ISSUE 52: Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania 2018

After our grueling journey from Cairo to the Kilimanjaro International Airport, which included nearly a four hour layover of naps and food in the Nairobi Airport, we made it to Tanzania, just outside of Arusha. When we exited the airport we had to make a inevitable stop at the ATM just outside the terminal to get all the cash we could. Despite the fact that since day one of our travels we had cash set aside specifically for our rental car, we ended up having to use the bulk of it, $250 USD, during the customs process to pay Tanzania's immigration department for our Visas. This came as a shock because when we visited Zanzibar in 2016 we were able to pay with card, but since then their payment terms had changed. Because of this unexpected hurdle we had no choice but to visit the airport ATM to get more cash, however the ATM only gave out small amounts, and it was still not enough for our rental car. So, when we met up with our car provider to pick up our rented white 4x4 Land Cruiser we had to strike a deal with him to pay with credit card when we returned the car on our last day since we did not have enough cash for him as well as what lie ahead. Thankfully, he was flexible on this issue.

It wasn't long before Brad was behind the wheel on the opposite side of the car as well as the opposite side of the road, cruising once again. We were warned by the owner of our vehicle to not exceed the speed limit because of photo radar (aka a man hiding in the bushes of Tanzania with a radar gun). Well, somehow, despite not speeding, we were pulled over on the side of the road by a Tanzanian officer dressed in all white. He claimed that they had a picture of Brad (it was on the officers cell phone), and that he was exceeding the speed limit. In that moment, Brad had a choice to make. Either fight the allegations and possibly be taken in and debate it in court days later or be quiet, pissed, and pay up $15 USD. Well, Brad paid the man... and got his very first speeding ticket... haha. (Don't worry I have a copy.) He was and I quote “boiling inside”.

While Brad was still in a state of angst over his first ticket ever, we continued on to Moshi. We stopped in the small town in hope of picking up some snacks. We found a small convenience store but we quickly discovered the options to be very limited. We ended up with some bare essentials, a large pack of water and KitKats.  From there, we continued onto our hotel at Lake Chala.

On our way down the incredibly rough dirt road, we had to stop at the Wildlife Management Area office to register. Not just register, but pay a fee. My weaselly and stingy husband (who works in the Congo, mind you), who knew about this ahead of time because of my research, was trying to get out of it. He tried every way he could claiming that hotel covered it, the hotel said it was covered, blah blah blah. Meanwhile, I was just sitting there so aggravated and slightly taken aback at how far Brad was willing to go to try and get out of giving the Tanzanian government any of our Tanzanian shillings ...which they didn't even want. (They wanted US Dollars.)

Do I blame Brad for wanting to get out of it? Absolutely not. African governments can be astoundingly shifty. ...but I was exhausted, sweaty, and just wanted to rest. I WANTED TO GO. Finally, Brad had no choice but to surrender more of his hard earned shillings to the man.

With Brad feeling even more irritated and ready to lose it, we got our paperwork and continued on our way. We finally arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon, and found out we were the only guests staying there (now I know why). The place was very clean, and the view over Lake Chala was stunning, but this was easily one of the most poorly run hotels we have ever stayed at (we'll get more into that later). Before showers & dinner, we decided to take the hike down to the lake since we were already covered in travel grime. It was a bit slippery from the recent rain, but it was a beautiful short jungle trek with gorgeous views over the turquoise water below. We spent a short while on the dock overlooking the deep jewel toned waters and watching the locals a little ways down the water's edge making a fire. When we were through, we headed back to our tent which had a deck that overlooked the lush plains below. We stood there for a little while hoping to spot some wildlife, but there was little to see.

After washing hours of travel grime off of ourselves and changing into clean clothes, we headed over to the "lounge" for dinner. It was basic, not just basic, but dry too... It was not the first meal I was hoping for in Tanzania which was a bummer since food in Africa is typically always mind blowingly delicious, and something I always miss when I am home. Not only was our meal not great, but the staff proceeded to tell us how horrible their boss (the woman running the hotel) was which made our meal a little uncomfortable. We were the only ones there for dinner and it began to rain as we ate. We made a game of counting the geckos that had joined us on the surrounding pillars. It was now their turn to feast.  They shut the area down early before the daylight was even one hundred percent gone because we were the only guests and because of the falling rain. We headed back for a quiet nights sleep. It seemed there was no big game in the area, and not even the baboons kept us up.

