I got to Arusha, Tanzania and, through communicating with someone else’s phone since my sim card no longer worked in the new country, a taxi picked me up from the bus station and took me to my couchsurfer’s place. I was confused because I was not aware that my host would not actually be there as he had to go pick some people up whose car broke down. I arrived at the place, and some guy at the shop around the corner had the keys to my host’s place (I know, weird). He let me in, told me I was welcome, and then left. I was just kind of standing in the apartment, not really sure what was going on, and since my sim card wasn’t working, I couldn’t properly investigate. I just kind of sat around for a while until my host did finally get there a couple of hours later. After that, he helped me look into safari options, since he himself was a tour operator and also knew other people.

I was originally talking with a different safari operator that I met while I was hiking Mt. Kenya. He had offered me a deal that really was too good to be true. Originally, I had kind of made a budget of $350 for a safari. I had found some options online that were $160 per day, so I figured I would be able to afford a 2-day safari. But I really wanted to go to the Serengeti, and he was telling me that it really required a 3-day safari. While discussing matters, I was under the impression that he was offering me a 3-day safari for $265, which seemed unbelievably good. But, of course, there was a bit of miscommunication. Apparently, he was saying $165, and when I repeated back $265, I guess we both just kept hearing what we wanted to hear (the wind was rather loud). He was also quoting per day, while I was under the impression that he was telling me the total cost. In the end, it was basically the same price as other budget options I had found, and I didn’t really see a particular reason to go with him, and my couchsurfing host found me another option for 160 per day.

The days before the safari was settled, my host showed me around Arusha bit. We went to the cultural heritage center.

I also finally drove on one of the motorcycle taxis. He had a spare helmet, which I assumed to be for the passenger, but he never actually offered it to me. I’m just glad that we didn’t crash, haha.

We also went to Lake Duluti, which is just a little to the East of Arusha.

It was calm and refreshing, other than the fact that there was some monkey in the trees above us. This monkey kept picking out the fruits from the tree and throwing them down on us. What a jerk! And it hurt too. There is a seed in the center, and it was like getting pelted with a little stone.

Time to pay for the safari before I go on it. I had to pay the fee totaling $480 USD (I decided to sacrifice my budget so I could go to the Serengeti). But since I would be pulling the money out of the ATM, I was to pay in Tanzanian Shillings. The conversion rate works out so that I ended up paying 1,151,520 shillings! Additionally, since the largest Tanzanian note is the 10,000 shillings note, which is worth only about $4, I had to pay with a massive stack of money.

I actually had to pull the max amount allowed from the ATM 3 times in order to get enough cash.

The day of the safari came, and I was picked up from my host’s place at 6 in the morning. We drove out west, and I met up with another group that was doing a 4-day tour, of which I missed out on the first day in Tarangire Park. We drove north and passed the Ngorongoro crater before getting to the Serengeti plains!

The great migration is constantly moving around between Tanzania and Kenya, and at that time of the year I was traveling, they were supposed to be in the Serengeti, which is why I so desperately wanted to go there.

 

Groups of zebras, wildebeests, and antelopes as far as the eye could see. The pictures don’t quite do it justice because I didn’t have zoom, but the horizon was dark with animals.

The next morning, we woke up early and drove around the northern Serengeti.

Cheetahs! They were pretty funny because they would climb on the spare tire of the jeeps. Unfortunately, none climbed on our jeep, but it was fun to watch nonetheless.

We then drove south back to the edge of the Ngorongoro crater.

The final day, we woke up early again to descend into the crater and drive around.

We then came across a couple lions that were eating a wildebeest, and some wild dogs that were trying to scavenge.

The safari ended, and we were then brought back to our respective places in Arusha. I decided to treat myself to one of my favorite Tanzanian meals.

