1. There were no stairs anywhere once out of the larger cities.
2. Nobody wears glasses – probably because they are unaffordable.
2. The people are abysmally poor by our standards but just as happy as any other group.
3. The people are kind and helpful.
4. Kids sometimes ask for money, but almost no one else does.
5. There are no Christmas or post Christmas sales – yay!
6. One can get by and be happy with almost nothing.
7. It’s a basically healthy diet there: fruits, veggies, protein (rice and beans make a full protein), starches, hot fresh milk served every morning.
8. Only white, crumbly breads are available.
9. Water is a big issue – in towns vendors deliver five gallon containers to homes and businesses from human pulled crudely built carts.
10. Transportation from most used to least used: walking, bicycles, daladalas (busses), motorcycles, taxis, personally owned vehicles.
11. Paved roads are rough and quite rare. Speed bumps are huge and one must come to a virtual stop.
12. Non-paved roads are the dominant form and without a Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser don’t even try driving on them. In fact sometimes don’t even try driving on them with such a vehicle – 2′ deep muddy ruts or even deeper washouts don’t work. Some spots are a sea of mud.
13. The plane we boarded to leave Tanzania and return to the US on seemed indescribably luxurious compared to what we experienced the past three weeks.
14. Smooth surfaces to walk on anywhere are totally rare, even in the big city of Dar Es Salaam.
15. Things in good repair are rare.
16. Doors everywhere stick.
17. Rainstorms are awesome, especially with the thunder and lightning.
18. Everyone walks slowly. No one jogs or runs.
19. People are very clean and dress well. It’s a cultural expectation.
20. Women’s dresses are gorgeous and made of patterned African cloth.
21. Men wear dress type pants (no jeans ever) and usually non-colorful cloth shirts. The traditional Masai are always in their robes.
22. Tennis shoes aren’t worn. The shoes you do wear will be reddish-brown from the soil.
23. When not at Chris’ house we stayed at local hotels, called guest houses, in the towns instead of tourist hotels. They were clean and a huge bargain, and all but one included breakfast. $20/night maximum.
24. The big game parks are totally awesome.
25. Baboons are thieves.
26. It was not good but was exciting being stuck in the mud for two hours with a pride of lions 600′ away. Fortunately they looked full and content…
27. It was also not good being on a flood plain during a huge rainstorm, watching the water rise before your eyes.
28. In Chris’ area of northern Tanzania most people are Christian and there are many small churches.
29. Christmas music was on radios and TVs everywhere in Chris’ area. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “Jingle Bells.”
30. High Point of the trip – just living in Chris’ house for six days.
Here is a link to Chris’ blog.
