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Published: January 24th 2007
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Cheeky Monkey
This guy came into my room and stole two of my bananas!! As all good things must come to an end so did my stay in Moshi. On the 20th I said good bye to my new friends and bordered a bus with Catherine destined for Nairobi. Now I have learnt not to stress about time so much anymore, something that my lecturers will probably not appreciate once uni starts back. But to give you an idea of my journey....
The bus was due to arrive at 10:30am. It arrived just after 11am and it took 20 mins to then leave. But we only got as far as the town centre. Where we sat until midday. Well we were supposed to be there until midday but again it was about 20 past when we left. We arrived in Arusha just after 2pm where we had to change buses. So we unloaded everything and got onto the bus only to be told about 15mins later that we had to get onto a different bus. So once again we unloaded and reloaded onto the other bus. We were due to depart at 2:30pm but left just after 3pm. Hakuna mata rafikis!! No worries my friends!!
The border crossing was crazy. We had to
Moshi bus station
Coke and Pepsi are everywhere exit Tanzania and enter Kenya. Tanzanian side was easy. The Kenyan side means literally being mobbed by Maasai women trying to sell you their different items, mostly beaded jewellery. It gets difficult because they put the items on you with you even releasing. We all eventually got onto the bus and away we went again. Funny thing in Kenya is that they have alot of huge pot holes in the road and speed bumps along the main highway. Hakuna mata!!
I eventually got to my hotel at around 8pm to be told they had overbooked and I was now staying at their sister hotel. I still had a bed so I wasn't worried and they picked up the taxi fare. Hakuna mata. But when I arrived at the other hotel they weren't expecting me. Eventually they rang the other hotel and found my reservation but then couldn't find any record or receipt of it being paid for. I showed them the email I had, which thankfully had a contact name on it but of course she was unavailable. After repeating my story to about 10 different staff members and showing them the email I was finally given a room.
By this time is was almost 9:30pm. After a cold shower (no hot water) and some food I was about to go to bed when a huge amount of crashing and screaming began out the back of the hotel. What I could see was a bulldozer demolishing the shanty community in the block behind the hotel. I found out the next morning that they were there illegally and had been given 12months to relocate but most had chosen not too.
The morning came and I set off to the airport, not with out an arguement with the taxi driver over the fare : ) or with the hotel staff again for a breakfast voucher which had been paid for with my room. New staff were on so I had to explain everything all over again. I checked in and wandered around the airport. There are so many duty free shops and alcohol is so cheap. I arrived in Joburg without any problems and got to my hotel. Which, although basic, was extremely comfortable (queen size bed - WOOHOO!!) and the water was hot - even better.
Breakfast was different to my breakfasts in Moshi - I missed the
A different kind of scaffolding...
Workplace health and safety regulations are a little different here : ) fresh fruit, especially the bananas. Then it was a shuttle to the airport only to be told that my bag were overwieght and I had to shuffle some items around. I should mention at this point that I bought a table - OOPS!! it is so beautiful but it has put the weight of my luggage up by about 5 kgs, making a total of 24 kgs when I'm only allowed 20kgs. Eventually got checked in. Had a great seat on the plane: 1A = leg room. I also got the see the falls, well the mist from them as we were coming into land.
Zimbabwe or Vic Falls where I am is interesting. I keep getting followed by people wanting to sell me things or even trade. I wish I'd bought more stuff to trade - for future reference if you ever should travel here bring heaps of shirts, caps, shoes, pens, anything you don't want because they'll trade it. I've had offers for all my clothing including shoes, socks and sunglasses.
The currency still has me baffled. I exchanged US$20 at an offical money exchange place and got ZIM$5,000. Then I changed US$10 at an unoffical
Slow going
One of many pot holes on the way to Nairobi rate and got ZIM$29,000. No extra zero there. So you know where I'll be changing my money again!!
The only problem with being here is the shock of being alone. I've gone from having 19 friends I was travelling with, not the mention the staff at the hotel in Moshi who we always up for a chat, to just being little old me. Plus I have to think about getting my own food again. I've had breakfast and dinners included with the hotel accommodation and lunches were included on Kili and safari (which I will come back to in another blog). But Hakuna mata, I will be ok. I"m friendly : )
Vic Falls tomorrow - I can hear them from my bed!! It a very similiar sound to the ocean.
M
xx
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marcus
non-member comment
Maggie, I know what you mean about traveling alone, but it is so much better, I think. If you are really bored, then do what I do... Look for a couple traveling together. They are usually arguing about something stupid. That always cheers me right up. Besides, who wouldn't want to sit and have a chat with you?