dimanche 19 septembre 2010

Rush in Arusha

When I last posted I was in Arusha on a short trip from the campsite into town in the morning to get money, exchange it, buy a few snacks, etc... The pressure, stress and anxiety it caused is, I believe, emblematic of the overlanding trip more generally.

Ruth is impressive to say the least; she knows Africa, she knows which cash machines to use, where to change your money, where to do this and where to do that. However, it is often presented to us in a stressful stomach churning way: pick pockets operate in this area here, you need to get the maximum out on your card as this is the last place to get money out before Zambia (don't those two contradict each other?), if you don't have money at the border, we're. leaving. you. there. and you make you're own way home! I've done it before and I will do it again...Zanzibar had sea urchins, their spikes will dig themselves into your feet and be there for three days...

Chill Whinston. I get that people are stupid and sometimes approach a task (and a holiday) without any conception of the work involved...but they are marginal cases, not the whole group.

Though I moan, the structure makes for better efficiency. We did Arusha to Dar es Salaam in a day, we're going to to Dar to Malawi in 2 days. The food is excellent and clean (though I admit I have had enough spag bol to curse the italians for ever creating such a simple dish) - I have had no problems with food and neither has anyone else. The tents are easy to put up and down. Facilities at each campsite are always good. And I haven't had a frozen shower since my first day in Nairobi, and that is only because I wasn't savvy to which shower to use.

The rigidity and the stress of the structure are nonetheless quite taxing. More on that in my Zanzibar post.

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