A City of Peace and Beauty

After 2 pretty boring days in Dar es Salaam, it was finally time to head up to the North so I could start planning my safari! We decided to go with a bus company called Scandinavian Express because we heard that it was more of a “tourist” bus than a local bus. And we had seen some of the local buses just jam packed with people, and the trip was going to be about 8 hours and we wanted to be comfortable. So we woke up extra early that morning to get to the bus station a little be for boarding time at 8am.

While waiting for the bus to take off, we talked with several other travelers who had traveled all over Africa. One was an American from California who was traveling from Cape Town, South Africa to Nairobi, Kenya. There was also a woman from Holland and she was heading back up to Arusha to head home, but she had previously climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was really great to hear about her experiences with that and how she loved it but would not do it again haha. And finally we met a Canadian who had traveled to Tanzania and Eastern Africa in the past, but had some pretty bad experiences so he never was able to complete his trip. For example, when he was in Malawi, he got a ride with a local in his car and midday, the driver fell asleep at the wheel, drove off the road, and they hit a tree. The Canadian wound up back in Canada because he fractured his back and was cut up pretty bad. So he had finally made it back to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

The bus ride was actually rather pleasant because the bus was not even half full, so everyone could have their own row of seats. The scenery was gorgeous as well because after about 2 hours, we drove along the Great Rift Valley and the mountains just kept going and going. This was not something I was used to seeing so I took several bad pictures through the window. I also slept most of the way, which isn’t a big surprise because I sleep in almost any moving vehicle. But after about 9 hours, the bus arrived in Moshi and the 3 of us got off, said goodbye to our new friends because the bus continued on to Arusha.

The main reason we were in Moshi was because 2 years ago, Klara lived there for 6 months doing social work research. And it felt so good to get off the bus and walk around a bit to find a cheap hotel. We wound up staying at Mt. Kilimanjaro Backpackers Hotel for $5/person each night which was incredible! And because Moshi is the closest big city to Mt. Kilimanjaro, our hotel had a rooftop restaurant and bar that I headed to as soon as I put my stuff in our room. The best times to see Mt. Kilimanjaro is in the early morning and the evening when the clouds reveal the snow capped top of the mountain.

As soon as I saw the beautiful view of Mt. Kili, I fell in love. It was so majestic and breathtaking. I just wanted to sit in that restaurant all day and not do anything else but enjoy the city and the view. And as I sat there, I ironically thought of Ernest Hemmingway writing his infamous poem, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” possibly sitting right where I was. I know that is really cheesy, but that was what came into my head at that moment. And the city of Moshi was so peaceful and relaxed; people did not gauk at us when we walked around but instead just went along with their lives.

As I was enjoying my beautiful view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, I saw something incredible occur across the street. In Moshi, they had sidewalks that would sometimes be missing chunk and the cars had to drive around these huge holes so they didn’t get stuck. Unfortunately a little white car was driving down the street and slammed right into this huge hole! I got concerned for the people in the car to make sure they were okay. But then not 5 seconds after the car got stuck, about 10 men out of nowhere just came and picked up the car and moved it out of the hole making sure everyone in the car was safe. Not one person even got out of the car or had to call for help. This act just amazed me and it proved that there is such an amazing sense of community throughout the country that reached beyond anything else that may come in its way.

But day 2 was another exciting day in Moshi because we went to visit Klara’s friends from 2 years ago when she stayed there. Everyone was really sweet and welcoming to us, and then someone introduced me to a local doctor who owns an NGO. His NGO is called the Living Life Center, and he runs it on his own with one other volunteer helping him. The Doctor was retired and previously worked in the Moshi public hospital. He was nice enough to take us to his clinic and show us his facilities. At the Living Learning Center, he has information sessions on HIV/AIDS prevention and testing. They run malaria and HIV tests at the clinic, they can do minor surgeries, and several other simple medical procedures. He started the clinic because the local people of the area have to walk very far to reach the public hospital and then wait a few hours and then make the journey back home. Therefore a whole day would be wasted where the patient could have been doing work. So with his clinic, it is a closer option for small medical problems that locals may have, and even though the services are not completely free, it is a lot cheaper than going to the hospital.

I was so proud of this doctor because he is doing this out of his heart and he was completely genuine and sincere about his work at the clinic. And I have met some leaders of other NGOs while in Tanzania who have an NGO just for the money, but it was great to meet someone who really cared about the local community. So this was the most exciting event of my day; only continuing to fan my flame of love for Moshi.

That night, I decided that instead of traveling up to Arusha to plan my safari, in the morning, I would try to find a safari tour company in Moshi. Over the past few days, I had heard some pretty bad things about Arusha for tourists including scams and theft. And I wanted to avoid that at all costs. So in the morning, I woke up early and at 8:00am I started my search. I went from company to company getting different quotes and information on safari tours. I wanted a safari that went to Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, and Ngornogoro Crater (this is a typical 3 day safari). And after several hours, I finally found a company that gave me exactly that. Exhausted and relieved, I paid the first deposit and then went to the hotel for a nap.

When I woke up, I went upstairs to the rooftop bar for a soda as I watched Mt. Kilimanjaro be revealed from under the clouds for the last time because I would be leaving at 6:00am the next morning for my safari. Klara, Anna, and I went to another rooftop restaurant for our last dinner together. They would remain in Moshi for a few more days before traveling to Lake Victoria and then Rwanda. And that night I went to bed both anxious and excited for my safari the next day!