Tanzania

So here I am sitting on a comfy couch in a cheap but beautiful and very randomly situated lodge in Arusha, Tanzania. I was originally going to head back to Nairobi after Rwanda, but since meeting Jo, and having a further 10 days up my sleeve before needing to be back in Kenya, I decided to press on to Tanzania. While on the road (and travelling in pairs), it is definitely cheaper to keep going and we get along famously well, it has been a brilliant choice. I also just found out that I am the only guest in the hotel tonight. I am currently looking at 7 different staff wandering the restaurant and lodge grounds. I don’t’ know whether to feel guilty for keeping them here or happy that they are being employed for a day. They are completely respecting my space but it feels kinda awkward.

The majority of the last 4 days have been spent on a bus travelling between towns. Tanzania is a massive country with absolutely horrendous roads. The days are dry and dusty, the nights very cool.

We had organised a bus from Kigali to the Tanzanian border the night before. When we arrived at 5.30am for a 5.45am departure and our bus wasn’t there – it was dark and we had a dozen Africans in our face trying to sell us tickets and grabbing at our arms for attention. Only when I yelled did they stop. At 5.43 our bus still hadn’t arrived, so we come to trust what appeared to be the ability to ‘transfer’ our tickets to another reasonable looking company and hoped we reached the correct destination. The bus screamed to the border in record time and we almost kissed the ground when we got out. We heard that there would be various bus companies travelling to Kahama at the border we could choose to buy tickets for.

Once walking the 800 odd metre crossing over the beautiful Kagera river bridge and waterfall, we found that the only bus to Kahama was full. We spoke to this guy at immigration who suggested jumping on a lorry for 2/3 the price. What a cack! We jumped at the offer and rode in this truck with a dozen other people in the trailer and fabulous George Michael picture behind us in the front (pictured). After about 40 min he stopped the lorry at a random little town (pictured) in the middle of bloody nowhere and suggested we get out because there was police ahead. After trying to convince him otherwise, we had no choice but to get out and hope to find other transport. Not a happy moment, but the lorry experience was great while it lasted. There was a Dalla-dallas (known as Matatu’s in Kenya) heading to Kahama, but we weren’t sold on the idea because the wait until they are completely full before leaving and it’s a very cramped, dangerous drive. It was our back up if nothing else turned up. Here were 2 white people drawing the attention of everyone in this tiny town sitting on their oversized backpacks flagging down anything that looked like a respectable and registered tour bus. About an hour later we jumped in the Dala-dalla. It was full, cheap and heading in our direction. On the way we were stopped at 9 or so police postings, a lot of which were not in uniform, but all, of course, they had to bribe. We dropped and picked up dozens of people, so it was a long drive, but we arrived safely. We had enough time to find the next bus company, buy our ticket, locate our accommodation that was recommended to us by Beth (less than $3.50 US ea), have a bite to eat and crash early ready for another 5.00am start.

We were at the bus by 5.30am and it went relatively smoothly, but not surprising, it took us 13 hours instead of the 9 we were promised. Although, once again, very rough dirt roads, it was one of our better trips. The last half an hour or so into Arusha was an excellent view of Kilimanjaro. What a mountain!! I tried taking photos today, but it was engulfed by heavy clouds.

Yesterday and today (24th April) I have taken the opportunity to completely chill out drinking coffee, catch up on my blog, sort through thousands of recent photos, responding to emails and reading. Blissful really.

This morning Jo left for a 4 day Safari and I am pressing on to Dar Es Salaam and surrounding areas before meeting up with her in Zanzibar. Ahhh, I’m so excited. Zanzibar was again a place I would really love to see but thought was impossible for location and expense. Before arriving in Kenya and doing research with other volunteers, I actually didn’t even know where Zanzibar was – only that, from photos I had seen, it was a stunning, exotic island somewhere in Africa. I am already in the country (it is off the East Coast of Tanzania) and have my visa (most countries only have single entry visa’s only unless you pay obscene amounts of money) and the 9 hour bus journey has only cost me about $18 AUD. All but 2 nights’ accommodation so far has been cheaper than what it is costing me to stay with my host family in Kenya, so I am very happy. It is the low season and most places are costing us about $6US a night – Zanzibar will be closer to $15, but I have no doubt worth it. It’s probably silly, but I am scrutinising and justifying every cent I spend – most meals cost less than $2US, again cheaper than Kenya. I do appreciate how privileged I am to travel and am so very careful not to touch my reserves I have for my work in Kenya. I am however, certainly enjoying the break and long for the real heat and beach again! Oh Zanzibar, here I come…….