Back to Tanzania and OUT at last! SO DONE with East Africa!

I don't know how I survived backpacking East Africa on my own, but what I do know is that my year around the world hit a low point. Not long after arriving in Dar, I stopped having fun, became alone and started counting the minutes until I'd leave the continent. East Africa broke me, to say the least.

Strangely enough, I wasn't jumping for joy the day I left. Instead, I was sad, sad that I'd had such a miserable time. Maybe things would've been different had I gone to Mozambique or been with someone or booked an organized excursion. Maybe I should gıve Africa another chance some day, I thought....

And then I got to Turkey and was instantly reminded of how good life and traveling can be so the idea got pushed to the very back of my head. Never say never, but one thing is for sure. Without an organized tour or another person to travel with, add support and brighten otherwise awful days, I'm not returning. Life is too short and money too limited to spend it and be sad when travel doesn't have to be like that.

Like what? Why was it so bad? Below are just a few of the hardships to add to those discussed in previous blogs:

BUSES:
Aside from about 2 roads connecting the most touristy destinations with nice buses and paved highways, most bus rides are anything but enjoyable. For some reason they don't stop for toilets or food, but they do stop to pick everyone wanting a ride up. Imagine 14 hours with no toilet... Add a dirt road so the bus is practically vibrating and so much dust that you look brown and orange when you get off... Now imagine also being able to only breathe dust on an empty stomach that you decide to fill with a little bag of peanuts from the lady banging on your window when the bus stops... OH! And add chickens, goats and people vomiting on your bus... and a girl who doesn't look too healthy that keeps touching her privates and inching in closer to you.... Yup, that was my experience!

Let's say you decide to take a mathatu (minivan) instead of a bus... or a regular car filled with people. Imagine 8 people in a regular car. 4 in the front including the driver (on 2 seats. Not a bench) and 4 in the back. Or imagine 30 in a minivan piling on top of each other in the conditions described above for 3 hours. That was me again! It's no wonder I couldn't handle it anymore.

COST VS. QUALITY:
I've paid more here than anywhere else during my travels and gotten the worst quality. I understand why Africa charges people so much for everything... I mean, the majority of tourists come and pay $200/day for a safari, so it's no wonder they think everyone is a millionaire and can pay just as much for everything else. And, for example, even with a $500 entry fee to see the rare mountain gorillas and about $100 more for a tour and transportation, the limited permits are always filled. That's because any day, you can find 30 or so people on the planet who have $700 to blow on 5 hours, but not me or most backpackers. Because of this Africans thinking I'm a millionaire really bothered me, as did the fact that they can get away with providing the worst accommodations I've had for so much... and cutting so many corners on tours you're paying over $100 a day for... and still having the nerve to ask for tips EVERYWHERE... I'll stop with the "and"s :)

Since I haven't covered Ngorongoro, let me discuss it now because it was the last part of my East Africa trip. There I went paying $140 for a day trip after much bargaining and walking around being followed by touts, trying to attach myself (being a solo traveler) to other groups which didn't seem to exist. I paid so much because as is often the case in East Africa, the governments realized what they had and decided to make park entry fees so high that it almost seems like their fault, not the tourist operators faults for the high prices. Anyway, I went to the crater, excited that I'd see something amazing, but was let down. Yes, the safari scenery in the crater was beautiful, but not $140 beautiful. As for the safari itself, it didn't compare to Kenya. They don't go close to the animals which is definitely good for them, but sucks when you pay so much and then hear "there's a rhino" and look through binoculars to see a tiny black dot in a cloud of dust because they don't go off road...... Again, I enjoyed the scenery and seeing animals do funny things, but the money I paid is ridiculous thinking back to how many amazing things I'd seen all year for so much less.

TOURIST TREATMENT:
To add to the lying, chaos and threats I had to work really hard not to scream at the thousands of people shouting "My friend, my friend, followed by the equivalent of "I wanna rip you off." I did, however, enjoy another traveler I'd met who released all his anger while with me by shouting "I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND! YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND! STOP CALLING ME YOUR FRIEND!" at this poor Ugandan man, but it's true. It's all a fake friendship because you mean nothing more than money to these people and all they want to do is charge you 5 times the price. For me to have traveled all over the world and been helped by people everywhere, and then come to Tanzania and Kenya where they won't help without you paying them money or their being a catch, I was really disappointed. It's no wonder I wasn't happy and wanted to leave... and I think most people who are not on an organized excursion the entire time and get into real East Africa, will feel the same.

MZUNGU:
I didn't take offense unless someone knew my name and still called me "mzungu" (white person). But, in all reality, how cool would it be for people to shout "black person" when one walks down the street? I understand it's not a negative term unless used by people who want to rip you off and that it's similar to "gringo" a descriptive word in Brazil, but it's just "interesting". I'll leave it at that... and the fact that I got really annoyed when they thought all mazungu's own helicopters and can afford to see the gorillas because we have so much money and there's no such thing as a poor white person.

Overall, no words can describe my experience in East Africa... But if asked if I regret my choice to go there, I'd say no. I took this year to #1) have fun, relax and enjoy life after 2 years of corporate legal hell, #2) volunteer and try out a new career field by gaining journalism experience and #3) see the world. East Africa fits into the third category. I've come out of it a stronger and more aware person (once the temporary, evil, angry person I became disappeared) and I'm thankful to have seen a place so few do... but man was it hard........

* The majority of things discussed above do not really apply to Rwanda. They apply to Tanzania, Kenya, and somewhat to Uganda.
** The photos are from the Ngorongoro Crater

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