I had contacted Monica, the co-coordinator of the Lutheran Center, by email before arriving. She was happy to see me, as was the ‘security’ man sitting at the desk by the front door, and Lazaro, the man who does his best to keep the place clean. After checking out the first floor (second level) room Monica assigned me next to the bathroom, I asked if I could switch to the upper level and have the room on the end, farthest away from the bathroom. No problem with her but it meant I had to drag my luggage up another flight without the help of Samwel. As I was dragging my duffel bag down the hallway, a young woman emerged from the room across from me. Turns out she is a reporter with the Toronto Star who is spending the week at the Rwandan War Crimes Tribunal. We chatted for a few moments while I caught my breath. I hope to run into her again, maybe for coffee, to expand on what I told her about my reason for being here.
My new room is perfect. It is at the front of the building which means I might get a bit of a breeze. Not during afternoons though. I need to keep the lined drapes closed because of the sizzling midday sun. I look out at the notable ‘Clocktower’ in the center of a roundabout a few hundred yards away. The sign says this is the geographical center between Cairo and Cape town. There is also a post with more than a dozen colourful directional signs pointing to places of interest like the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Nairobi. The room is Spartan but clean. It could use a paint job but it is definitely not in my plans this trip. The small single bed is long over due for a new piece of foam but the sheets are clean and bright blue. There is a heavy blanket on the bed, should it get a little too drafty, I guess. The closet has ample space for hanging clothes, with a dozen or so pretty distorted hand made hangers, but they do the trick. A couple of shelves are below and a mirror on the inside of the door. There is an extra heavy blanket, should the temperature drastically fall. No air conditioning or fan but a good screen on the window which means no mosquito net is needed. For five dollars a day it is a deal.
It took me about an hour to get settled in. I emptied my duffle bag onto the bed and could clearly see why I barely made it through the KLM weigh-in in Montreal. Three quarters of what I was carrying was for the Longido and Kimokouwa bead makers and Steven’s Adult Literacy library. My personal belongings made up the rest. I re-arranged the gifts into two good sized black zippered bags I had brought along, then hung some of my things in the closet and put the rest back into the duffle bag that sat on top of the solar oven box by the door. Next I set up my laptop on the small wooden desk and ran the cord to the power bar I purchased at Two-Twenty Volt in Ottawa a year ago to deal with the different sized outlets in Tanzania. Now I needed a drink of water.
Just out front I was greeted by two street sellers we had gotten to know last year, pictured above. One of them immediately called me by name and both of them wanted to talk. Kos wants help with a small business he wants to start in Lake Manyara, Robert with his batik business. We arranged to meet tomorrow at the Bamboo Café at 10:00 a.m. for coffee. Next I found John, the taxi driver, and began a conversation about where to get a cell phone. We checked a store nearby then drove to Shoprite to compare prices. On the way John told me he had a new two-month old baby. Another boy, which makes three. No more children in his future. I purchased a phone for 114,000 shillings, a CELTEL chip to activate it for another 1,500, and a phone card to use it, once it is fully charged, for 5,000 shillings. Inside Shoprite I bought three 1.5 liter bottles of cold water and two 500 ml bottles. One I drank as I walked around the store and the other I gave to John. I picked up a small can of Africafe instant coffee, a box of African chamomile tea, and some matches for use in my room, and an eight-roll package of toilet paper to bring to Longido. The total came to 9,900 shillings. John dropped me back at the Lutheran Center, grateful for the 5,000 shillings for his time and the use of his car. His number will be the first I program into the phone.
I dropped the supplies in my room and headed across the street to the Jambo Coffee House for a spicy bean-and-avocado-filled chapatti and more water for lunch. It hit the spot. Met more friends from last year while I was looking for an internet café that was not filled with mzungus (white people). Out of the blue someone was calling after me to stop. I turned around to see ‘Peter the cook’ from our safari last year. He was thrilled to see that I had returned. Just as he was about to take me to the new location of the W.S. Safari office, out jumped Lisa Fernandez, manager of the company, from a passing SUV. We hugged and the three of us walked to the office together. It is, quite literally, a stone’s throw from the room I slept in last night. After a short visit that included looking at camera phone images of Lisa’s new son, I left promising to return on Thursday to book our March safari. There was no power in her office due to rotating blackouts that are occurring in Arusha. Lisa says there is not enough water to produce the necessary electricity. Today’s blackout in her area was not scheduled, which can only mean the concern over the lack of rain is growing.
Back in my room I pulled the drapes and rested for an hour or so before beginning a journal entry. I pulled out my new heating coil to boil water in the “Bunny Thymes” travel mug I had packed. WOW! Does it work fast. I had hot Tanzanian coffee in under 60 seconds. At 7:20 p.m., just after the time darkness falls every day of the year, I headed back to Jambo’s for curried veggies and rice and a cold Kilimanjaro lager. Then off to the lobby of the New Safari Hotel to upload my entry and then ‘home’. Though it is dark, I remain within a block of the Lutheran Center and feel safe because there are security guards on the street. I am staying in a part of the city where the airlines offices and the Tanzania Tourist Board are located across the street, as well as banks, telecommunication companies, and many good hotels.
The one thing I failed to pick up today is a pair of flip-flops for going to and from the bathroom and shower. I was headed for a street vendor who was selling them on the corner when Lisa and Peter appeared. They are on my list for tomorrow. In the hotel bathroom last night the shower curtain had happy hedgehogs all over it. None here at the hostel. But there is hot water and flush toilets in the three shared bathrooms on each floor. I will get over the hedge hogs.
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