Awakened by the call to prayer (sometime around sunrise) this is definitely not Oregon! Then a courtesy call at 6:30am. Our van will arrive shortly to transport us back to the airport. Breakfast first, then off again. We comment quietly about the driving (erratic, without recognizable rules), the streets (crowded and potholed), the people (everywhere, colorful). We are not in Kansas. 3 hours to Dar over Mt. Kilimanjaro though we can’t see it. We have landed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! We follow the signs to get our Visa’s. We are here and can hardly believe it. We have learned to SLOW DOWN and be thoughtful about navigating VISA/transit lines. We are all doing well. Now we’re even better…. My brother, Bill, has found us! Hugs and smiles. “Our flight was uneventful’ ultimately sums it up. “I am impressed with how nice everyone has been. People stop you just to chat, to offer directions or ask about you and where you’re from. The plane was often loud with cheerful chatter. The children so well behaved….” Bill seems pleased that our impressions are all good. Hugs for his wife, Kristin, and into our waiting taxi. Bill knows everyone here. The Courtyard Hotel. A dip in the pool and we’re off to the travel agent to get our tickets for Zanzibar tomorrow and later to Kigoma. It takes hours but we notice even less than Bill and Kristin. We’re just happy to be here. Our cab driver drives down the sidewalk to avoid a one-way street and once back on the street, honks at a car in the intersection as HE blatantly races through a red light! Nervous laughter from the three of us.
Our 1st real Tanzanian meal at an outdoor café with Kilimanjaro Beer and roasted goat, “OH, Yeah!” We’ve all been awake for hours yet that night I hardly sleep. My body is still convinced it’s in Oregon.
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