Just back from: Tanzania

Just back from: Tanzania: "Paul Padia and Alexandra Echery, San Francisco

We went because: We were celebrating 40 years on Earth, and I guess we had something to prove by trying to climb Kilimanjaro. We met with success.

Don't miss: Climbing to the top. It's not as hard as you think because you climb so slowly.

Don't bother: Stone Town, Zanzibar. It holds a lot of history, but it's crowded and there are safety concerns. Head to the east side of the island for the beach.

Coolest souvenir: The certificate for making it to the top of Kilimanjaro. Also, Organic Coffee from Gibbs Farm (Karatu, Tanzania) is still being enjoyed.

Worth a splurge: Ponge Beach Resort, Zanzibar, on the east side of the island. It was the perfect complement after the climb and safari.

We wish we'd packed: Less. We had weight restrictions on internal flights that made it difficult to bring back souvenirs.

Other comments: No trip to Africa is complete without a safari. Plan your safari in the conservation area where the big migration is taking place during your visit."

Utamu wa Macho...

Duka katika mitaa ya Mji Mkongwe....Jumapili Njema

TCRA says teledensity reached 43% at Dec 2009, led by mobile growth: CommsUpdate : TeleGeography Research

Data just released by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) shows that the country was home to a total of 17.642 million fixed and mobile subscriptions at the end of 2009, up from 13.130 million a year earlier, a combined teledensity of 43% (32%, 2008). Of the total subscriptions recorded at end-2009 17.469 million were cellular connections to one of the country’s leading mobile operators.

Market leader Vodacom attracted 1.475 million new users last year for a total of 6.883 million, while second-placed Zain (Celtel) signed up a net 1.048 million new users in the period for a total of 4.910 million. Zain, however, failed to reach its own stated goal of six million customers by the end of last year. Third place operator Tigo boosted its base to 4.178 million by the end of 2009, and Zantel Mobile — once the nation's fastest growing cellco — added roughly 300,000 net new customers during the period for a total of 1.378 million. Trailing far behind the big four, the mobile arm of fixed line operator TTCL added just 10,000 subscribers for a total of 115,681, and Benson Informatics Limited (BOL), which lost 300 subscribers in 2008, had 3,101 data-only subscribers, up 101 since the start of the year.

In the fixed line segment, TCRA reported 172,922 fixed lines in service as at 31 December 2009, up from 123,809 at the start of the year, but only marginally higher than the 163,269 counted at 31 December 2007. National PSTN operator Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd (TTCL) claimed the lion's share with 157,321 lines at end-2009 (its December 2008 figure was 116,265 after it disconnected a number of active lines), with Zanzibar Telecommunications' (Zantel's) fixed line division taking the remainder.

Milango ya Zanzibar: Mji Mkongwe

Milango ya Zanzibar ilianza kutumika katika miaka ya 1870 na kupata umaarufu mkubwa hadi sasa.Milango hii ilibuniwa na kuchongwa kufuatana na tamaduni za kihindi na kiarabu.

Katika miaka hiyo ya 18' jumla ya milango 806 ilitengenezwa. Hiki kilikuwa ni kipindi cha Sultan Bargash.



Sifa kubwa ya milango hii ni mapambo yake ambayo yalitokana na dhana ya kujikinga na madhara ya kishetani kuingia ndani ya nyumba. Mapambo mengine yaliyomo kwenye milango hiyo ni maua, matawi ya minazi, aya za Koran, jina la mwenye nyumba na mwaka uliotengenezwa mlango huo.

Zaidi baadhi ya milango hiyo imetiwa vyuma umbo la koni nyenye ncha kali ikiwa ni kama silaha ya kujikinga na uvamizi wa Tembo.


Kuna aina mbili za milango hii, moja ni umbo la mstatiri katika sehemu yake ya juu na ya pili ni umbo la nusu duara katika sehemu yake ya juu. Mlango mmoja uchukua muda wa miezi mitatu kutengenezwa na hutumia mbao ngumu aina ya Mninga. Hadi sasa milango hii hutengenezwa kwa kutumia mkono. Hata hivyo katika karakana ya Ofisi ya Hifadhi na Uendelezaji Mji Mkongwe, baadhi ya maandalizi ya utengenezaji wa milango hiyo hutumia mashine.


Mamlaka ya Hifadhi na Uendelezaji wa Mji Mkongwe, inastahili kupongezwa kwa kuhakikisha kuwa aina hii ya milango inaendelea kutumika katika Mji Mkongwe. Hii ni kutokana na kuwepo na wimbi kubwa la kung'olewa kwa milango hiyo katika miaka ya 80 kwa lengo la kuuzwa. Adhia kuwepo kwa ubadilishaji wa milango hiyo kutokana na kufanyiwa matengenezo ya nyumba.


Picha ya kwanza juu, gari linaloonekana ndio lilikuwa gari la Prez wa kwanza wa Zanzibar Marehemu A.Karume.