanoi bucaneros) near Hanoi restaurant, calle brazil between bernaza and monserrate, 1 CUC, very good, serves some food, too.
In Bodeguita del medio you can go only for historical reasons. A forgettable mojito in the bar costs 4 CUC.
Best pizza: in calle o' Reilly between aguacate and compostela, 10 to 15 pesos, only take away.
Best fried chicken and beer: in the bar on the sea front in avenida de cespedes, near plaza de la catedral. Fried chicken costs less than 2 CUC, beer the usuals 1.15.
Ice creams (in pesos) in obispo 58, are quite good and usually there are not queues.
The Coppelia shop in CUC is outrageously expensive.
Turistic double decker open top bus is worth the price, even if used for transportation: with a daily ticket (5 CUC) you can reach various destinations (vedado, plaza de la revolution, playas del este, la cabana, marina Hemingway) inside and outside the city.
If you can, don't give money to beggars: it's even less fair than in the rest of the world.