Hello from Tanzania!
I am here safe. I thought it wasn't going to happen after having stood in line for 2 hours waiting for KLM to deal with a delayed plane arrival, but I am here, intact although slightly sleep-deprived. Perhaps the sleep deprivation prevents me from accurately describing what it feels like to be here in Tanzania, but I think it has more to do with feeling very keenly like an alien.
It's not that these experiences are new, but rather it's the shock of rediscovering it all, this alternate universe that everyone lives in except us. I thought to myself "here we go again" as I 'rag-dolled' in the front seat as our wagon careened over bumpy dirt roads to the hotel last night, struggled with the non-existent hot water that barely made it out of the shower head, and I inhaled the oh-so-healthy smell of exhaust and dust while walking into town this morning. Despite it all, I was grinning like an idiot, loving the smiles, the waves, the flashes of bright colourful garb of women and their children, the glimpses of everyday life occurring around me at every moment.
Sleep deprivation from jet lag isn't all bad; I couldn't sleep this morning, but it was almost like I was treated to something new just because I had been awake. After the rooster started singing at 4 AM, the muezzin started his ethereal call to Friday service for the devout Muslim. I had to put down my book and listen; its sacredness had to be respected. After a little while longer, the strange orchestra of the hotel staff beginning another day replaced the muezzin. I got up since sleep was no longer an option and wandered about the hotel complex, smelling the multiple flower scents that floated around the gardens. The gate staff said hello and motioned me to come outside. I followed and was greeted by the rising East African sun casting its white light on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. All this before breakfast!
More to come hopefully. The next few days I'll be trudging up the slopes of Kili. Mike and Dups, apparently Zara is now bringing a portapotty specifically to spare their guests from the horrors of Barafu's bathroom...Lucky me!!!
