Today was all about getting to Arusha, the starting point for our safari. We needed to start early to catch the ferry, to catch the cab, to catch the plane. Probably one of my least favorite places in Tanzania is the ferry dock. Huge crowds. And so many people to carry so few bags. Ten thousand shillings… ten thousand shillings… ten thousand shillings for everyone! Oh, that’s not enough? Twenty thousand shillings! I later found out that I was way over-tipping. It was difficult dealing with the onslaught of “help” so early in the morning, but we managed.
After we made the crossing to Dar es Salaam (DAR) and the mainland, we found George (our first taxi driver). It was nice seeing him waiting for us because he was quite friendly and spoke really good English. As it turned out, we had more than enough time to make our transitional flight so George took us to an upper-end hotel on the peninsula for breakfast. The crepes were excellent and the views, spectacular!
Following breakfast we took a detour through one of the more impoverished neigborhoods of DAR. Unlike the slums we are used to seeing in Detroit where the streets often seem desolate, these were packed with people and activity. It is difficult to imagine the conditions that so many have actually grown accustomed to living in.
After a long day of travel, we transitioned from the coastal region of Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam to the country’s interior on the northeast side of Tanzania. Our flight out of the old, primitive airport of DAR took us to the remote airport in Arusha. Although it is within a few minutes of the cities 1.5 million people, it certainly gave the impression that we were deep within the heart of Africa. The trip was particularly unique as it was the first flight I’ve had on a commercial twin-engine turboprop airplane that was very capable of carrying 78 deodorantly deficient people. Taylor and I laughed about how some many of these passengers must have been nicknamed “Bo”.
Our final hotel before the safari was the Mount Meru Hotel, a five-star all the way — the finest in all of Arusha. We engaged in a little downtime by the pool and then a delicious dinner at one of their fine restaurants. Dad ordered the chef’s beef stew with ugali on the side. Ugali is somewhat considered a national dish in Tanzania and is often served with beef, chicken, or fish prepared in different ways. Its essentially a thick porridge made of corn meal and has the appearance and texture of a large dumpling, perhaps. It’s taste was of bland, finely ground grits and strangely reminded us of unsalted cauliflower.
We ended the evening with a lot of emotions. Taylor was feeling homesick and missed Paul; I was missing Beth. But after a little video chat with our loved ones, we had felt better.
