Arusha

Arusha is a beautiful.... Situated at the foot of Mt. Meru (about 4500 meters), the city has the beauty of the mountains along the skyline and the hustle of city life in the city center. Arusha is only about 60 km from the Kenya border and much closer to the equator than my house in Ndanda, but the higher altitude makes the climate much different with temerperatures this time of year on the cold side! It was actually cold, rainy and windy this morning. Reminded me of fall in Chicago!

Arrived in Arusha a couple of days ago on a one hour flight from Mwanza to Kilamanjaro International Airport. Luckily for me I chose the correct side of the plane to sit on so I could see Mt. Kilamanjaro as we began the descent. The first glimpse of the mountain towering above the clouds was awesome. I took a bunch of pictures from the plane, but the flash into the window made the pictures blurry and you don't get the mountain's full effect.


From the airport I took a 45 minute shuttle bus into Arusha.

I'm staying at the New Meru Inn Hotel - rates are affordable and its close to the city center. The hotel is nice but has a hostel feel to it because there are a ton of college kids from Europe and UK staying in the 'hotel' who are backpacking around. There are also 50 or so students from UCLA here working for an organization to develop an orphanage.

Arusha is definitely the Safari Capital of Tanzania! In the city centre there are by far the most 'wazungu's' (white European's) that I've seen in Tanzania. The first day while walking around, I made the mistake of carrying a guide book, map and camera. The camera and guide book made it easy for the locals to spot me and strike up a conversation that always leads to an offer to do business or to sign up for a safari. I was frustrated by the never-ending greetings i get on the street like 'mambo rafiki' (how are you my friend) and the offers for safaris that I just started speaking in Kiswahili. I get a little bit more respect by speaking in Kiswahili, but this doesn't stop the next guy down the block from doing the same.

Yesterday I spent the day walking around the city center and along the perimeter of the city taking in the views and getting a feel for the people in the city. There are beautiful views of Mt. Meru but yesterday we had overcast skies, not great for pictures.

Received good news from my manager in Dar who yesterday confirmed that I will be starting my new post in Lindi Region next week! I'll be traveling to Mtwara on September 2nd and begin my new assignment at Sokoine Hospital as early as next Wednesday. In Mtwara, I'm scheduled to meet the doctor-in-charge of Sokoine and together we will drive to Lindi. I will temporarily be staying in the guest house in Lindi for two weeks until final arrangements on my house are made.