African Safari – Arusha, Tanzania – Out for a stroll
Five of us decided to go for a stroll into city center (about 1 km according to our itinerary info). Seemed easy enough so off we went. First off, our directions weren’t quite right and we walked to the traffic circle and headed off in the wrong direction. Eventually we asked for directions and turned around and came back to the traffic circle. Local police at the traffic circle pointed us in a different direction and off we went with spirits buoyed. As we walked along the roadway (no real sidewalks), we began to attract a gathering of the local guides/entrepreneurs/hawkers – first one, then two and then more and more. By the time that we were closer to our intended destination, we were becoming outnumbered by locals asking us where we were from and offering to sell us a variety of goods from bracelets to rolled up paintings. We kept politely saying “no thank you” but eventually tired of this nonsense, turned around and headed back to our hotel. Then, we stopped at a small convenience store which offered a wide selection of beverages at local prices (not tourist prices). With purchases in hand our group went happily back to relax at the hotel. Nothing like reasonable pricing for beverages to buoy the spirits of weary travelers.
*****
*****
