Moshi

Yesterday, we got a day off of our usual routine of volunteer placements and Swahili lessons for a group trip organized by CCS to Moshi, a city about an hour away, at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro (which will henceforth be known as "Kili" - that's what the locals call it). We left Tengaru at about 7 am (everything here is "about" when I'm talking about time - I don't think that the word "punctual" exists in the Swahili language), and after enduring an hour on what just might have been the world's creakiest bus, over Tanzania's incredibly rough roads, we made it to Moshi. Never again will I complain about driving on a dirt road in Canada - you haven't seen bad roads until you've driven in Africa. I think I'm still shaken up. Moshi has the reputation of being one of Tanzania's wealthier and cleaner places, owing to the many tourist dollars that come through it on account of its convenient location as a starting point for those looking to climb Kili. It really is a very nice city, and I'd guess it's fairly safe - heavily armed police officers patrol from the centre of every roundabout.

We began the day by visiting some of the local markets - I managed to get all my souvenier shopping done... yay! Now I have to make sure that I can keep myself from buying anything else over the next week. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant, where I had an exciting lunch of beans and rice (my dietary staple here... I miss tofu!), and saw first-hand my first Tanzanian toilet... read: a hole in the ground, with a stall around it. I took pictures, which I would post if I could find a 'net cafe that would let me. I may just have to put them online once I get home. Anyway, I digress. After lunch, we hiked (and I do mean hiked - my poor, unathletic self is really hurting today) down to this incredible waterfall. Some people from our group went in, but owing to the fact that I didn't bother packing a swimsuit, I stayed ashore. It was cold, so I didn't mind. We later visited a traditional Chagga home (the Chaggas are a tribe that lives on the base of Kili), and crawled through an expanse of tunnels that the Chagga had previously used to hide out from the Maasai when they came to pillage for cattle. On the way back, the clouds that had been masking the summit of Kili finally parted, and we were treated to a view of the mountain. It's stunning. Maybe next time I'm here, I'll climb it. (Stop laughing, I could do it!!)

Tomorrow, I leave for safari, so I doubt I'll have internet again 'til Monday. When it comes to the safari, I think I'm looking forward to the nice lodge with hot showers just as much as I look forward to seeing African animals. I'm sure elephants and giraffes will be amazing... but at this point, my disgusting self would be content with hot water and no bugs in my bed!