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Travelogue

Written by Joanne Simmons

Filed under

africa, Antelope, arusha, cecile raley designs, Elephant, Gem Hunting, gemstones, Giraffe, Impala Hotel, Lion, Mwajanga, National Park, safari

My Trip To Tanzania - Safari in Africa

Nov 14, 2016

Written by Joanne Simmons

Of course, one of my days in Tanzania had to be spent on safari. Hiring a jeep and driver for the day is expensive: $250 plus gas and park entrance fee, which is $53 for whites and $5 for locals, or rather, for African blacks, since Honorine who is from Rwanda and Doreen who is from Kenya, also just paid $5. Instead of getting a jeep, we negotiated with a local driver who borrowed a minivan from a...

Written by Joanne Simmons

Filed under

africa, antsirabe, arusha, congregation, Felician, Garnets, gem market, gem shopping, gem trade, Gems, geologist, graduate school, madagascar, Nairobi, safari, sapphire, sphene, tanzania, tourmaline

Yvonne Goes to Africa

Aug 11, 2016

Written by Joanne Simmons

Yes, this is really happening, a dream come true. On August 17th, in just a few days, I'll be flying first to Germany to see my mom and then to two of the world's most famous gem paradises: Madagascar and Tanzania. This trip has been in the planning stages for about a year. My friend Jochen Hintze from Jentsch Mineralien, a German geologist who travels to Africa up to 10 times a year, is going to... Continue reading