Arusha

A Bumpy But Scenic Bus Ride From Nairobi To Arusha

From Nairobi we took a five hour shuttle bus to the city of Arusha in the country of Tanzania. About an hour into the ride the scenery started to change dramatically. There were a lot of different looking trees. The landscape varied from barren desert to dense vegetation.

Why is it that foreign countries have such erratic driving? Traffic coming in the opposite direction had vehicles trying to pass each other and would be coming full speed in our lane. They would swerve over at the last second. This went on during the entire trip.

The road got very bumpy at times, so bad in fact that one of the passengers who was sitting on a fold down seat in the center aisle broke it falling to the floor. He was okay and everyone laughed. He moved to another fold down seat ahead one row.  Bets were placed on how long before he broke that seat!

We saw a few zebra along the way. At one point we came to the crest of a hill and got an incredible view. The land went as far as you could see. It was just like you see in the movie “Out Of Africa”

We went through many small villages and got our first glimpse of the Masai people. They were in beautiful bright coloured capes known as a Shuka. Small children were all about. Some of them with other small children on their backs! The women had children on their backs as well as baskets of various items delicately balanced on their heads.

We will be finding out more about the Masai people later, but I believe their houses were the grass huts we saw. The other Tanzanians homes were mostly pieces of metal or whatever material they could manage to build shelter with.

Le Jacaranda Hotel

We are staying at small guest house that has about ten rooms. It is called Le Jacaranda. It has a restaurant with a balcony that overlooks a pretty setting with trees and garden areas.  A breakfast is included in the price. The location is perfect, it is a short walk into town.

One night while we were eating dinner we were entertained by a family of vervet monkeys. They were scampering around the roof of a house next door to us. As vegetarians there wasn’t a lot on the menu for us. We ended up having spaghetti with cheese, it was actually quite good.

We had a few gecko like creatures crawling around our room at night. They just hang out sticking to the walls and ceilings. They don’t bother us too much, except when we have to walk under a doorway with one hanging over it.  I am afraid they will drop on our heads. We had one fall from the ceiling right beside the table while eating our evening meal! After checking into the hotel we headed to an internet cafe. I was bitten by a mosquito within half an hour of arriving. I was sitting in the cafe and it bit me on the back right through my shirt.

As far as mosquitoes go, it is quite interesting to get used to sleeping under the mosquito net. You have to remember to take everything into the bed you might need in the night. Water, flashlight, etc. You don’t want to have to get out unless you have to go to the bathroom.

The caretaker of the Jacaranda was the most gracious and charming young man. He was a Masai who used to live in a remote area of the Serengeti. Most of his family still lives there. He helps support them with his income. His name was Moses. We became quite fond of him during our stay. It was sad to say goodbye to him when we left.

The Tanzanian People

Several times we walked into the main town area of Arusha.  In the daytime it is perfectly safe,we never felt uncomfortable. The walk was only about ten minutes. Along the way many locals would also be walking back and forth from town. I don’t think we passed one single person that didn’t say jambo (hello) to us. We didn’t get bothered by anyone, they just went about their business. In town it is a bit of a different story. As you are walking past shops there are definitely touts out trying to get your safari business.

When wandering around town we have realized that if any particular shop we approach is closed, it will soon open if you stand in front of it! One shop had about 10 pad locks on the door. We stood there while the owner had to take several minutes fumbling for different keys to get them open.

We have also had to get used to seeing men of all age and profession walking down the street or just standing and talking to each other while they hold hands. It is very strange to see at first but now we are getting used to it. We have seen big tough security guards doing it, as well as teenage boys. It is just the way the people are here, they are very close. It is a sign of camaraderie. It is actually really neat to see how social and close knit the people are in Tanzania. They will hold our hands as they talk to us as well.