Chips Mayai, my favorite junk food there. It’s basically an omelet, but they put French fries in it—not potatoes, no, French fries! It’s amazing. In Kenya, everyone speaks English. In Tanzania, that wasn’t quite the case all the time, so if I went somewhere that wasn’t touristy, it often happened that they didn’t speak English. Since this was one of the few things I knew how to order in Swahili, I ended up eating it a lot.

Originally, I was thinking I would go to Mbeya, close to the border of Zambia, after I went to Arusha and go to Zambia from there. But it seemed like all the overland routes were best routed through Dar es Salaam, so I ended up going there instead. It seems there were plenty of busses that went from Dar to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, but there was also a train that went from Dar to the Lusaka area, and that intrigued me. Since Zanzibar was also right next door to Dar, I figured it would be foolish to not go there too.

I also wanted to at least see Kilimanjaro, so I decided to first go to Moshi, the town at the foot of the mountain.

I stayed in Moshi for a couple of nights. I didn’t really do much other than walk around and, as per my goal, look at Kilimanjaro.

There is also a cool hole-in-the-wall bar and restaurant at the old train station.

The train station was built by the Germans way back in the day, but the tracks had fallen into disrepair, and the station was ultimately closed down. Now the restaurant is the only thing operating there, but it’s nice to get a beer there and get a great view of Kilimanjaro from the station during the evening.

After my stay in Moshi, I took the bus to Dar es Salaam. It was supposedly only to take about 8 hours, but it actually took closer to 12. From the bus station, I followed my couchsurfer’s instructions and got to her place fine. While on route to her house, I went to a sauna. I didn’t actually, but Dar es Salaam was so hot and so humid that I had sweat dripping off me at a rate that would put the Victoria Falls to shame. It was hot and humid, but the bus was intense.

Everyone else had a light sheen of sweat on their foreheads, but I literally had to keep wiping the sweat out of my eyes every few seconds. Sweat was just running off the bridge of my nose and face in general. I could feel it trickling down my back. My shirt was soaked. It was so uncomfortable. After getting out of the bus, the normal heat and humidity were quite welcome, at least for a while.

The next morning, the rainy season started. It was an absolute downpour. I have never seen so much rain at once. My host’s house leaked a little bit, and usually it wasn’t a problem, but with the absolute monsoon we received, quite a bit of the place got wet haha. I didn’t do much that day since it was coming down so hard.

The rain of biblical proportions subsided the next day, so I walked around downtown.

One of the first things I did was attempt to buy a ferry ticket to go to Zanzibar. While I was walking down the street, I was accosted by people who wanted me to look at some art they did (which is pretty normal). Usually, they follow you for a little bit, but after making it quite apparent that you aren’t going to buy anything from them, they leave you. That day was different. I had some guy following me forever. I walked way down the main road, for like 15 minutes, and he was still by my side just repeatedly trying to show me some bundles up cloth paintings he had. Sometimes he would stop to talk to someone or buy something quickly, and I would try to pick up my pace to get away from him. But he would come running up beside me. It was aggravating, and I started getting very short with him, but he persisted. I went into a bank to get some USD (the ferry only accepts payments by foreigners in USD and not Shillings, which was annoying). I took my sweet time while I was in there, and he was still waiting for me when I got out. I then went to the ferry ticketing office and was waiting inside to buy a ticket. Guess who was still by me? You got it! Luckily, one of the security guards in there saw that he was just trying to sell stuff to me, and the guard kicked him out of the office. The guy tried to argue, but ultimately another security guard came and he was escorted outside. It took a while before I was able to buy my ticket, and I was hoping he would be gone by the time I got it. Once I did get my ticket, I looked out the window, and he was standing right by the entrance. But then, as if on cue, a security guard came up to him, and it looked like guard told him that he would have to move because he was just loitering at that point. The guy resisted, yelling some things I couldn’t hear through the window. Another guard came. A scuffle broke out, and he started getting dragged off to the side. I felt bad that he had to get handled so much, but I was also royally annoyed by him because he had been following me for probably close to an hour by that point. I decided to use the window of opportunity to step out and go the other direction he was taken, and I slipped into the crowds.

