A day in the life...

This morning I woke early in Moshi to grab a shower in the one shared shower before anyone else in the hostel got up and to get an early bus to Arusha to search for a safari company. The sun was just rising and it was beautiful with the foothills of Kilamanjaro in the background. So i ran out and took a couple of pictures. Back at my hotel, breakfast consisted of coffee and bread and watermelon. I supplemented it with an omelet and then a delicious chai. I walked to the bus station taking a wide berth to avoid the hungry scammers. It looked as though the busses were lined up by destination so the trick would be to find the correct aisle, run in, and buy my ticket on the bus. I crossed the street and dove in to the fray. I was immediately spotted and they started circling. I used the swirling crowds as a buffer. I've gotten really good at brushing aside the unwanted ones. Today i wasn't taking anything and the bus station was awful. These people were making it awful and it was annoying so i sorta stopped being nice. At one point two guys were approaching me to try and sell me something and before they even got close enough to say anything I waved them away forcefully with both arms, sternly said "NO" and walked right through them. I hung out near the shops pretending to browse while observing the lines and when i found the Arusha line i went for it. The sudden movement caught their eyes and they realized was getting away. They attacked from three sides - confident because they knew my destination - but it was too late as i pulled myself out into the vehicle. Lucky for me there was one remaining seat on the bus. Very near the back and i took it.

A very bumpy hour later (and with my backpack on my lap i noticed every bump) we arrived in Arusha. I knew we were getting close so i pulled out my map to get my bearings. Lonely planet is good about telling you where to catch the bus but they sometimes neglect to tell you where it will drop you off. I also like to look at the map while still on the bus. Looking like you are lost when you step off the bus is a surefire way to get a lot of unwanted attention. So i walked toward my hotel. Didn't see it but saw an internet cafe. I went in both to check my daily mail but also to consult my map off the street. It may seem like i go through a lot of effort to avoid what is essentially idle conversation but seriously these guys can really ruin the peace of a walk. So having rechecked my directions i decided my hotel was either the really nice looking place on the corner (doubtful for the price listed in the guidebook) or it was next door. I went there and it was definitely neither.

At this point Richard came up. Now usually i am quite nice to people that talk to me on the street (as opposed to at a bus station) but i really just wanted to find a hotel and i had heard a lot of bad about Arusha so i sortof gave this guy the brush off - refusing to answer his most simple inquiry. But he persisted and far be it from me to tell someone they can't walk near me and talk at me. So by this point i decided that my hotel no longer existed. At that moment i saw a hole-in-the-wall place called Amazon hotel. Being nowhere near the Amazon, it seemed perfect. I walked in without even saying goodbye to Richard - rude, I know, but seriously you ride a bumpy bus over dirt roads for an hour and try to be nice. The price was right and the room was fine though it was situated near the common tv room. I paid my money, deposited my bag and left only to see richard actually still waiting for me. Hints weren't going to work so i bluntly told him i had my own agenda for the day and why doesn't he go find something else to do.

I made my way to the tourist office to see if anyone had posted safaris looking for more people. To my dismay this wasn't the DIY traveller bulliten board for which i'd hoped but a place where tour companies posted open seats. But better than nothing and i saw the trip i wanted, leaving tomorrow so i went for it.

I got all signed up including taking money out of the bank using two ATM cards. At that point I felt poor and tired and just wanted to sit in a park somewhere.

So i went to a cafe at the end of the road and was pleased to discover that it was on a beautiful set of grounds with flowering bushes and lush greenery everywhere. Fabulous. AND free wi-fi. Awesome. I wrote email responses, uploaded some pictures, looked at pictures of my brother, and his expectant wife. I'll have a new neice soon!

Then the guy at the next table and i happened to make eye contact so we exchanged pleasantries. He invited me to join him and his wife at their table. We had a great conversation. He and his wife are both about to finish their accounting degrees. It is so wonderful to be in a place where meeting new people on the street, in a cafe, in a restaurant is the norm and people are so authentically welcoming.

I went walking for a bit then headed to the hotel as dusk approached. Grabbed one of the most delicious mangos i've ever eaten and gulped it down on the fly; the juices running down my chin. Arusha isn't really safe for walking at night so i wanted to get some food very close to my hotel and head in. As i made my way home, I walked through a market and decided i would just make my own dinner. Avocado, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, crackers. Yum!!!

The tanzanians at the hotel (i am the only foreigner as far as i can tell) think i'm weird and hilarious. The giggling is mildly annoying but i probably am funny in my attempts at swahili and in my sign language and not knowing how to do simple things like wash my hands (the faucet is apparently just for show - you pour water from a bucket but have you ever poured water on your own hands?). They all sorta stare open-mouthed. Especially as i ate my picnic dinner in the cafe. It is disconcerting but fine.

Now i'm off to bed. My safari driver will pick me up at 8:15. I am super excited. Almost too excited to sleep but here goes.