Arriving in Arusha, Tanzania.

November 3, 2016.   Arusha, Tanzania.

Departing Vancouver... ready, set, GO... Meeting up with Shelda in Calgary before

we head to Amsterdam and then on to Kilimanjaro.

The sun rising over Amsterdam as we land.

After 22 hours of travel, 10 hour time change and an hour spent in three long lineups at the airport here getting our travel VISA, we have arrived at The African Tulip in Arusha. It was dark when we arrived late last night so I have not had a chance to see anything but the view from the luxurious window seat in our lovely suite.  The African Tulip touts itself a a Luxury Boutique Hotel - "Chic. Unique. Authentically Africa"

I have learned, to my surprise, that Arusha is actually a very large city, the third largest in Tanzania, with a population of 4 million. This surprises me since the airport is small and very basic. A small, almost dirt-packed landing area, large enough for maybe 3 or 4 planes. We had to walk around the perimeter of it to get to the terminal, consisting of a single room with 5 line-ups for processing Visas on arrival, then through to a small luggage collection area.

We flew into Kilimanjaro airport, the larger international airport that serves the tourist travel into Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti. It makes wonder what the smaller Arusha airport must be like.

Driving the 45 minutes into Arusha in the dark again made me question the size of the city. The roads were narrow, dirt roads, very rough and with many sections under rough construction. They say they are expanding the road as the city is rapidly growing to accommodate the growing tourism and tanzanite mining in the area.

I awake early and pull back the draperies to get a glimpse of the surroundings. There is a distinct African feel - dusty, dry, jeeps and land rovers decked out in safari gear await visitors near the front entry. Succulents grow in parched earth.

The African Tulip is wonderful. It is small but quite beautiful. We have a lovely, large room with two beds and a huge window seat where we can lounge and catch up on emails. We also have an adjoining sitting room that is shared with one other room.

The sitting room.

Our cozy window seat.           The lounge.

Everything is quite modern and very clean. The bathroom is huge, marble tile, a big walk-in shower and a deep soaking tub. There is a lovely  courtyard with a bar, lounge chairs and a swimming pool. All around are flowering trees like bougainvillea and acacia.

Our first elephants... albeit concrete ones by the pool.

Overall, a very nice welcome to Africa and setting the bar a bit high for the rest of the stay!

We have no activities planned for today. We had the opportunity to join in on a daytrip to a coffee plantation but declined. Instead, we had a leisurely breakfast, explored the property and went into town for a little while.

Now, that was an adventure! We went to the Maasi craft market where the locals sell their wares - beaded everything, wooden carved animals - I especially like the giraffes, but there are lions, cheetahs, elephants, and more. There are cute little soapstone carvings of the animals too, lots of masks, fabrics, and the usual gamet of artsy, craftsy trinkets. 

The Maasi market.

 We were approached by a Maasi native in colorful, red flowing robes. His shoes are made from  pieces of car tires and he wears a backward black ball cap. He decides to show us where the real Central Market is. We follow reluctantly, taking careful note where we are heading so we can find our way back. We wander for several blocks before we decide this may not be the smartest move. Finally I buy a small piece of his art just so we can part company and head back to the hotel where we relaxed on the patio with a cold glass of wine.

The Clock Tower, a landmark in Arusha. It is said

to be exactly half way between Cape Town and Cairo.

Tomorrow the real safari begins. We hit the road, heading to Tarangire National Park. We will see a variety of animals here, but it is most known for its high concentration of elephants. (and tse tse flies!)

Come With Me. as the journey begins....