I didn’t really find anything else terribly exciting to see in Dar es Salaam, so I decided to meet up with another couchsurfer. He said he owned a private beach. So we went there. I was kind of incredulous at first, but other people had given him references confirming his beach, so I went there slightly more reassured that I wasn’t going to get murdered. It was really nice, and we went swimming in the Indian Ocean for a bit.

Afterward, I went to a Tanzanian museum the couchsurfer recommended.

The date for the ferry had arrived, and I cruised over to Zanzibar.

I stayed the first night at a couchsurfer’s house. I walked around downtown a bit before meeting up with him and his friends at a bar.

At the bar, I already had a beer in front of me when someone bought a round, and in their circle of friends, one round meant 5 new beers for each person.

I didn’t actually eat that much that day (practically nothing), and the round of 5 beers proved to be a bit much for me in combination with the heat… Let’s just say that I’m thankful my host took good care of me and brought my sorry self home.

I then took a bus across the island to the east side where I stayed in a hostel for a couple of nights. The place was called Mpole Bungalows, and it was really nice.

The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the place itself was very tranquil. It was also only about a 30 seconds’ walk to the beach. I spent a lot of time hanging out on the beach, swimming in the water, and walking around.

One of the days I was there, I decided to walk around the tip of the peninsula I was on despite the warning of the manager at the hostel, and I will admit, he was right, and I shouldn’t have gone.

Much of it was rocky and not pleasant to walk on, and since the tide was coming back in, I had to hurry because at some points I had to shimmy across what remained of the rocks before the water was flush with the cliff.

I did have a walking partner for a while that joined me for a good few kilometers before turning around and going back the way we came, though, so that was cool.

I powerwalked around the peninsula to beat the tide and got to enjoy a cocktail once I finished.

It was not a fun experience as I sometimes did have to wade in the water, and I feared I wouldn’t manage to make it back to the other side before the tide fully came in. It worked out, though.

After a couple of days on the beach, I returned to Stonetown, the downtown of Zanzibar town, and walked around.

I also went on a trip to the prison island the following morning since it was only $15.

The prison island was never actually used as a prison, but some slaves that were suspected of having the plague or other diseases were sometimes held there instead of being exported. After a while, the place was turned into a tortoise sanctuary since it wouldn’t be as easy to poach them there.

You really need to watch it with audio XD

After returning from the island, I went to the Tembo House Hotel, which is where Freddie Mercury lived during the first few years of his life.

Later in the evening I went to a bar called Mercury, and I just couldn’t not order the Bohemian Rhapsody cocktail. It was rather expensive, and I don’t think it was worth the cost, but it was still good.

For dinner, I went to the Forodhani market and tried the famous Zanzibar pizza.

I hate to admit it, but I wasn’t the biggest fan. It wasn’t bad, but it was just a bit too rich for my taste. However, I could see why some people would fall in love with it. It was basically a super thin dough that they stacked a variety of things on. They all seemed to include some salad mixture, mayonnaise, and egg, and whatever else you wanted. I opted for mozzarella and mushrooms. The chef wraps up the sides after mixing all the ingredients together, almost making it like an omelet, and fries it on both sides with a very (un)healthy amount of oil.

The other traveler I was walking around with and I went to a bar in the evening, and then we were invited to the Old Fort, where some live music was being played. We went and ordered a beer. I started singing along when the pianist started playing I Want to Break Free by Queen, and the lady who invited us forced me to go up front.

I was given the mic, and I rocked. I was later invited to sing YMCA and some other songs that I absolutely didn’t know, but it was all fun.

Time to leave paradise, and I took the ferry back to Dar es Salaam.

