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Nickson dropped us off at the Impala hotel, and we said our goodbyes and thanks to him. We had just enough time to enjoy one last meal at the Indian restaurant, and it didn't disappoint. With our stomachs full for the long journey ahead, we went back to the lobby and waited for a Ranger Safari driver to pick us up to bring us to the airport. We were a little nervous that he wouldn't show up on time, but he arrived only 15 minutes late, and we were on our way.
Mario and I got a taxi to the Hilton Nairobi for $15. Our driver was extremely friendly, welcoming us over and over to Kenya and very excited to point out some of the sights along the way. He is going to return at 3:30am to pick us up for our 5am flight to Cairo. We ate dinner in the Hilton executive lounge, as we weren't very hungry and the appetizers were pretty good. We used the internet to update our site, email etc, much missed after very limited access the past several weeks, and went to bed early. Final thoughts on Tanzania:
Beer of Choice: Kilimanjaro or Safari Lager, of course! Although, they aren't very good, and we suspect that they are actually the same beer under 2 different labels (same company). Memories: Jaimie recovering from SA, Mario getting sick from chinese food, arriving at the Machame gate just in time for our first downpour, "water for washing, and after, dining" (our porter would say), sleeping for 1 hour before our 6.5 hour climb to the summit, Stella Point and the incredible glaciers of Kilimanjaro, the elated feeling of reaching Uhuru peak - the highest point in Africa, sliding down the gravel scree back down to Barafu camp, meeting up with our guest visitors (Jaimie's parents), spending a lot of time in the Land Cruiser on rugged dirt roads, seeing lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, and much much more, never actually seeing Mt Kilimanjaro even though we made it to the top. The Massai tribe coming at us with spears, and we just hoped they were doing a show :), attack elephant almost ramming our vehicle, herde of elephants going crazy with their babies when we cut through their walkway.
Economy: With a long history of economic shocks in the last century, including collapse of commodity prices, drought, the breakup of the East African Community, and the Uganda War, Tanzania is just beginning to recover. The government is taking steps to cut inflation and increase the economic growth. Agriculture accounts for almost 50% of the GDP. This is followed by trade, services, and industry. Major exports include coffee, tea, cotton, cashewnuts. Recently, the Tanzanite gemstone was discovered in Tanzania (the only place it is known to be) and its popularity is catching on in NY and LA. Of course, tourism is an ever-growing sector in the economy. Climate (March): Hot but not too hot - I'd say it was the perfect temperature (maybe in the low 80's). March is the beginning of the rainy season, and we experienced a thunderstorm or rain shower during most of the afternoons. Exchange Rate: 1 US dollar = 1195 Tanzanian Shillings Recommendation to friends: Tanzania in General: 9 out of 10 - Africa is a much undiscovered destination for Americans, perhaps due to the time and cost it takes to fly here. We loved our time in Tanzania and felt very comfortable and welcomed there. The safari was an amazing experience, to see all of those animals in the wild. View Mt. Kilimanjaro Photo Gallery View Manyara Safari Photo Gallery View Serengeti Safari Photo Gallery View Ngorongoro Safari Photo Gallery View Tarangire Safari Photo Gallery Day 77 - Tarangire < | Index | Photo Galleries | > Day 79 - Cairo © 2007 Blue Ocean Studios, LTD. All rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Services | About | Contact Prints | Return Policy | View Cart World Travel Galleries | World Travel Blog | Links |
We said goodbye to the Tarangire National Park this morning with a short game drive on the way back out to the main road. We saw the family of giraffes in their same location near the entrance to the lodge. We stopped briefly to look at a large monitor lizard basking in the sun. Some people told us there were 2 lions up ahead and we got excited - just what we were hoping for to end our safari! Soon after, we spotted the female and a young male lion sleeping in the grass. They appeared very tired and didn't move an inch while we watched them for more than 20 minutes. Not very interesting viewing, but we knew they would be the last lions we'd see in the wild for a very long time, so we enjoyed each minute. 
We settled in for the long 2 hour drive back to Arusha. It was a little bit of a shock to see Arusha again with all its bustling and people everywhere. Gone were the mud and grass huts, the small shacks and concrete buildings were back in style. After seeing the beautiful countryside, I think we all agreed it was a much nicer way of life than living in the crowded and dusty city.
All of us were on the same flight from Kilimanjaro airport up to Nairobi, Kenya. There, Mario and I would stay over for the night before our flight to Cairo in the morning. Tom and Jackie had a long layover in Nairobi, and then 2 long flights to London and then Miami. Luckily, we had a pass to get into one of the airport lounges in Nairobi, and they used it to get in so that they wouldn't have to wait out in the airport for their 6 hour layover. We said our goodbyes to our visitors and handed over some last minute shopping purchases we had made. It will be strange to be on our own again - it almost feels as if we had a little vacation from our traveling, and now we are starting all over again. We'll have to get back into the swing of things, getting around on our own, after having 2 long organized tour activities in a row. 
Food: We found much of the food to be similar to an Indian style and flavor. Many curries and rices. At the lodges we stayed at on the safari, they always had a menu choice called the "African Fusion". This usually consisted of some type of meat stew (chicken, beef, or lamb). The meat there was often very tough, as the cattle and livestock are not raised for meat only, but are sold at the end of their hardworked life as meat.
People: The people of Tanzania were very welcoming and often had a genuine interest in getting to know you. They were very curious about the way that we live in America and many times seemed in awe of the choices and opportunities that we have there. A lot of their daily life is still very rural and basic - gathering water from sources, using community outhouses, planting and farming with oxen, and each family hoping to someday build a home of their own (and they actually build it with their own hands). The Maasai and other tribes still live as they have for hundreds of years, moving freely along the land with their livestock herds. There are 120 different ethnic tribes in Tanzania alone. Surprisingly, they seem to live in relative peace.