First Impressions

Driving out of Arusha I was over stimulated by the hustle and bustle of the city. Arusha is the tourist city of Tanzania as it is the one of the northern most cities near both an airport and many of the national parks. However, we didn’t see tourists. We witnessed the typical day to day craziness of honking vehicles with mopeds and motorcycles squeezing in and out of the traffic. It seems these are the most common mode of transportation. I have also never seen so many Coca Cola signs in my life. There is one everywhere you look. Meanwhile, the sides of the streets are lined with men and women carrying heavy loads on their heads and pushing carts filled with vegetables.

Pulling out of the city we got to see the stunning and expansive landscape of Tanzania. For the drive, Mount Kilimanjaro mostly covered in clouds followed us to our right. Meanwhile, you could see for miles and see giant hills and mountains in the distance seemingly popping up out of nowhere. As we drove we could see for miles the various herds of well-behaved cattle always followed by a person robed in beautiful, bright colored fabrics. Sometimes the person was a small child of six or seven. At one point a couple of these kids took a break from tending to their livestock and stopped to excitedly wave at our passing vehicles next to the road. We drove by areas where there were no signs of homes but then out of nowhere we would be driving right through a village center. A little more than halfway to camp we spotted some giraffes just hanging out not far from the road. We quickly spotted some baboons too. On the home stretch of the drive we drove up this steep windy road that gave us a beautiful view of Lake Manyara, which is a national park we will be spending lots of time in. Eventually we pulled off the main road onto this narrow dirt path that led us to our little paradise: Moyo Hill Camp. I finally made it! No more crazy travels for a few months, thank god! When we pulled in, all the friendly staff greeted us by shaking all of their hands and introducing ourselves. I will be posting soon about our camp after orientation!