Tanzania- Arusha - Day I

First of all, they don't pronounce it "Tan-Zah-NÉE- ah" the way we do.  If you want to pronounce it correctly, say "Tahn-ZAHN-yah."

We arrived at the Kilimanjaro Airport and met our guide.  The airport was quite small and we exited our plane on the tarmac.  With a quick check of our 'yellow cards'- the document that tells the Tanzanian government that we've had our yellow fever and typhoid shots- we got in line for our visas ($100 each,) and then the power went out!  So we got paper documents that I hope will work.

Our guide for the next four days was outside waiting for us.  His name is Pius.  And again, it's not pronounced like you'd think- not like Pope Pius, but "Pewsh."  He has been our constant companion while in Tanzania, and he has had so much to tell us about the animals, plants and all sorts of random facts.  He is from Arusha and his wife is named Veronica, like me.  Besides speaking English, he also speaks French, Swahili and his native tribe's language- something that sounded like Lawsha.  

This is Rob and Chris with Pius at the entry gates to the Ngorongoro Crater.

He took our baggage into a huge Safari vehicle- just like you'd imagine needing in rural Africa.  The company's name is "Soul of Tanzania," pretty cool name, huh?  We drove for quite a while to our first night's accommodations called The African Tulip in Arusha.  If the underprivileged parts of Rwanda were hard to believe, Arusha and the towns/villages leading up to it, were much worse.  Poor run down clusters of houses, that at one time had been freshly painted, were now dusty and worn from use.  No sidewalks, just dirt roads everywhere, and plastic trash in the weeds.  It made me wonder if they even know about recycling.

Here is the vehicle we've been practically living in each day. It was fun to ride with our heads popping out the top.

In Arusha there is a clock tower that is supposed to be the exact midway point between Cairo to the north and Capetown to the south.  That, in my opinion was the only thing interesting about Asusha.  Traffic is lawless, and crazy, and horns honk, and people hang out of cars, buses and the round-abouts are insane. We settled into our hotel for the rest of the day, which in the midst of this craziness was a quiet and pretty place, with a pool and we had a very nice room. Our safari adventure begins tomorrow!!!

 

The Arusha clock tower.

Our room at the African Tulip Hotel.