The Day of the Flycatcher and the Bus to Dar es Salaam

After getting back to Arusha from my three day visit to the village of Ilkiding’a, I spent a day trying to arrange a safari. I had planned to spend the day visiting several offices and comparing prices, etc. Little did I know that the flycatchers would get me.

I had a few run-ins with flycatchers already in Arusha. They lurk around touristy spots in town, waiting to latch on to unsuspecting travelers. Once they start a conversation with you, good luck getting rid of them. They try to sell you jewelry, arrange a safari for you, help you find a guide to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, etc. Over the course of my day, I got stuck with at least four flycatchers. I guess it’s not in my personality to be rude to get rid of them and I try to remain somewhat friendly. A couple of them had gotten to know me by name and recognized me on opposite ends of the city. One even somehow got me to buy a couple bracelets from him. In spirit of trying to stick to my plan, I let one flycatcher bring me to “his” safari company and listened to their sale.

Arusha at night

The next morning, I woke up at 5:20 am to catch a 6:30 am bus to Dar es Salaam. I had to catch a taxi to the bus station, since it’s not supposed to be too safe that early in the morning. I had been told the bus ride would take anywhere from 9-13 hours and had heard some horror stories about their safety.

Just by chance, my seat happened to be next to an older Tanzanian man who was very friendly. He had a wealth of knowledge about Tanzania, and throughout the ride would tap me and give me some insight about the area where we were, even if I was sleeping. He was also very kind - he helped me find lunch at a roadside stand during the halfway break, and bought cashews (which are for rich people) from a vendor through the bus window for me to try.

 A view from the bus ride

In the end, the bus ride took 10 hours and 15 minutes to get to Dar es Salaam. But my trip wasn’t over at that point. The bus dropped us off at a station 8 km out of the city center, where I planned to spend the night. So I found a daladala that cost 300 Tsh ($0.20) to get me into the city. A daladala is like a very small bus that they cram people in and has various stops along its route. There is a ton of traffic in Dar, and not really any traffic control to speak of. After half an hour of creative driving by the daladala driver, I made it into the city. After a while of walking around, and with night descending, I found a YWCA to spend the night for 10,000 Tsh or $6.67. It was very basic and the electricity cut in and out when the generator stopped working, but it was fine for a night.

Ilkiding'a Cultural Tourism Program

I’m back in Arusha, after my three day visit to the village of Ilkiding’a. My guide for the trip was Salim, a Maasai man who was born in the village. He picked me up in Arusha on Monday and we had about a 45 minute taxi ride to Ilkiding’a, which has to be one of the favorite taxi rides of my life. It was a very interesting ride through Arusha and then the outskirts of town.

Once we arrived in the village, we visited the primary school. The kids were shy at first, but after my tour and school was let out, I was swarmed. All the kids ask for “picha picha” and love to see themselves on the camera afterwards. The rest of the afternoon, Salim and I were followed by school children. One of my favorite times was when they helped push a cow-drawn cart up a steep hill and chanted “twende! twende!” or “let’s go! let’s go!”

"Twende! Twende!"

We then visited a traditional Maasai house, or boma. In the small complex lived a man with his four wives and many children. The man and each of his wives had their own house, in which there was space designated for the parent, children, cows, goats, and a kitchen. The Maasai of the village are no longer nomadic and now farm, along with raising some animals. 

The next day, Salim and I went to Kimi Waterfall. It’s the tail end of the rainy season now, so it was quite slippery getting down into the valley. We had to pay the army for a permit and then could approach the waterfall. It is pretty tall, and was quite powerful from all the recent rain. Afterwards, Salim took me to his farm and I helped him fertilize his potatoes. The villagers definitely got a kick out of watching me work in the field. When we finished, he took me to his house, where I met his wife and two daughters. They didn’t really speak any English, but they were incredibly cute. They had me take all sorts of pictures, including one of their cow and their cabinet inside the house.

Amina and Olivia, Salim's daughters

This morning, during my last day in Ilkiding’a, we climbed Leleto Hill. I probably won’t climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, but the villagers call the hill “Little Kili” so it’s close enough. It was a bit rainy and pretty foggy, so the views weren’t great but it was still fun to see more of the village. It is actually quite large, with six sub-villages. We walked around for hours each day while I was there and I am sure I didn’t see even half of it. After a lunch of ugali (a mashed potato-like maize dish,) a tomato/potato sauce, and a spinach-like vegetable dish, we headed back to Arusha.

"Little Kili"

Jambo from Arusha!

It has already been a quick couple of days that I've been in Tanzania. I landed at the Kilimanjaro Airport around 7:45pm and after getting my visa and clearing customs, I found a random shuttle heading towards the city of Arusha. It was about a 45 minute ride into town, and unfortunately took place in the dark, so I didn't get to see any scenery on the way. I've spent the past two nights at the Arusha Backpackers Hotel, which is pretty nice and is right in town. For 15,000 Tsh ($10) I get a very small room, cold showers, and a lot of street noise- but I like it. 

Arusha is quite an interesting place. I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but it's quite different. It was slightly overwhelming at first, being dumped in the middle of the city for my first day in Africa. Arusha is nestled within some small mountains and hills but is very busy and is bustling at all times of day with people. The streets are very hectic with cars, buses, and motorcycles, and a complete lack of traffic rules. In fact, this morning we witnessed the aftermath of a bicyclist being hit by a motorcyclist outside our hotel. Fortunately, nobody seemed seriously injured.

The view from the third floor of the hotel

Yesterday, another American and I went to the first ever game of football on the continent of Africa! Drake University played against CANADIEP, a Mexican team. It was a little boring, and I felt bad for the Tanzanians whose first exposure of the game was that. It ended with a mildly exciting 3rd quarter and a final score of 17-7, with Drake winning.

 

A view of Mt. Meru from inside the stadium

Tomorrow I am leaving for a three day hike as part of a cultural tourism program. It will start in the village of Ilkiding'a and proceeds from their tours go to the primary school in the village. I'm really excited to go on the trip and see more of Tanzania!

Correction: hot showers were available from 4-10 pm

Pre-Departure

I'm finally leaving for Africa tomorrow! The past few weeks have been a blur with projects, finals, graduation, and preparing for my trip. I don't think the full extent of what I'm getting myself into has quite hit me yet, but soon will, once I land alone in Tanzania. I'll be equipped with a backpack and roundtrip tickets, everything else is up in the air. I'm not really too nervous; the main thing I'm worried about is not seeing and doing enough for the 37 days or so that I will be there. I have rough plans to visit Zanzibar, participate in a few cultural tourism programs, and climb the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai. For the last week of my trip, my dad is meeting up with me to go on a safari in the Serengeti and other national parks.

I am really excited to check off one (and potentially two) more continents from my to-do list with this trip. I'll have a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam on the way back home, and hopefully will be able to get out of the airport to quickly tour the city.

I don't know how often I will have access to an internet cafe in Tanzania, but I hope to post to the blog at least once a week to keep everyone updated with my travels. See you back in the states June 26th!