I still had not managed to buy my train ticket to Zambia, which is where I wanted to go next. The website for the Tazara train listed 4 numbers that I tried as well as an email, but I just couldn’t get a response. So, the first thing I did when I got to Dar was to take an Über to the Tazara station to see if I could buy a ticket for the Tuesday train, which was in 2 days. There are only 2 trains a week—one on Tuesday and one on Friday. The Friday train is supposed to be quicker and nicer, but I didn’t feel like waiting another 3 days. I got to the station, but since it was Sunday, the station was unsurprisingly closed and I couldn’t buy a ticket.

The same couchsurfer who had the private beach hooked me up with a free private room at the YMCA (hey, I was just singing about this place the night before!), so I stayed there for a couple of nights, and I attempted to buy a train ticket the following morning. I went to the station first thing after waking up, and I went to the now-open ticket booth. When I said that I was hoping to buy a ticket for the next day in 1^st class, he pulled out the register, and I was disappointed to see that it was completely full. He had a quick word with his colleague and then he pulled out an eraser. Most of the entries were written in pen, but one of them was only written in pencil with some notes next to it. I assume it was someone who had reserved a ticket but had not paid for it yet. He pulled out an eraser, cleared that line, and filled me in. I felt really bad for the whoever just got their name erased, but, like, I also really wanted to get on that train… I was pretty amazed at how cheap the ticket was too. At only 86,500 shillings, or about $39 USD, for first class for a 3-day train journey, it was cheaper than the bus or a flight.

We boarded the train, and we were off. The train consisted of 3 1^st-class wagons, which had 4 beds per compartment, 3 2^nd-class wagons, which had 6 beds per compartment, a restaurant wagon, a bar wagon, and then some economy wagons which were only seats without beds. The train wasn’t very fast, at least compared to the ICE in Germany, but it chugged along at a slow-but-steady pace. Sometimes it felt like the tracks weren’t connected right or something and the wagons would rattle violently, but we managed to not derail.

Sleeping wasn’t too easy. The tracks that would occasionally send tremors throughout the train would wake me up, and the train also stopped frequently, which would rock you to one side and then the other when it started going again. Additionally, one of the guys in my compartment got off the train at around 4 in the morning on the first night, and he had to turn on the lights to get all his stuff, waking us all up.

Going to the bathroom was also tricky.

I had eaten something wrong a day or 2 before the train, and I had the runs. The toilet in the train was just a hole in the ground that you had to squat over, and trying to do that while balancing and having the train rock back and forth and occasionally shuddering was quite the task. To add to the dilemma, they locked all the toilets when the train stopped at stations (presumably to prevent stowaways). The stops were never on time, and they never were for as long as they were supposed to be. Sometimes the train stopped for only 10 minutes. Other times, 2+ hours, and you never knew how long it would be for, so going into the station could be risky. When you really need to use the toilet and the train stays put and the bathrooms are locked for multiple hours, it can get frustrating. Through sheer willpower, I managed the couple of days I was feeling ill.

Otherwise, it was nice watching the scenery drift by, but it was rather unengaging and I took the opportunity to sleep and read some books. I was hoping to see some more wildlife, particularly in the areas where the train got really close to some national parks, but we only managed to spot a couple of gazelles jumping in the distance once.

I met some other people while on the train. There were 4 fellow Americans from the peace corps as well as a Greek lady traveling around. We all chatted while playing some card games from time to time and also watched a movie on one of their laptops.

My time in Tanzania came to an end as we approached the border. We stopped on one side and a Tanzanian border patrol came through and gave us all exit stamps. The train then continued for a few minutes until we reached the other side. Zambian border patrol boarded and gave us entry stamps, which we had to pay $50 USD for.

After everything was settled with both border patrol, the train continued into Zambia, but that will come in my next post.

I really enjoyed Tanzania. I think a large part of it was the fact that I wasn’t robbed like I was in Kenya. But the safari and Zanzibar were both really nice, and I would recommend them to everyone. The train ride was also nicer than I had expected, and if anyone is going that way and has the time, I would highly encourage you to give it a shot.