On the road to Tanzania, Masai tribesman herds flock

We have to leave early today because we want to get to Arusha in Tanzania. In the bus station we follow what’s rapidly becoming a familiar protocol of squeezing into a packed Nissan and somehow finding seats spare we have to pay for to put our bags on. Once we’re underway the journey is good – authentic, loud music blaring out and cramped conditions made better by stunning scenery.
Back in Nairobi (unfortunately) the streets are just as unpleasant as before with fleeting appearances from touts who’ve already tried us once and failed. This doesn’t stop them reacquainting themselves knowingly. After a map reading error which nearly takes us to a bad part of town, we end up at the Stanley Hotel where we hear they run daily tourist buses to Arusha. Since it is such a long way this is definitely the preferred option.
Getting the tickets though may as well be a piece of scripted theatre taken out of the Lonely Planet. The book says the cost of the bus is 1000/= but that the hotel will try to charge $30 for non-residents and that you should be able to negotiate. Sure enough the manager tells us the bus-trip costs $30. We say that’s too much; he winces and then drops (significantly) to 1200/= plus a “tax” at the border. We make as if to leave (the other option is a Nissan to the border then another one on the other side – not great) but all of a sudden, surprise, surprise we reach end game and he offers us 1000/= for the lot, no tax. Why a respectable bus company has to go through this ridiculous posturing is beyond me but the guy is philosophical, “when you come back to Kenya a rich man, you will pay me $30, while you are students now you pay 1000/=”, he says. It’s kind of a future investment he’s making, it seems. Or maybe he’s telling me that I’ll pay for my cheek at claiming to be a student later.
Whatever, we get our tickets and get on the bus. I then go walking off for what seems like miles to get two cokes and a bag of chips – we’re starving and there’s a 5 hour epic ahead. We leave on time and I marvel at how, without any obvious planning, all the seats are full and yet no one who wanted to come along has been turned away. The scenery is great – the size of these countries cannot be described. It is warm and the surroundings are beautiful.

Bush land

At the border with Tanzania we have to get all our baggage off the bus and have it searched. After a bit of standing around waiting, watching Masai tribesmen walk through the border seemingly unchallenged, we’re back on the bus and away. Tanzania is much more barren and on a larger scale again. On the horizon as far as the eye can see are dark hills and in the middle, a vast expanse of bush – scrub land with trees and termite mounds. Every now and again there are tribesmen minding a few goats or cattle. This is the real, harsh Africa. It is awe inspiring. I try to take some photos but the bus is travelling too quickly.
At one point there are 10 giraffe just at the side of the road – amazing. The sun sets beautifully, very impressive sights and colours. It then rains very hard and we come across a river crossing where the tarmac has been entirely washed away by a mud slide and a jeep buried up to its arches in mud. I am busy happily imagining us camping in the bush for the night but no, after some discussion and a stroll to check out the Jeep’s misfortune, the driver just drives off into the bush and around the gap.
Another hour in the dark and we are in Arusha. They drop us at the “Novotel” where there is a huge group of touts waiting to meet us – oh joy. Luckily the bus company has a driver who offers to take us to any hotel we choose at no extra cost – bargain. We choose the Robannyson Hotel which is okay but turns out to be an unfinished building site – with no running water, sheets or curtains… We have a nice meal and get approached by two safari touts in the space of 20 minutes. We put them off until tomorrow and, even though the hotel staff are apologetic about the conditions, we vow to move hotels asap.

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