City Sights

The day started with a 7:00am video chat with Eric & Corrine, arranged on the spur-of-the-moment when Montana read an email from her mom. It was fun to know that we were talking from the other side of the planet. We had just started to show them the view from our balcony when they were suddenly gone. Perhaps a button got pressed by mistake.

We enjoyed a buffet breakfast...several choices but we stuck with the tried and true--beef sausages and crepes. New to our taste buds was chai (tea bag with hot milk & sugar) which we both liked.

Overall, the day went well, so our nap yesterday followed by a good night's sleep took the sting out of jet lag. Our guide Richard was here right at 9:00 to pick us up. After a short stop at the office of Shadows of Africa, our safari host, we went to the orphanage--Kibowa Orphans' Centre. Getting there took us through muddy, rutted streets along with forging a small creek. People everywhere in very basic houses. Mama Amina met us after a short while & took us through a couple of buildings which housed boys in one and girls in the other. The girls' building also contained some rough benches built along the lines of a picnic table where the children study and also eat their meals. I asked about the fact that not all beds had mosquito nets; she explained that they couldn't afford them. She confirmed that because of that, some of the children do get malaria.

Richard then drove us a ways from the city where the government is encouraging people to move and to build by making the land extremely cheap & in some cases, free. It sounded a lot like homesteading. He explained that no one can keep cows or chickens there until we finally got to the edge of the Masai land where it is permissible to have livestock.

We came back to the hotel for lunch & a short rest before Richard picked us up again at 3:00; he explained as he drove through the city how some streets are devoted to clothing or hardware or some other specialty. We also from time to time, including our drive out of the city, went through several checkpoints where people bringing in goods to sell in the markets must be checked by quality control agents. Trucks were queued up in long lines. LuRue commented about needing patience; Richard laughed & explained that Tanzanians find they need patience in almost everything.

We learned that firsthand after we visited a museum and took an hour's stroll through the city. Crossing even small streets was a challenge as the rush-hour traffic was endless. We learned to stay close to Richard and move out quickly as soon as he did. With traffic driving British-style (left side of the road), you have to forget your instincts about how cars will be turning. Neither Montana nor LuRue appreciate the hustle & bustle of the city, but it was worth it just to stroll along the streets & roadways, brushing shoulders with people dressed in traditional clothing of many different tribes and religions.

On our way back to our hotel, we asked Richard about a house on top of a building that is visible from our hotel. It turns out that the building is a 10 (or so)-story hotel and the owner of the hotel lives on the very top.

Evening was spent packing for the wildlife safari which begins at 9:00am tomorrow. We will be leaving our large bags in the Shadows of Africa office, taking only essentials.