An entry in the TFS Travel Journal
What a weather-filled night! Our sleep was accompanied by rain, thunder, wind (and the ubiquitous animal sounds). We finished breakfast and packing in time for our 9:30 departure, which was then delayed by about 45 minutes, due to the weather. This gave Wendy time to bond with Marie as they shared their travel woes, while Milton bonded with Jules as the latter shared some of his vast computer knowledge.
We finally headed over to the airstrip and boarded today’s plane, which was an 12-seater, a virtual 747 by our new standards. We flew first to the Tarangire airstrip which we thought we’d seen the last of, then after a quick unloading, on to Arusha (with an actual paved runway!). We said our goodbyes to M & J, then were driven to the Mashado office in town where we ventilated to Mike the (defensive) Operations Manager as well as offering some business suggestions.
After that cathartic experience, we were driven to the Mambo Cafe on the other end of town for lunch (with a quick stop to buy a IHT (though passing on a Chicago Tribune!) from a guy standing in the middle of the street). Whew, no question we’re in the third world here, in one of Tanzania’s largest cities. The main street is in the same abominable, cratered condition as the roads in the parks we’d been bouncing around on, the storefronts look like offerings from decades ago, and myriad people - tribally and western dressed - wandered around selling produce, old clothes, etc . Lunch was two pretty good (and large) sub sandwiches, and two totally excellent donuts for dessert. We then took the scenic (NOT) route back to the airport, boarding the 40-seater for Zanzibar. Seats were unassigned, and there was no air circulation before we took off. The flight was fine, though, and we arrived here around 5:00.
Wow, this place is the tropics, almost like being back in Iguazu! Going through the usual lines and examinations (even though this is the same country we flew in from) took a while, but we eventually met the hotel’s driver and were whisked to our home for the next three nights. An interesting place, built a few years ago on a beautiful beach, around the ruins of the St. Marys Girls School from the 1870s. They also have a wonderful collection of plant life on the grounds, as this is a perfect climate for growing most everything.
We collapsed in the air-conditioned room for a few hours before going to dinner in their restaurant (seeing innumerable large lizards on the walls on the way, some a light tan, almost translucent). As we dined in the high-wicker-ceilinged dining room, we were entertained by a clarinet player and a guitarist (who were actually pretty good) doing old American standards, and we couldn’t help but feel like we were in Hawaii in the 1950s. Dinner was one of the best we’d had in a while — grilled shrimp w/coconut chutney and a Zanzibar fish soup, then a grilled pork chop and a kingfish with a great mustard sauce. We also enjoyed a Ndovu beer and a Serengeti Lager.
As it was too hot and sticky, we didn’t linger after their not-so-good desserts, though we did wait until a bushbaby (a tiny, tree-dwelling monkey-like mammal) came down from a tree and grabbed the banana a diner had just put in a holder attached to the tree trunk. We then came back to the room and passed out.