November 24 - Back to Dar es Salaam

 We were up at 4:30 this morning and ate quickly at 5.  We wanted to be on the road by 5:30 as the trip to Dar es Salaam is 320 km.  The drivers thought 8 hours would be required and we have a nurse coming at 4 p.m. to our hotel to do the covid tests for our return to Canada.  The first part of the trip was all roads under construction and we did that in the cool of the morning.  The rest of the trip was paved roads, but there are constant speed bumps, villages to slow down for and trucks that can't go fast.  Then there are endless buses that pass whenever they want, motorcycles loaded with people or products, little tuktuk vehicles and lots of pedestrians.  We saw so many school children in uniforms walking to and from school, and young men hanging out at the edges of roads, some on their motorcycles, some at the village centre.  So many women carrying water and babies, doing laundry, sweeping yards and front steps.  So much garbage, dirt, dilapidated buildings, nice buildings, garden plots, fruit trees, dry riverbeds, beautiful forests.  Then there are the animals being herded at the sides of roadways, many goats and cows with their shepherds.  Also wild animals right at the roadside, giraffes, zebras, impala, eland, buffalo and elephants.  We have seen a lot.  

None of us wanted to stop today, we just wanted to arrive in Dar es Salaam.  We really only made one stop at a supermarket where we could buy a cold drink, ice cream and a snack.  We all ate our packed lunches in the vehicles.  

We arrived after 9 hours at 2 p.m. and have vowed not to enter another vehicle until our trip to the airport.  You cannot believe how exhausting these trips are.  We are hot, dusty, jostled, frayed and overjoyed to be here.  

We left our guides who we have become quite attached to these past 2 weeks and we lavished them with tip money, hoping to improve their lives and the lives of their families in some small way.  We entered the hotel as if coming home as we stayed here for 2 nights when we arrived in Tanzania.  Our checking in was smooth, our keys awaited us, and we went to our rooms to enjoy showers, air conditioning and horizontal positions with our feet elevated.  

Then a swim in the very warm pool, some drinks before supper at the 'Bar at Dar' and a beautiful meal at the outdoor restaurant here.  We all shared around the table our personal highlights of the trip.  We have all really enjoyed each other's company.  The 2 new couples fit in so well.  We have all been blessed so much by this trip.  We then said our goodbyes to Cornelius and Lizette who are flying back to Johannesburg tonight.