More odds and ends.

Mt Meru is visible outside our hotel, we have a great view of it from the hallway, and you can actually open the hallway windows and get really good pictures of things. Mt Meru is the 2nd highest mountain in Tanzania, it's not really high compared to the Rockies, but it is a major trekking destination. It is almost always covered at the top with clouds and it's not often you can see the peak. Today as I was on my way back upstairs with my coffee I saw that it had no cloud cover at all so I ran and got Nicole and we snapped a good picture each and within minutes the clouds covered over the peak again, so we felt pretty fortunate. The Tanzania Gods seem to be playing with us, from blowing up bedside lamps and sending plagues of bugs to annoy us and then they show us these breathtaking sights. It must be a test, and I assume we are passing because each day just has more and more wonderous things.

Jan 20 (as I write this it is Jan 27, but I am a few days behind)

Today we decided to walk downtown--it's a 20 minute walk from the hotel, you just cross the street to the roundabout and then follow Moshi Road to the clock tower and that is the general "downtown" area. So, we crossed the street and Moshi Road just wasn't there. All the roads that branched off the roundabout had other names, and even though we have taken a taxi downtown numerous times, nothing looked familiar. We didn't want to stand around and look too lost, that's a sure sign for every street hustler within 2 miles to appear at your side, nattering in your ear. We trudged back to the hotel and took a taxi to the clock tower (for 2,000 TS I might add, half the price of Razak! At least this adventure introduced us to our newest taxidriver, Abdala.)

When we told him where we wanted to go he turned down Nyerere Rd and when we asked where Moshi Rd was he said:"Oh this is Moshi Rd, it was changed a while ago,and we still call it Moshi Rd, but the sign has changed. We all know that. Even the maps still say Moshi rd. So you see Nyerere Rd, but you say it's Moshi Rd."
I believe I have mentioned how this place enthralls me.

He also told us that it isn't safe to walk to town if you are white and carrying anything that resembles a purse or a camera, it is simply assumed that tourists are rich and an easy mark. If you leave your things at the hotel it is ok, the "robbers" don't want to hurt anyone, they just want your things.

We asked him if "mzungu", which we know means "white person" as everyone on the street calls us that, was a derogatory term and he was quite appalled that we would think so, it simply means "white person" which is what we are.

So, he dropped us off at the tourist bureau where you can book local cultural tours and visit local villages and that sort of thing, but they were very expensive and since we had just returned from Haydom where we were lucky enough to experience the genuine thing we didn't feel like seeing a "packaged for tourist" type of thing, although I know we would have thouroughly enjoyed it if we had not gone to Haydom.

We crossed the street to the Lutheran Center since Nicole had a contact name from a fellow in Haydom and she was lucky enough to be able to set up a meeting with this fellow right away. I wandered up and down the street while she was in the center. This is on Boma Road where there are a lot of curio shops and coffee places and a nice bookstore as well as every street hustler and slick tour guide between here and Dar es Salaam.

As the only white person on the street, I was a prime target. Although these guys are harmless, they are so annoying. They try to sell you (among other things) newspapers, they push the paper in your face and say:" Norway? French? America? America?" They never say "Canada" and as any other Canadian, I hate to be mistaken for another nationality so of course, foolish at it is, I say "Canada." "Ohhhh" they reply, "Vancouver or Toronto?" And even if I didn't tell them Canada, we were pegged as Canadians yesterday and these guys have incredible memories.

"Remember me? Hey, Canada, yesterday?"

They are all "tour guides" as well, and they try to sell you a crappy or even a non-existant tour to somewhere.

"Hey Canada--hey mama, you need a safari? A newspaper? A guide? "

If you tell them you have already booked a safair, they nag at you to tell them with who, and Wow! turns out they work for that very company. It's all a game, and no harm done.

I wasn't sure how long Nicole would be and I was running out of things to do.

"Hey mama--you buy batik? No? Later? When? 1:00 PM? You buy from me, I give you best price."

"Hey mama, my name is Joshua/Abraham/Losai--you recall me? Canada? Vancouver? Toronto?"

"Jambo! I remember you, you are with your friend, I am Lasio. Where is your friend?"

I said to him, "you rememebr my friend?"

Lasio, looking at me as if I could possibly NOT know that there are no other white women walking around. "Yes, your friend in there. You need a safari? I am a masai guide" he added, just in case I had changed my mind about a safari in the last 30 seconds.

Me: I want to go for coffee across the street, if my friend comes out will you tell her where I am?"

Lasio:"yes, yes, for sure."

And when Nicole came out from her meeting, sure enough, he brought her over...so these guys are really not so bad, just so annoying. .