Travel Day 15: Arusha, Tanzania (January 22, 2011)

This morning I had my first OMG! moment when I was unable to get cash from an ATM machine. I'd stopped earlier in the morning and withdrew the maximum amount permitted by the machine (roughly $300), then went with my two guides to the Tourist Board to choose a company for my safari, which leaves tomorrow. [An aside: The radio in the restaurant where I'm typing is playing a techno version of Oh My Darling.] I settled on a more established company for my safari; the two guys who were driving me around town might do just fine, but I felt more comfortable going with a company known by the Tourist Board, even if it's a few hundred dollar more expensive.

So I picked my safari and my accomodation. I picked lodges, which supposedly all have the internet. It's become a lot more important to me to stay connected than I thought it would be when I left; I'm willing to pay a little more for the ability. Besides, camping creeps me out a bit. And I'll be part of a group, so I'll have others to talk to. I hope they are nice. Fellow travelers usually are.

When it was time to pay, I learned they don't take credit cards; just cash or travelers' checks. I maybe should have anticipated that because it costs businesses money to use credit cards, but when I was pricing safaris before my trip, I got the impression these companies take credit cards. And maybe the biggest ones do. Safaris are, after all, very expensive, even the cheap ones.

But no problem, I could get more cash, right? But when we got to the ATM machine, it told me my financial institution rejected my withdrawal. Panic number one, and the biggest one, because what if my bank has stopped all withdrawals?!? Before I left I gave the bank a detailed list of where I would be but still... So I tried my backup bank in Ohio. Argh, I thought I knew my PIN but I didn't! Panic number two. American Express? Nope, the machine can't read it. Getting really upset now. Mastercard? The machine reads it, won't give me money. Complete freak-out on the inside because I'm out of cards.

So my driver & guide take me to another bank and... Whew! There's nothing wrong with my bank card; I just exceeded my daily limit on the last try but was able to withdraw a lesser amount. The other machine wasn't smart enough to tell me that. I did have to use my Mastercard to withdraw quite a bit of cash, and that will cost me a bit in cash advance fees. But I made a budget for emergency or unexpected expenses, and this qualifies so I'm not beating myself up about it.

Was that boring to read? I don't want everyone to think I'm living four months of bliss out here, so I'll write about the bad as well as the good. Yes, an ATM error is pretty mundane, but when you're halfway around the world and have no idea how you'll get money without your cards, a freak-out is in order, and should be noted.

My guide and driver spent three hours driving me around town this morning, saving me loads of taxi fees and lending moral support. So I agreed to take their local tour, which wasn't a complete waste of time. It was a bit overpriced I thought, but I was willing to pay it because of the all the chauffering they did in the morning, for which they didn't charge me, unless they built it into the price of the tour.

We did some driving through Arusha: It seems like a nice town. My hotel is nestled away so I wasn't sure, but I saw enough of it today to say it looks like a middle-class town (there are some poor areas, but non-stop shantytowns). Shops are recognizable as such, lots of people own cars, etc. And there is a lot of greenery, which is very pretty.

We drove outside of town to Mt. Moshi. That was an adventure. Most of the way there was a dirt road and not in good condition. The car got stuck twice, which apparently serves as local entertainment because in both cases people came swarming out of nowhere to help push the car.

The drive through this area was very different from Arusha. It was more rural, and some houses were little more than shacks but some were quite charming. We occassionally had to wait for livestock to get out of the road, and there were fields of crops along the way too.

The mountain itself doesn't rival Mt. Kilimanjaro, which is a couple hours away. But it's tall enough to have a glacier on top. We didn't go anywhere near that high, but we made it to a waterfall fed by glacier meltwater.

Standing in the pool formed by the waterfall was pretty chilly. The air was probably about 90, but the water was just above freezing. Very interesting contrast: the opposite of a hot tub when it's snowing.
We hiked up aways too. Not much to see on the mountain itself, except more jungle, but the view was pretty cool.

Walking back down the mountain then along the dirt road (the car drove ahead of my guide and I), we passed this leathery old woman. She looked like she's been around. About 4'10", maybe 4 teeth, and earlobes with holes that were stretched so big I could have put a finger through the hole (not that I would! creepy!). And she had these big hoop earrings dangling from the lobes. She only spoke swahili, so I didn't understand her, but she was happy to babble at me for a few minutes. I really wanted to take her photo, but I didn't want to imply she was a freak or anything, so I didn't. And she was carrying a machete and looked like a tough old broad, and I didn't need another machete wound. Looking back, though, I should have asked if it was OK and taken a shot.

I've caught a cold (me and my half-assed immune system!), so I returned to the hotel in late afternoon, and have been feeling a little sorry for myself. Well, I need to sleep early anyway. The safari starts in the morning! It will last 5 days/4 nights, so if I disappear, come look for me in Ngorongoro Crater! :)

Experiencing technical difficulties in uploading photos;  I'll add them when it's fixed.