The next morning we had our bags packed early, and grabbed our breakfast. Then we headed to the main house to pay for our stay. What we found out when we got there was shocking. They didn't accept credit cards, only cash. We were trying to find ways around this but there was nothing to be done. They had no way to process a credit card, The internet didn't even work, so wiring funds at that moment proved impossible. We weren't willing to hand over cash because it was going to take up the vast majority of what he had left, and holding onto cash in this country was already proving to be more challenging than anticipated. So, after probably an hour of dealing with their mess which included bad communication from the time of booking, and Brad trying to help get their internet up and running, we left with an agreement to wire money when we returned to the states.

Once we were back in the car, we headed back through the Wildlife Management gate, and went on towards our next adventure. We stopped back in Moshi for lunch and cash, and were going out of our way to avoid the police. We found the bank, but getting money there was a hassle. Our car had to be inspected, we had to park a certain way, and getting cash naturally was a challenge.

So, already needing a break, we stopped at the Coffee Union Cafe for lunch to hold us over until we got to our next hotel. The food was decent, and it was nice to have a quick meal that met our expectations, as well as a break from the Tanzanian roads where it felt like anything goes in terms of being pulled over. Even I got pulled over while driving so that the could inspect the vehicle, and verify our credentials... not even for speeding.

We continued to face the main roads and the police stops that coincided, but once we were far from the city and reached our off road point we finally felt like we could breathe again. We were in Maasai territory, and I was in heaven. We were headed to the Maasai Lodge, a five star mecca in the middle of nowhere. I have nothing but praise for this hotel. For starters, the drive in was a blast! There was so much to take in... Villagers, rock scapes, livestock... I was in my African paradise. When we got there, we were greeted with dance and song which was enchanting, and a little intimidating. They got our bags to our room for us, gave us a run down of the place and showed us to our incredible mud hut.

It wasn't long before we were back outside with a couple of other women who were recovering from climbing Kilimanjaro. They were an absolute riot dressed in Maasai costume. We had a great time talking to them while we all learned about the Maasai culture and got to learn how to throw spears and experience the Maasai dance and song for hunting (it gives me butterflies). We were all like a bunch of little kids with huge smiles on our face as we raced the rains to the main house. Our goal was to outrun the downpour. While this was a basic “survival tactic” it brought me so much joy.

A little while later was dinner. ..and it was exceptional. We were fed a wonderful three course meal of soup, meat and veggies, and dessert. The perfect African meal and completely worthy of the five stars the hotel bares.

We were so lucky, the next day they let us check out at 3 PM because they didn't have anyone coming in after us, so we made the most of it. We had breakfast, did a walk through the plains with our Maasai guide Jeremiah, took in the views, and relaxed. After lunch we decided to get out of their hair, but I was definitely sad to go. We were suppose to visit Arusha National Park that day, but because of the number of days we had coming up in National Parks, we opted to take it easy. A big part of this decision was also the cost. Our planned cost between ALL park fees and conservation area fees was in the thousands, and we thought it would be wise to reduce this a bit, since we just wanted to take it easy anyways. 

Our drive back toward Arusha was just as exciting, we had to cross the shallow ponds created by the rains, and wait for herds of cattle to move. We met some of the local kids, and were chased by others. We watched a storm move through, and embraced it with the utmost glee.

When we got back to Arusha, we went straight to our hotel, Mount Meru Game Lodge. While the rooms and bathrooms were just alright, the location was AMAZING! The outside was a giant garden with towering trees that were full of monkeys scampering from one end of the property to the other in a flash, towering cactus, many species of birds, and water buffalo. Yes, buffalo... They were on the other side of a low wall, but you could get within feet of these giant beauties. It was incredible! The Mount Meru Game Lodge was far more exciting that I anticipated when booking.

Despite the constant light rain & the mob of mosquitos, I could not not keep myself inside. I wanted to be with the animals. Naturally, I was speaking to them constantly.

As the sky became darker, I had to give into the idea of dinner, so I ordered a nice piece of Chicken Schnitzel with chips (French fries) which was a funny change of African eating. One w filled our bellies, after the long but restful day, we decided to retire to our room to prepare for day four.

After a decent night's sleep at the game lodge in Arusha we packed up our bags once again, and grabbed breakfast. We hung out a little bit longer so that I could get some additional pictures of the resident animals. When I decided to wrap it up, we checked out to head to our next stop. We made it a point to drop into a convenience store and loaded up on snacks and water again for our next drive. It was about three hours to the Tarangire area, but we were ready. We are road trip champions after all.

...to be continued.